About this title: In this unforgettable novel, Leonard Cohen boldly etches the youth and early manhood of Lawrence Breavman, only son of an old Jewish family in Montreal. Life for Breavman is made up of dazzling colour - a series of motion pictures fed through a high-speed projector: the half-understood death of his father; the adult games of love and war, with their infinite capacity for fantasy and cruelty; his secret experiments with hypnotism; the night-long adventures with Krantz, his beloved comrade and confidant. Later, achieving literary fame as a college student, Breavman does penance through manual ...
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Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Vintage Books
Date Published: 2003-10-01
ISBN-13:9781400033621ISBN:1400033624
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781400033621. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9781400033621ISBN:1400033624
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: 245pp. No creasing down a spine with a slight forward lean evident from the bottom edge only. Covers not creased, A vg or a little better copy. read more
Description: New. In this unforgettable novel, Leonard Cohen boldly etches the youth and early manhood of Lawrence Breavman, only son of an old Jewish family in Montreal. Life for Breavman is made up of dazzling colour-a series of motion pictures fed through a high-... read more
"Written at the beginning of his writing career, this semi-autobiographical novel paints a unflattering portrait of Breavman, its protagonist. Written in a lyrical style, particularly at the beginning, it is hard to understand what it happening at first. It ends well but was tough to enjoy."
"When I read, I usually don't notice the quality of prose. I just sink into the book and lock whatever I'm reading directly into visualization.
That was impossible with this book, because every other page I'd get flummoxed by some particularly awesome expression. That's Leonard Cohen for you.
On the downside though, I thought the ending was disappointing. The main character suddenly starts burning all of his bridges, pursuing some impulse within himself which is never adequately explained or even described. Overall, it left me feeling like there wasn't any /meaning/ to the story, that the main character neither knew nor cared what he wanted in life.
So a fantastically written book, which I maybe would have enjoyed better if I had a better understanding of the motivations of the main character."
"I've probably read this book every two or three years since I was 15, and each year it's been a different experience. When I was younger it sold me on the mythology of Montreal, and of the figure of the poet. Today, after having taught it several times and preparing to teach it again, it seems to me a satire of all the things I believed it was about in the first place: masculinity, poetry, mythologies, and the stoic figure of the poet alone. Cohen's so good at quietly flipping all that on its ear. Amazing."
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