Leonard Norman Cohen was born in Montreal, Canada on September 21, 1934. He received a degree in English from McGill University and studied literature at Columbia University for a year. His first collection of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies, was published in 1956. His other collections of poetry include The Spice-Box of Earth, Flowers for Hitler, Death of a Lady's Man, Poems and Songs, and Book of Longing. He also wrote two novels entitled The Favorite Game and Beautiful Losers.
He was a musician and songwriter for almost five decades. He recorded 14 studio albums including Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room, Songs of Love and Hate, Ten New Songs, Dear Heather, Popular Problems, and You Want It Darker. He wrote numerous songs including Hallelujah, Suzanne, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Bird on a Wire, The Story of Isaac, Famous Blue Raincoat, Dance Me to the End of Love, First We Take Manhattan, Everybody Knows, and Tower of Song. In 2008, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2010, he received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He died on November 7, 2016 at the age of 82.
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