Closing Time
Review of the Drawn and Quarterly hardcover edition (October 2021) translated by Helge Dascher & Karen Houle from the original French language "Leonard Cohen. Sur un fil" published by Casterman (March 2021)

See photograph at https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6a/68/24/6a6824d945364605deb60cf93baaab9c.jpg
Mural of Leonard Cohen at Crescent St. Montreal, Canada. This is also the basis for an image in Leonard Cohen: On a Wire. Photograph sourced from Pinterest.

I was so eager to read Philippe Girard's graphic novel biography of Leonard Cohen that I even fumbled through it with my very basic French language knowledge in its original edition Leonard Cohen. Sur un fil back in April 2021.

There isn't much to add to my first review except to say that this translation by Helge Dascher and Karen Houle is excellent.

Trivia and Link
Artist & writer Philippe Girard is interviewed by the CBC in a November 2020 article that you can read here. Girard mentions that he had envisioned his biography of Leonard Cohen as a series. This current volume seems to already be a full telling of the story though. ( )

Leonard Cohen. On a wire
Review of the original French language Casterman hardcover edition (March 2021)

Although my French is very basic, it is good enough for reading books on subjects about which I already have a large amount of previous knowledge, such as Julien Teyssandier's Arvo Pärt (2017). Philippe Girard's entertaining graphic novel Leonard Cohen. Sur un fil (2021) was another such case.

I suspect that your degree of enjoyment of this book will be scaled according to the amount of minutiae that you previously know about the now iconic Canadian poet/novelist/songwriter (1934-2016). Most fans will be aware of his mournful ballads to his various muses such as Suzanne Elrod in Suzanne and Marianne Ihlen in So Long, Marianne. They will know about his fling with Janis Joplin from the song Chelsea Hotel #2, and that movie actress Rebecca de Mornay was his muse and producer for the recording The Future (1992).

The stories about his first guitar teacher, a street musician/Spanish flamenco guitarist will be more obscure though, unless you've read Cohen's acceptance speech in Spain for his Prince of Asturias Award for Literature (2011). Also mostly forgotten is Cohen's collaboration with the substance abuse crazed music producer Phil Spector (1939-2021) on the album Death of a Ladies Man (1977) with its over-produced wall-of-sound mix. As most do know, Spector later went to prison for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. During the 1977 recording sessions, Spector had also pointed a gun at Leonard Cohen, saying "I love you Leonard!" with Cohen answering "I hope you love me Phil!"

Girard has crafted a loving tribute to Cohen's up and down career by combining the well and the less known stories and anecdotes of a widely travelled life. The art work is in a simple cartoon style which may not be exactly faithful to the likenesses of all of the celebrities portrayed, but which usually does capture key features, such as Cohen's sad eyes. I recommend the book especially to those fans who want it darker and deeper.

Trivia and Link
The Franco-Belgian publisher Casterman issued a trailer for the book's hardcover release which you can see here.

The English language translation edition Leonard Cohen: On a wire is expected to be published November 9, 2021 by Drawn & Quarterly. ( )