LEONARD COHEN, UNTOLD STORIES: THAT'S HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, VOL. 3.

The extraordinary life of one of the world's greatest music and literary icons, in the words of those who knew him best.

Poet, novelist, singer-songwriter, artist, prophet, icon. From his groundbreaking and bestselling novels to timeless songs “Suzanne” and “Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen is one of the world's most cherished artists.

Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories chronicles the breadth of his extraordinary life through the voices of family and friends, colleagues and contemporaries, business partners and lovers. Michael Posner draws on hundreds of interviews to reveal the unique, complex, and compelling man The New York Times called “a secular saint.”

Volume one traces Cohen's boyhood in Montreal, university, and his growing career in the 60s that took him to the world's stage in a golden era. From This Broken Hill (volume two) begins with Cohen's first international music tour as he searched for meaning, and probes his relationships, including one decades-long with
Suzanne Elrod, with whom he had two children. Cohen's personal life was in chaos, and his career stumbled.

The third volume explores his last 30 years, with the 80s revival of his music career, death of his manager, and appointment of another who would be accused of stealing more than five million dollars from Cohen. After the traumatic end of his romance with French photographer Dominique Issermann, Cohen entered the Mount Baldy monastery under the tutelage of Zen master Joshu Sasaki Roshi – arguably the most important relationship in Cohen's life. In 2008, Cohen triumphantly returned to the stage, and for five years traveled the world in an extraordinary final act, giving almost 400 performances over three continents.

MICHAEL POSNER is the author of three previous non-fiction books, including Mordecai Richler's biography The Last Honest Man and Anne Murray's biography All of Me. He is a former arts reporter and feature writer for The Globe & Mail.