Not to be confused with Leonard Cohen’s album, Death of a Ladies’ Man. It turns out I didn’t need to read the entire book, just the selections present in Stranger Music. Oh, well.
This book doesn’t fall under the general headings of writing, between poetry and prose. At the beginning of the unit, the professor was saying how there’s several Cohen books that are published as poetry by one publisher and then published as prose by another. There’s no black and white. It’s all gray. Not only is there a mix of poetry, prose, and prose-poetry, but each piece includes a commentary on it.
Today in class we were discussing writer’s aiming to please their audience or just themselves. I feel as though Death of a Lady’s Man could be both. It’s difficult to say what Cohen’s feelings are on the matter, but he was certainly writing for himself in Beautiful Losers, and there’s just enough of that in Death of a Lady’s Man to take it off the beaten path. On the other hand, there’s enough of Let Us Compare Mythologies and The Spice-Box of Earth for the general readership to enjoy it.
There is one writing at the beginning of the book which really stuck with me. It’s “The News You Really Hate.” The first sentence is jarring, reminiscent of Beautiful Losers. “You fucking whore.” The use of second-person point of view really directs it toward the reader, as if they are being specifically addressed. It resonated with me. I identified with several of the lines and I found myself getting defensive. Reasoning out my explanations of my behavior in my head. “No. I was interested in the music. Really. I still listen every so often. The music was one of my favorite parts. Didn’t you know? Sure, I never said as much, but now you’re declaring war on me? Forever and ever? That’s not really fair. Life isn’t fair, I know. I am sorry…. And I’m not a whore.”
A running commentary within my mind in relation to the writing.
Don’t tell me you don’t do the same. See yourself in an author’s writings. See eerie resemblances to events in your own life. Besides, isn’t it the mark of a great writer when you can relate to their characters?
“The Mouth of the Cave” intrigued me just for the first line. “Rachel and Raymond in Montreal cruising the socialist meetings.” Hey. My name’s Rachel and I have a friend named Raymond. But I’m certain we would never go to socialist meetings. Especially not in Montreal. Especially considering he’s in Texas. And it’s his birthday today!
I’m almost done Stranger Music, too. So perhaps, expect that entry up tonight.
