One of my favorite songs by Leonard Cohen is “Hallelujah.” Many artists have covered it, with various degrees of success, and it appears at the end of one of my favorite movies, “When Night is Falling,” to memorable effect. Am pleased to publish an essay about the great novelist/poet/songwriter with the grissly old voice. Yahia Lababidi compares and contrasts the work of Stephen Patrick Morrissey and Mr. Cohen in a fresh and original way.
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Am reading a fascinating book by Stephen O’Shea, entitled Sea of Faith: Islam and Christianity in the Medieval World. Not only is this good, accessible history, the author throws us a curve by actually telling us how many of these places look at present. It’s a travelogue of sorts as well as a close look at centuries of pivotal interplay between cultures. Seeing the battle locations, the mountains, valleys and plains where history was made, only adds to our sense of reality. Will post some thoughts on the book when finished.
