Book of Longing cover art

Book of Longing

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Book of Longing

By: Leonard Cohen
Narrated by: Leonard Cohen
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Book of Longing written and read by Leonard Cohen.

Book of Longing is Leonard Cohen's first book of new poetry since Book of Mercy was published two decades ago. It collects Cohen's poetry written between the 1980s and 2006, when this book was first published.
Book of Longing demonstrates the range and depth of Cohen's work, revealing an extraordinary gift of language that speaks with rare clarity, passion and timelessness.


'Awe-inspiring. . . Cohen emerges as the wry, sensual mystic his champions have always known he was' Sunday Telegraph

'Exceptional. Clear yet steamy, cosmic yet private, both playful and profound. . . as soulful a credo as he has ever put on paper' New York Times

'Cohen maps this wasteland of the heart with humour, and sometimes anger' Independent

 Canadian Love Music Poetry Themes & Styles World Literature
All stars
Most relevant
I've always found myself coming back to Cohen's music after years in between; there's something there that pulls me back time and time again for more deep immersion.
I've never known Cohen's poetry so this was an absolute treat, especially due to the man himself reciting his work. glad I made the purchase and how unfortunate that the man himself isn't with us no more.

rediscovering Leonard Cohen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Leonard Cohen was a kind of archetype for the type of hippy poetry people think is dreadful. That's because people IMITATING Cohen usually end up in dreadful territory. The man himself? Transcendent.

Three Hours of Peak Cohen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved it, a thousand kisses deep i s here, it really couldn't be better.

Thank you, thank you. The man at his best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Leonard Cohen delivers an brilliant performance in the reading of this book of deep, meaningful and sublime poems. His voice perfectly compliments the sad tones of some of the poems while his humour shines through in others to keep the reader engaged and aware. I would definitely recommend listening to it more than once to really get an idea for the poems and start to understand their deeper meanings. He is a master!

Excellent Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the Master reading his own poetry. No way could I dislike anything this wonderful man ever wrote. A wordsmith of the highest order! I am left, as always, longing for more Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen's wonderful voice and the beauty of his poetry

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews