Leonard Cohen, born on September 21, 1934, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen’s music has gone from European folk to pop, cabaret and world music. He has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada which is the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Cohen’s first book of poetry, “Let Us Compare Mythologies,” was published in Montreal in 1956, and his first novel, “The Favourite Game,” was published in 1963. He often writes about the exploration of religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships. He has published 12 books dating from 1956 to 2006.