Another Book from BJT's Editor

Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters, the latest book from BJT editor Jeff Burger, has just been published in North America by Chicago Review Press. The 624-page hardcover anthology, which is also available as an e-book, tells the legendary 79-year-old singer/songwriter’s story in his own words for the first time, via more than 50 interviews and interview-based features spanning nearly half a century. In the book, the artist talks about "Hallelujah," "Bird on the Wire," "Suzanne" and his other classic songs. He candidly discusses his famous romances, his years in a Zen monastery, his ill-fated collaboration with producer Phil Spector, his near-bankruptcy, his long battle with depression, and more.

The volume includes a foreword by singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega and eight pages of rarely seen photos. Burger's introductions to each piece put the material in context and include many reflections and reminiscences that contributors supplied specifically for this project.

Journalists in the U.S., Canada, England, Spain, Greece, Australia, and Scandinavia conducted the book’s interviews between 1966 and 2012. Some of the pieces come from small publications, others from large media such as the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Approximately 25 percent of the material has not previously been printed anywhere. A few of the print pieces have not been published in English until now and some of the material has not previously been available in any format.

Chicago Review Press has also just released a North American paperback edition of Burger’s Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters. That book, which appeared in hardcover in the U.S. and Canada in April 2013, has since been republished in England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.