Description
The incredible neverbeforetold story of Leonard Cohens 1973 tour of Israel during the Yom Kippur War
Who by Fire is a stunning resurrection of a moment in the life of Leonard Cohen and the history of Israel Its 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 full of feeling Nicole Krauss author of To Be a Man
In October 1973 the poet and singer Leonard Cohen 39 years old famous unhappy and at a creative dead end traveled to the Sinai desert and inserted himself into the chaos and bloodshed of the Yom Kippur War Moving around the front with a guitar and a pickup team of local musicians Cohen dived headlong into the midst of a global crisis and met hundreds of fighting men and women at the worst moment of their lives His audiences heard him knowing it might be the last thing they heard and those who survived never forgot what they heard
Cohens war tour was an electric cultural moment one that still echoes today and one that inspired some of his greatest songs but a moment that only few knew about until now In Who By Fire CanadianIsraeli journalist Matti Friedman gives us a riveting account of what happened during those weeks in Israel in October 1973 With access to amazing and neverbeforeseen material written by Cohen himself along with dozens of interviews Friedman revives this fraught and stunning time presenting an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the artist and of the young people who heard him sing in the midst of combat
Who By Fire brings us close to one the greatest most brilliant and charismatic voices of our times and gives us a rare glimpse of war faith and belonging
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