There is a familiarity to much of Simmons's material, the sense of being on the inside, as though the reader were sitting at the table during the conversations Simmons reports, and the overall experience is of a thoughtful celebration of the artist's life…Simmons has deftly narrated Cohen's evolution, bringing the past into the present and reminding us of the breadth of the journey…In her interview excerpts, Simmons captures the elliptical nature of Cohen's speech, the wry turns of phrase that are almost like stand-up comedy…And in the end, this biography has the oddest effect: as soon as you finish reading it you feel an overwhelming impulse to go back and begin again, revisiting the story with what you've learned along the way.
The New York Times Book Review
In this vibrant and enthusiastic chronicle of Leonard Cohen's life, music critic Simmons (Neil Young: Reflections in Broken Glass) draws extensively on interviews with Cohen's friends and associates, as well as on his private archives, his unpublished writings, and his published stories and poetry. The author narrates Cohen's life from his childhood and youth in Montreal—where he started writing poetry and stories when he was 15—through his aborted college career to his move to Manhattan in pursuit of music; his rise to fame with such songs as "Suzanne," "Bird on a Wire," and "Hallelujah" (one of pop music's most recorded songs); his often difficult relationships with women; and his search for tranquility and order in his embrace of Buddhism. Carefully weaving the threads of all of his songs and albums through the patterns of his life, Simmons craftily explores the themes that regularly mark Cohen's work: desire, regret, suffering, love, hope, and hamming it up. Cohen emerges from this definitive biography as a sensitive and intensely serious artist whose reverence for the word and deep love and respect for his audiences continues "to dissolve all the boundaries between word and song, between the song and the truth, and the truth and himself, his heart and its aching." (Oct.)
I’m Your Man is the major, soul-searching biography that Leonard Cohen deserves... a mesmerizing labor of love.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times
“A thoughtful celebration of the artist’s life...Simmons has deftly narrated Cohen’s evolution... In the end, this biography has the oddest effect: as soon as you finish reading it you feel an overwhelming impulse to go back and begin again, revisiting the story with what you’ve learned along the way.” — A.M. Homes, New York Times Book Review
“A new gold standard of Cohen bios.” — Los Angeles Times
“This is the bio Cohen has long deserved, and it makes every prior Cohen book practically unnecessary.” — Rolling Stone, 4 1/2 Stars
“The book is a seductive tribute to a master seducer.” — The Onion A.V. Club
“A deep, enlightening book. . . Simmons, a music journalist and short-story writer, knows how to research and write and keep a critical distance from Cohen, who opens up some but uses his usual weapons, politeness and self-deprecation, to maintain an air of mystery.” — The Oregonian (Portland)
“Leonard fought darkness through his work and... the light ultimately prevailed when he triumphantly toured the world for three years beginning in 2008... ‘You could hear the hairs stand up on people’s arms,’ writes Simmons of the hushed reverence of his audience. This book demands a similar reaction.” — MOJO Magazine, 5 Stars
“This is a revelatory biography that investigates not just an artist’s life, but the life of his art.” — Shelf Awareness
“In I’m Your Man , we see not only the life of one man who was transformed by words, but how we ourselves may be transformed by them.” — New York Jewish Week
“Simmons’ rich, compelling and provocative book... is a star-studded but also frank account of how the music industry really works and, at the same time, a discerning portrait of one especially important musician.” — Jewish Journal Los Angeles
“Simmons is a wonderful writer... the book informs like carefully researched non-fiction, but engages like enchanting fiction... Like listening to one of Cohen’s songs, this complex, beautiful biography requires you to think about it. This book will stay with you. It will change the way you hear Leonard Cohen.” — Paste Magazine
“[A] vibrant and enthusiastic chronicle... Carefully weaving the threads of all of his songs and albums through the patterns of his life, Simmons craftily explores the themes that regularly mark Cohen’s work: desire, regret, suffering, love, hope, and hamming it up.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“In this elegantly crafted biography, Simmons captures the artist who, in spite of all his highs and lows, is still sharp at the edges, a wise old monk, a trouper offering up himself and his songs.” — BookPage
“Exquisitely researched and elegantly written.” — Dallas Morning News
“The success of Simmons’ book is the way it deftly integrates each facet in a unified portrait.” — San Jose Mercury News
“Cohen is a complex man and Sylvie Simmons has captured every essence of it in her remarkable book. This is a deeply insightful portrait that is guaranteed to haunt the reader much like his “Suzanne” and “Bird on the Wire.” — The Tuscon Citizen
“Compelling biography. . . A must for anyone interested in one of the most influential songwriters of our time.” — Booklist (starred review)
A new gold standard of Cohen bios.
