I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons (Ecco)

AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

In this major, definitive biography, Sylvie Simmons provides an authoritative and intimate account of Leonard Cohen’s fascinating life. Over the decades, Cohen has morphed from a beloved literary figure in his native Canada, to an internationally recognized and inimitable songwriter, to a performer approaching rock star status. He is and always has been a mixture of extremes – an international celebrity who craves simplicity, a lady’s man who yearns for family yet a family man who continually left home for the road, a self-identified Jew who practices Buddhism, and an entertainer always ambivalent about his writing and performing careers.

Cohen is now reaping the rewards of a lifetime of extraordinary work. Since his return from his extended stay at a mountain-top monastery with his Zen master, he has toured and played to the biggest audiences of his career, been honored with innumerable accolades from his peers, fans and critics, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The world has welcomed him with enthusiasm and warmth, and his triumphant comeback is a reminder that he remains one of the most prolific and influential iconoclasts of our time.

“I’m Your Man is the major, soul-searching biography that Leonard Cohen deserves… a mesmerizing labor of love.”
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“A new gold standard of Cohen bios.”
—Los Angeles Times

“This is the bio Cohen long deserved, and it makes every prior Cohen bio practically unnecessary.”
—Rolling Stone (four-and-a-half star review)