Rock Poetry – Leonard Cohen

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There’s a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

Canadian Leonard Cohen began writing poetry as a schoolboy. His collection of poems The Spice-Box of Earth as well as his stories and novels – especially the international cult novel Beautiful Losers from 1966 – earned him critical acclaim. He also embarked on a musical career as a singer-songwriter that lasted almost 50 years. His themes covered a wide range: love and relationships, politics and religion. His lyrics always remained poetry – what he started out with.

Udo Dahmen, born in 1951, is an author and drummer. From 2003 to 2023, he was artistic director, managing director and professor at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg.

Dr. Jan Wiele, born in 1978, is an editor in the features section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, specializing in literature and pop music. Together with Uwe Ebbinghaus, he is responsible for the pop anthology on Faz.net.