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Blue Door is riding the wave of a Leonard Cohen renaissance by reprinting his novels this July to coincide with the singer-songwriter's tour dates in the UK.
Cohen's only two novels, The Favourite Game and Beautiful Losers, first published in the 1960s, are being repackaged by Patrick Janson-Smith, publisher at Blue Door, after falling out of print in the UK.
Blue Door acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, Australia and New Zealand, from McClelland & Stewart. With requests for Cohen to appear on "The Andrew Marr Show" and recent successful covers of his hit song "Hallelujah", Janson-Smith thinks the books will resonate with both older and younger generations.
He said: "I've always been a huge fan and he's now reaching out to a new generation. I think he's better now than he has ever been. He's going to get a lot of attention."
The Favourite Game, published in 1963, describes the coming of age of Lawrence Breavman, the only son of a Jewish Montreal family. Published three years later, Beautiful Losers follows a love triangle and examines friendship, sex and spirituality.
"They are quite experimental, quite erotic in various places and very beautifully written—the man is a poet and he writes in the language of poets," said Janson-Smith.
Published in paperback and priced £8.99 in tall paperback format, both contain additional
biographical material, reviews and links to websites. Janson-Smith added he would like to republish more of Cohen's work if the books are successful.