Barnes & NobleA Ballet of Lepers: A Novel and Stories by Leonard Cohen

Early Fire

“I have never fully understood my anger. In fact, sometimes I am frightened by it. It is more of a hate than an anger.” Leonard Cohen left us a treasure of stunning recordings created after he made his mark as an author. “A Ballet of Lepers: A Novel and Stories” is composed of earlier unpublished writings. Often when a recording artist dies there is a rush to release any salvageable unfinished work, regardless of whether it is worthwhile or merely a cash grab. This novel, these stories– do they give us any insight into the author… or should they have remained buried in some dusty trunk? Those only superficially aware of his music may be surprised at the tone here. We will not find Judy Collins singing these verses. With streaks of sadism and violence, this version of Leonard is not one you may want to nudge up to. The voices here belong to loners for the most part and you can see why. The violence is explosive and brutal. In the opening novella, “A Ballet of Lepers,” we see a cop get beaten, we see women get beaten, the protagonist even punches out his grandfather. At one point he concentrates his focus on a side character, a baggage handler he describes as “stupid and ugly and frightened.” This man evokes a “sharp sensation of hate” surging through his body. We are told this is the first real sensation he has felt in a while, but we are witnessing a man who seems to thrive on extremes. What follows is bullying, harassment, and humiliation all to fulfill a thirst for emotional stimuli. Fear of intimacy is another prominent theme in these stories. Sex is good, but please, God, don’t ruin things by talking about relationships. After sex he finds it intolerable that his partner analyzes the relationship, performing an autopsy on where things stand. Her physical presence is what he wants– it serves to keep the threat of loneliness at bay. This is a far cry from the “ladies man” mystique which grew around him in his later years (a notion he laughed at). The recordings of Leonard Cohen took us through nearly fifty years of thought provoking lyrics covering everything from beauty and romance to ugliness and hate. The works in this book tap into passionate hot spots, but are also powerful glimpses into the man working things out in his youth. These are rich, if not always sunny dispatches. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.