"We may be ugly, but we have the music"
Katherine Gottli
Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: News
To those familiar with contemporary Canadian literature, Leonard Cohen has certainly reached the ranks of household name.
With a career spanning decades, and admirers ranging from the likes of Bob Dylan to Rufus Wainwright, Cohen, 73, was accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Madonna, John Mellancamp, The Ventures, and the Dave Clark Five on March 10 in Clevland, Ohio.
With novels, books of poetry (the most recent published in 2006), and a substantial discography under his belt, it was only a matter of time before Cohen's career was recognized in the United States after being accepted into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
"We will be building statues to Cohen in the future. Any acknowledgement of his work at this point in his career is but a token down-payment of the homage that he is due," Prof. Gregory Betts in the English department at Brock University said. "It would be ridiculous to think that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame authenticates Leonard Cohen. If anything, it is hoping to gain some credibility by acknowledging him."
Yet, despite the fact that a Canadian literary icon will be included in the constant rotation of songs played at the Hall of Fame, will Cohen's acceptance have any drastic effects on how Canadian literature is viewed? Professor Marilyn Rose in the English department at Brock has her doubts.
"I'm not sure that Leonard Cohen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will change much about the profile of Canadian literature abroad," she said. "Cohen is being honoured for his songwriting. His public persona is as a pop icon at this point, more than anything else. And in that role he is associated as much with Los Angeles and New York as with Montreal, where he grew up."
Betts echoes these sentiments, but also believes that Cohen being recognized as a 'song writer' will simply distract from the fact that he does have such a vast catalogue of poetry and two cutting edge novels attributed to his name, which deserve just as much recognition, if not more, than his 'popular singer/songwriter' status.
With a career spanning decades, and admirers ranging from the likes of Bob Dylan to Rufus Wainwright, Cohen, 73, was accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Madonna, John Mellancamp, The Ventures, and the Dave Clark Five on March 10 in Clevland, Ohio.
With novels, books of poetry (the most recent published in 2006), and a substantial discography under his belt, it was only a matter of time before Cohen's career was recognized in the United States after being accepted into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
"We will be building statues to Cohen in the future. Any acknowledgement of his work at this point in his career is but a token down-payment of the homage that he is due," Prof. Gregory Betts in the English department at Brock University said. "It would be ridiculous to think that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame authenticates Leonard Cohen. If anything, it is hoping to gain some credibility by acknowledging him."
Yet, despite the fact that a Canadian literary icon will be included in the constant rotation of songs played at the Hall of Fame, will Cohen's acceptance have any drastic effects on how Canadian literature is viewed? Professor Marilyn Rose in the English department at Brock has her doubts.
"I'm not sure that Leonard Cohen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will change much about the profile of Canadian literature abroad," she said. "Cohen is being honoured for his songwriting. His public persona is as a pop icon at this point, more than anything else. And in that role he is associated as much with Los Angeles and New York as with Montreal, where he grew up."
Betts echoes these sentiments, but also believes that Cohen being recognized as a 'song writer' will simply distract from the fact that he does have such a vast catalogue of poetry and two cutting edge novels attributed to his name, which deserve just as much recognition, if not more, than his 'popular singer/songwriter' status.
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carol
posted 3/19/08 @ 11:30 AM NA
What do you mean by "During the '70s when Cohen had his metaphorical birth in the literary scene"?
Between '56 and '72 he produced two novels and six poetry collections. (Continued…)
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