Ten years after the death of Leonard Cohen, biographer Christophe Lebold looks back on the life and work of the Canadian singer, composer and writer. In an in-depth biography and analysis of Cohen’s oeuvre, he explores the different facets of the artist. Together with Klara presenter and Cohen fan Lies Steppe, he discusses Cohen’s writing, love life, struggle with drugs, fascination with religion, and his philosophical and poetic work.

Writer
Troubadour, philosopher, ladies’ man, Buddhist monk, painter, dandy: Leonard Cohen had many guises and wore them all with equal style, but the role of writer suited him best. He wrote novels and poetry long before releasing his first album in 1967, and his lyrics deserve a place in world literature.

Biographer
Christophe Lebold is an expert in American literature and knew Leonard Cohen personally. With The Man Who Saw the Angels Fall, he wrote the definitive biography of the modern bard, offering a learned analysis of Cohen’s work. Lebold explores both Cohen’s turbulent love life and struggle with drugs, as well as his lifelong fascination with religion and the philosophical and poetic richness of his oeuvre.

Performer
Almost exactly ten years after his death, we look back with Lebold at the many facets of the mysterious figure that was Leonard Cohen. Klara voice and musician Lies Steppe grew up with a love of Cohen’s music and is therefore the ideal conversation partner.

About the author
Christophe Lebold is an associate professor at the University of Strasbourg. His doctoral research focused on the work of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. Driven by his deep admiration for Leonard Cohen, he has extensively travelled in the poet’s footsteps. Alongside his academic work, he is a theatre actor and a Zen practitioner. He finds joy in poets, cats and, when he is in a cheerful mood, all living beings.

About the moderator
Lies Steppe is a radio producer and presenter. Every Friday, she catapults you into the weekend on Klara with So What!?, in which she takes a personal look at jazz and related genres. On Sunday evenings, she serves up jazz classics in Round Midnight, and on Mondays she presents Klara in Concert. She loves interviewing musicians and, as a moderator and host, looks over the wall with a sense of wonder.

In collaboration with Passa Porta. https://www.passaporta.be/