Leonard Cohen’s Book of Mercy is a modern classic, appreciated by a wide readership, used in liturgy, and translated into more than a dozen languages. It is Leonard Cohen’s modern psalter, in which he exposes his dialogue with the divine and the deepest struggles of his soul in its attempts to find peace, side by side with his erotic yearning and his concern for the world at large. Its intricate poetic language combines imagery from the wealth of the Jewish tradition in which the poet was raised, as well as his practice of Zen Buddhist meditation and his absorption in Christian imagery and in old and modern poetry. This book offers a detailed interpretation of Cohen’s prose-poems, identifying the sources utilized by him in creating his unique take on the Psalms for our day and age. It is a book that will allow all readers to gain deeper understanding of Cohen’s ideas and language in ways that will enrich their own spiritual lives.
