Reviews

Fifteen Poems by Leonard Cohen

alanffm's review

4.0

A powerful anthology containing some of Cohen's greatest poems. I love the choices made in this collection as they highlight the earlier works, which show that even at this later stage in Cohen's life, Cohen was reflecting on his past works and their meaning.

Great stuff. A simple and swift introduction to Cohen's poetry.

el_entrenador_loco's review

reflective medium-paced

3.5

clonazine's review

4.0

Mi hermana tenía un libro de Leonard Cohen en su biblioteca y recién me di cuenta!!!. Amo su poesía!!!

jackb_93's review

Have always preferred the more romantically anguished Leonard stuff to the biblical stuff and thankfully there's a good balance here

valley4dolls's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

secrethistory's review

3.0

Fifteen Poems tracks Leonard Cohen's work throughout his career, from Let Us Compare Mythologies in 1956 to Stranger Music, published 1993. His earlier work is represented far more widely than his later, but the poem choices are good; they show the growth of his writing while also being enjoyable poems in their own right. However, this is not a "best of" collection. Despite the subjective nature of poetry I can guarantee few would call this Cohen's finest. My personal favorite in the collection is "Beneath My Hands" from The Spice-Box of Earth. The others, while decent poems, did not leave a lasting impression besides a line here or there. Also worth noting is that Cohen's prose poems are represented with "The News You Really Hate" and "I Draw Aside the Curtain," for fans of that sort of thing. As for myself, I found the collection enjoyable but a bit forgettable.

aerorach's review

3.0

I just don't get poetry.

jamesdavidward's review

3.0

Cheap and cheerful ebook of a few of Cohen's poems (not songs). As such, it encourages a quick and shallow reading. I wasn't grabbed by much in here, but one included here may grab me properly when I go through Stranger Things, the selected works I picked up. (I think also, I've been reading a lot of complex poetry recently, so Cohen's style seems a bit limp by comparison. I hope to get back to it soon, hopefully with a clearer head.)

ld2's review

5.0

One of my favorite poets and singers. His words pierce and I'm always left wanting more.