By FELISHA HENRY-LEE
Renowned Canadian poet, novelist, and singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen is one of the great musical and literary figures in Canadian history, and the subject of a four-part lecture series planned for the Beach.
Cohen, who died in 2016 at the age of 82, is probably best remembered for his iconic songs Hallelujah and Suzanne.
“I think that he had two periods to his career and his first is sort of a poet/singer/songwriter in the 1950s and ’60s, and he has incredible literary credentials,” said Dr. Mike Daley, a Ph.d in music and specialist within music business and history.
“And then he becomes sort of a pop-star and he has a huge resurgence in the late ’80s and early ’90s.”
Daley will be presenting Words and Music, a four-week lecture series dissecting and dividing Cohen’s life and career, at Beach United Church. Dates for the lectures are Jan. 13, 20 and 27, and Feb. 3. All lectures will take place between 10 a.m. and noon.
The Jan. 13 lecture is Golden Boy of Montreal Poetry. The Jan. 20 lecture is New York, Nashville and the First 3 Albums. The Jan. 27 lecture is Concerts and Comebacks. The final lecture on Feb. 3 is The Monk at Closing Time.
Cohen was and still remains the forefront in the music industry as a Canadian and internationally, said Daley.
His work and career continues to hold the utmost relevancy, and Cohen is known for his keen observations and impassioned writing that resonates today.
“He becomes this sort of avatar of cool so he has a very cool image but he is also known as a great poet, a great songwriter and he’s become an icon especially in Canada,” said Daley.
“For people who know a little bit about Leonard Cohen and who are curious you will really get a sense of his whole career,” said Daley of the lectures.
“He was so committed in his life to living in a way where he was always raw, always present experiencing much of life as possible.”
Those wishing to attend have the option of buying a ticket for all four lectures or individual tickets for preferred lectures.
Ticket prices are $15 for individual lectures and $50 for the entire series. Tickets can be ordered through Eventbrite.com
Beach United Church is located at 140 Wineva Ave.
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