Feb 10 Opening
THE ULTIMATE CANADIAN JEWISH ICON
Sat Feb 10, 7:30pm $25
Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
MICHAEL POSNER / Leonard Cohen: Untold Stories – That’s How the Light Gets In
In Conversation with Alan Twigg
This is the final volume of an epic, three-book oral biography of the certified cultural giant Leonard Cohen. The three volumes, totaling some 1,500 pages and based on 560 interviews constitute the most complete and nuanced portrait of his extraordinary life published to date. Through the voices of those who knew him best – family and friends, colleagues and contemporaries, rivals, business partners, and his many lovers – the monograph probes deeply into both Cohen’s public and private life.
For Jewish audiences particularly, this final volume will yield a rich harvest, as it documents his challenging final years, his immersion in Kabbalah, and his long, intellectual wrestling match with the Creator of the Universe.
Poet, novelist, singer-songwriter, artist, prophet, icon – there has never been a figure like Leonard Cohen. He was a true giant in contemporary Western culture, entertaining and inspiring people everywhere. His death in 2016 was felt around the world by the many fans and followers who would miss his warmth, humour, intellect, and piercing insights.
MICHAEL POSNER is an award-winning writer, playwright, journalist, and the author of seven books, including the Mordecai Richler biography, The Last Honest Man, and the Anne Murray biography, All of Me, both of which were national bestsellers. He was managing editor of the Financial Times of Canada and a senior writer with The Globe and Mail.
ALAN TWIGG, a noted Cohen scholar and recipient of the Order of Canada, was the founder and for 33 years editor of BC BookWorld, Canada’s largest-circulating publication about books. He is the author of 20 books to date, including Out of Hiding: Holocaust Literature of British Columbia which was awarded the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in 2023.
SPONSORED BY YOSEF WOSK
In honour of Alan Twigg’s outstanding, multifaceted contributions to the Jewish community’s literary scene. And with gratitude for Dana Camil Hewitt’s lifelong dedication to culture across three continents.