Who By Fire

Leonard Cohen in the Sinai

Who By Fire
Matti Friedman
RRP:
NZ$ 49.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 39.99
Hardback
h209 x 139mm - 224pg
25 Aug 2022 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781954118072
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
UNKNOWN STORY: Even passionate Cohen fans have no idea about this seminal event in his life and creative journey, mainly because he never discussed it and the only record of it exists in the form of an incomplete manuscript in Cohen' s archive, now included in this book. Friedman has been given permission by the Cohen estate to quote liberally from Cohen' s unfinished manuscript about the tour. It will be the first time it' s seen by the public. Leonard Cohen has a devoted following, which has continued to grow after his death. He is an icon, and this is a story that has not been told before. Matti Friedman is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed page, Tablet, and a number of other international publications. In addition, his three books have all won major awards and been published around the world. Never-before-seen photographs of the tour are interspersed throughout the book. MAP: features a map illustrating the important positions and borders of the Yom Kippur War during the period covered in the book
"A fascinating and intense account of Leonard Cohen' s time in Israel during the 19-day Yom Kippur War of 1973. A must for any Leonard Cohen completist, with excerpts from his unpublished manuscripts from that time. Soulful and thoughtfully done. "-Suzanne Vega"WHO BY FIRE is a stunning resurrection of a moment in the life of Leonard Cohen and the history of Israel. It' s the story of a young artist in crisis and a young country at war, and the powerful resonance of the chord struck between them. A beautiful, haunting book. "-Nicole Krauss"A short, symphonic book of remarkable stories of yearning, love, and war, whose leitmotif is a haunted artist bearing secret chords that enchant the world. "-Rabbi David Wolpe"Matti Friedman excels at finding the great significance in forgotten things: forgotten manuscripts, forgotten wars, forgotten spies. In this account of Leonard Cohen' s forgotten concert tour during the Yom Kippur War, not only is a hidden side of Cohen revealed but so too a hidden side of Israel. WHO BY FIRE is a book about the change that happens when you come through the flames. "-David Bezmozgis"Although he could not have anticipated it when he was researching and writing, the symbolic timing and importance of Matti Friedman' s latest book, Who by Fire, is particularly poignant. . . . [A] beautifully intimate portrait. "-Quillette"A revealing and absorbing account of those few short weeks when the fate of Israel was at the precipice, but its revelations will stay with the reader for much longer than it takes to read the slim volume. . . . Friedman' s compelling narrative of a pivotal war that left an indelible mark on a nation, the Jewish people and one musician draws readers in and doesn' t let go of us until the last page has been finished. "-Jewish Journal"Friedman illuminates in this fascinating tale an extraordinary chapter in the career of singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) that left a lasting impact on the state of Israel. . . . This demonstration of the power of song will stun fans of the legendary artist. "-Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Compelling . . . . Cohen fans will savor this little-known footnote in the singer' s life. "-Kirkus Reviews"With remarkable insight, discipline, heart, scope, stunning reporting, and sometimes quite beautiful writing, Friedman has recreated those days of war and music, regeneration and humility, that freed Cohen to create some of his greatest works of art. "-Mother JonesCompelling. . . . [Friedman] beautifully ties together ideas about the author' s craft, identity, and connection to Israel. . . . A brief, audacious, thorough book turning . . . a dream world unconventionally and surprisingly real. "-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"A word-of-mouth treasure. . . . Offers vital insight into Cohen' s trajectory as a songwriter and the scope of his work. "-City Journal"An important hybrid work of music and war reporting. "-Mitchell Kaplan, Boca Magazine"Matti Friedman' s impeccably researched and exquisitely written account of Cohen' s unlikely foray into the front lines of a nightmarish war answers the never quite explicated question-just what in the hell did the reluctant scion of a prominent Montreal rabbinical family think he was doing on an Israeli warfront? . . . Who by Fire offers Cohen aficionados a welcome opportunity to get lost in their own longings. "-Hadassah Magazine
MATTI FRIEDMAN is an award-winning journalist and author. Born in Toronto and based in Jerusalem, his work has appeared regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Tablet, and elsewhere. Friedman' s last book, Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel, won the 2019 Natan Prize and the Canadian Jewish Book Award for history. Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier' s Story of a Forgotten War was chosen in 2016 as a New York Times Notable Book and one of Amazon' s 10 best books of the year. His first book, The Aleppo Codex, won the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize and the ALA' s Sophie Brody Medal.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781954118072
Published: 25 Aug 2022
Published In: United States
Imprint: Spiegel & Grau LLC
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau LLC
Format: Hardback
Height: 209mm
Width: 139mm
Pages: 224

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