Publisher sets release date for Cohen’s final book
TORONTO — Leonard Cohen’s final book, which he finished in the months before his death last November, will hit shelves next year.
Publishing house McClelland & Stewart said it will release The Flame on Oct. 16, 2018. The company described the book as “a stunning collection of Cohen’s last poems, selected and ordered by the author in the final months of his life.”
The book also has excerpts from Cohen’s notebooks as well as the full lyrics to his final three albums and those written by Cohen for the album Blue Alert by his collaborator Anjani.
Readers will also get to see prose pieces and illustrations by the Montrealborn Hallelujah singer-songwriter, who died on Nov. 7 at age 82.
McClelland and Stewart called the book “an enormously powerful final chapter in Cohen’s storied literary career.”
“During the final months of his life, Leonard had a singular focus — completing this book taken largely from his unpublished poems and selections from his notebooks,” Robert Kory, Cohen’s manager and trustee of the Cohen estate, said in a statement on Friday.
“The flame and how our culture threatened its extinction was a central concern. Though in declining health, Leonard died unexpectedly.
“Those of us who had the rare privilege of spending time with him during this period recognized that the flame burned bright within him to the very end. This book, finished only days before his death, reveals to all the intensity of his inner fire.”
McClelland & Stewart publisher Jared Bland said the book is “full of Leonard Cohen’s signature combination of grace, humour, wisdom and heartbreaking insight into the fragility and beauty of this world we all share.
“It will endure as a testament to his humanity and genius, and delight his millions of fans around the world,” Bland said.