Who By Fire: War, Atonement, and the Resurrection of Leonard Cohen by Matti Frie

Description: Who By Fire by Matti Friedman **AVanity FairBest Book of 2022****Mosaic Magazine Best Book of 2022**The untold story of Leonard Cohens concert tour to the front lines of the Yom Kippur War, including never-before-seen selections from an unfinished manuscript by Cohen and rare photographs.In October 1973, the poet and singer Leonard Cohen thirty-nine years old, famous, unhappy, and at a creative dead end travelled to the chaos and bloodshed of the Sinai desert when Egypt attacked Israel on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur. Moving around the front with a group of local musicians, Cohen sang for hundreds of young soldiers, men and women at the worst moment of their lives. Those who survived never forgot the experience. And the war transformed Cohen, reigniting his creativity and inspiring him to compose some of his most memorable songs. Who by Fire provides a riveting account of those weeks in the Sinai, drawing on Cohens previously unpublished writing and original reporting to create a kaleidoscopic depiction of a harrowing, existential moment for both a young country at war and a singer at a crossroads.An expedition into the troubled soul of one of the worlds greatest songwriters. HaaretzA fascinating and intense account of Leonard Cohens time in Israel during the 19-day Yom Kippur War of 1973. A must for any Leonard Cohen completist. Suzanne Vega FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Matti Friedman is an award-winning journalist and author. Born in Toronto and based in Jerusalem, he writes frequently for TheAtlantic, The Free Press, and Smithsonian, and has been an op-ed columnist for the New York Times and an AP correspondent. Friedmans last book,Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel, won the 2019 Natan Prize.Pumpkinflowers: A Soldiers Story of a Forgotten Warwas chosen in 2016 as aNew York TimesNotable Book and one of Amazons 10 best books of the year. His first book,The Aleppo Codex, won the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize and the ALAs Sophie Brody Medal. Review "A fascinating and intense account of Leonard Cohens time in Israel during the 19-day Yom Kippur War of 1973. A must for any Leonard Cohen completist, with excerpts from his unpublished manuscripts from that time. Soulful and thoughtfully done."—Suzanne Vega"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."—Nicole Krauss"A short, symphonic book of remarkable stories of yearning, love, and war, whose leitmotif is a haunted artist bearing secret chords that enchant the world."—Rabbi David Wolpe"Matti Friedman excels at finding the great significance in forgotten things: forgotten manuscripts, forgotten wars, forgotten spies. In this account of Leonard Cohens forgotten concert tour during the Yom Kippur War, not only is a hidden side of Cohen revealed but so too a hidden side of Israel. Who by Fire is a book about the change that happens when you come through the flames."—David Bezmozgis"Although he could not have anticipated it when he was researching and writing, the symbolic timing and importance of Matti Friedmans latest book, Who by Fire, is particularly poignant. . . . [A] beautifully intimate portrait."—Quillette"A revealing and absorbing account of those few short weeks when the fate of Israel was at the precipice, but its revelations will stay with the reader for much longer than it takes to read the slim volume. . . . Friedmans compelling narrative of a pivotal war that left an indelible mark on a nation, the Jewish people and one musician draws readers in and doesnt let go of us until the last page has been finished."—Jewish JournalFriedman illuminates in this fascinating tale an extraordinary chapter in the career of singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) that left a lasting impact on the state of Israel. . . . This demonstration of the power of song will stun fans of the legendary artist."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Compelling . . . Cohen fans will savor this little-known footnote in the singers life."—Kirkus"With remarkable insight, discipline, heart, scope, stunning reporting, and sometimes quite beautiful writing, Friedman has recreated those days of war and music, regeneration and humility, that freed Cohen to create some of his greatest works of art."—Mother Jones"Compelling . . . [Friedman] beautifully ties together ideas about the authors craft, identity, and connection to Israel. . . . A brief, audacious, thorough book . . . A dream world unconventionally and surprisingly real."—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"A word-of-mouth treasure . . . Offers vital insight into Cohens trajectory as a songwriter and the scope of his work."—City Journal"An important hybrid work of music and war reporting."—Mitchell Kaplan, Boca Magazine"Matti Friedmans impeccably researched and exquisitely written account of Cohens unlikely foray into the front lines of a nightmarish war answers the never quite explicated question—just what in the hell did the reluctant scion of a prominent Montreal rabbinical family think he was doing on an Israeli warfront? . . . Who by Fire offers Cohen aficionados a welcome opportunity to get lost in their own longings."—Hadassah Magazine"Fascinating."—Times Literary Supplement"Who By Fire passed the most stringent test for readability of any book I can recall in the last two decades. . . . Beautiful, haunting, and profoundly memorable."—Mosaic Magazine"Artfully crafted . . . Friedmans chapters are like little drawings in black and white, each one an exquisitely designed artistic unit in itself. He has sensitively portrayed a libidinous man, conflicted, but a poet, a priest, and perhaps even a prophet."