The book is a seductive tribute to a master seducer.
In I’m Your Man , we see not only the life of one man who was transformed by words, but how we ourselves may be transformed by them.
This is a revelatory biography that investigates not just an artist’s life, but the life of his art.
Simmons’ rich, compelling and provocative book... is a star-studded but also frank account of how the music industry really works and, at the same time, a discerning portrait of one especially important musician.
Jewish Journal Los Angeles
I’m Your Man is the major, soul-searching biography that Leonard Cohen deserves... a mesmerizing labor of love.
Leonard fought darkness through his work and... the light ultimately prevailed when he triumphantly toured the world for three years beginning in 2008... ‘You could hear the hairs stand up on people’s arms,’ writes Simmons of the hushed reverence of his audience. This book demands a similar reaction.
A deep, enlightening book. . . Simmons, a music journalist and short-story writer, knows how to research and write and keep a critical distance from Cohen, who opens up some but uses his usual weapons, politeness and self-deprecation, to maintain an air of mystery.
A thoughtful celebration of the artist’s life...Simmons has deftly narrated Cohen’s evolution... In the end, this biography has the oddest effect: as soon as you finish reading it you feel an overwhelming impulse to go back and begin again, revisiting the story with what you’ve learned along the way.
Exquisitely researched and elegantly written.
In this elegantly crafted biography, Simmons captures the artist who, in spite of all his highs and lows, is still sharp at the edges, a wise old monk, a trouper offering up himself and his songs.
Compelling biography. . . A must for anyone interested in one of the most influential songwriters of our time.
Booklist (starred review)
Simmons is a wonderful writer... the book informs like carefully researched non-fiction, but engages like enchanting fiction... Like listening to one of Cohen’s songs, this complex, beautiful biography requires you to think about it. This book will stay with you. It will change the way you hear Leonard Cohen.
The success of Simmons’ book is the way it deftly integrates each facet in a unified portrait.
Cohen is a complex man and Sylvie Simmons has captured every essence of it in her remarkable book. This is a deeply insightful portrait that is guaranteed to haunt the reader much like his “Suzanne” and “Bird on the Wire.
A new gold standard of Cohen bios.
"Compelling biography. . . A must for anyone interested in one of the most influential songwriters of our time."
At age 78, iconic musician Leonard Cohen is enjoying a remarkable comeback. The singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist has started his fourth major tour in five years and released the highly acclaimed album Old Ideas in January. Veteran music journalist Simmons (Neil Young: Reflections in Broken Glass) spent three years tracking Cohen’s life, career, and travels. The result is the most extensive biography of the man to date—more substantial and insightful than Anthony Reynolds’s 2010 Leonard Cohen: A Remarkable Life. Simmons covers every aspect of Cohen’s fascinating life, the highs and the lows (and Cohen had many lows). She interviewed the musician at length, as well as his friends, lovers, and associates (including Judy Collins, Lou Reed, and Philip Glass). The book discusses Cohen’s creative process and his endless search for enlightenment at length. Simmons also provides a revealing account of Cohen’s five years in a Zen Buddhist monastery and the financial and legal woes that propelled him back on the road as a performer.
Verdict Die-hard fans will appreciate the many details of album production and business deals, while casual fans will enjoy the personal drama and the origins of Cohen’s best-known songs, such as “Suzanne,” “Hallelujah,” “Sisters of Mercy,” and “Famous Blue Raincoat.”—Thomas Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
Listeners may find this carefully written biography of Canadian-born musician, poet, and writer Cohen to be both astute and moving. Joshua Pollock bring this insightful and multilayered examination to life. With superb pacing, inflection, and tone, Pollock’s restrained delivery and deep vocal tones are a delight. Cohen’s genius, creativity, bouts of depression, and financial successes and difficulties are presented in one’s earphones with well-researched analysis and the genteel manner of the musical artist himself. The listener can’t help but notice the importance of persistence in Cohen’s story. W.A.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Listeners may find this carefully written biography of Canadian-born musician, poet, and writer Cohen to be both astute and moving. Joshua Pollock bring this insightful and multilayered examination to life. With superb pacing, inflection, and tone, Pollock’s restrained delivery and deep vocal tones are a delight. Cohen’s genius, creativity, bouts of depression, and financial successes and difficulties are presented in one’s earphones with well-researched analysis and the genteel manner of the musical artist himself. The listener can’t help but notice the importance of persistence in Cohen’s story. W.A.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