—Jerusalem Report & Post Long Description UNKNOWN STORY: Even passionate Cohen fans have no idea about this seminal event in his life and creative journey, mainly because he never discussed it and the only record of it exists in the form of an incomplete manuscript in Cohens archive, now included in this book. Friedman has been given permission by the Cohen estate to quote liberally from Cohens unfinished manuscript about the tour. It will be the first time its seen by the public. Leonard Cohen has a devoted following, which has continued to grow after his death. He is an icon, and this is a story that has not been told before. Matti Friedman is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed page, Tablet , and a number of other international publications. In addition, his three books have all won major awards and been published around the world. Never-before-seen photographs of the tour are interspersed throughout the book. MAP: features a map illustrating the important positions and borders of the Yom Kippur War during the period covered in the book Review Text Journalist Friedman ( Spies of No Country ) illuminates in this fascinating tale an extraordinary chapter in the career of singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) that left a lasting impact on the state of Israel. "Sometimes an artist and an event interact to generate a spark far bigger than both," Friedman writes. As he shows here, that alchemy happened in the midst of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Cohen left his home to give spontaneous concerts to Israeli troops at the front lines in the Sinai desert. Drawing on excerpts from an unpublished manuscript Cohen wrote about his experiences as well as interviews with those who were there, Friedman brilliantly constructs a vivid account humanizing the young soldiers (When Cohen plays "Suzanne," Friedman writes, "The men are quiet. They hear about a place that doesnt have blackened tanks and figures lying still in charred coveralls") and the singer, who, after contemplating retirement at age 39, was revitalized by the trip and went on to write his best-known works, including "Hallelujah." Friedman also underscores how Cohens visit transformed the nations music and "spiritual life," leading the country to abandon "the militant secularism of the founders for an openness to the old wisdom." This demonstration of the power of song will stun fans of the legendary artist. (Starred Review) Review Quote " 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." --Nicole Krauss "A short, symphonic book of remarkable stories of yearning, love, and war, whose leitmotif is a haunted artist bearing secret chords that enchant the world." --Rabbi David Wolpe "Matti Friedman excels at finding the great significance in forgotten things: forgotten manuscripts, forgotten wars, forgotten spies. In this account of Leonard Cohens forgotten concert tour during the Yom Kippur War, not only is a hidden side of Cohen revealed but so too a hidden side of Israel. Who by Fire is a book about the change that happens when you come through the flames." --David Bezmozgis Previous praise for Matti Friedman Praise for SPIES OF NO COUNTRY "An important book." -- NPR "If experience is any guide, spies are not wont to emote. On the rare occasions they do speak about their perilous missions, they avoid sentiment, as if recounting a visit to the dry cleaners. For this reason, histories often fall short in tapping the depths of their lives -- or, more aptly, their humanity. Matti Friedmans Spies of No Country stands out as a wondrous exception." -- The New York Times "[An] absolutely arresting account of espionage at the genesis of the Israeli state." -- Booklist (starred review) "This thrilling story about the forerunner of the Mossad reads like a John le Carr Description for Sales People UNKNOWN STORY: Even passionate Cohen fans have no idea about this seminal event in his life and creative journey, mainly because he never discussed it and the only record of it exists in the form of an incomplete manuscript in Cohens archive, now included in this book. NEVER-BEOFRE SEEN WRITING BY COHEN: Friedman has been given permission by the Cohen estate to quote liberally from Cohens unfinished manuscript about the tour. It will be the first time its seen by the public. COHENS CONTINUALLY GROWING FAN BASE: Leonard Cohen has a devoted following, which has continued to grow after his death. He is an icon, and this is a story that has not been told before. AUTHORS PROFILE: Matti Friedman is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed page, Tablet , and a number of other international publications. In addition, his three books have all won major awards and been published around the world. STUNNING PHOTOS THROUGHOUT: Never-before-seen photographs of the tour are interspersed throughout the book. MAP: features a map illustrating the important positions and borders of the Yom Kippur War during the period covered in the book Details ISBN1954118074 Author Matti Friedman Short Title Who by Fire Pages 224 Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 1954118074 ISBN-13 9781954118072 Format Hardcover Country of Publication United States NZ Release Date 2022-08-25 US Release Date 2022-08-25 UK Release Date 2022-08-25 Publication Date 2022-08-25 Illustrations B&W photos throughout DEWEY 782.42164092 Audience General AU Release Date 2022-09-30 Publisher Random House USA Inc Imprint Spiegel & Grau Place of Publication New York Alternative 9781954118447 Subtitle War, Atonement, and the Resurrection of Leonard Cohen We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:139312046;

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