The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia as a Singer-Songwriter and a Literary Figure Janko Trupej For the majority of his long career, Leonard Cohen may have been somewhat underappreciated in the United States of America, but he has achieved considerable renown and commercial success in other parts of the world, for instance in his native Canada and in many European countries. The present paper endeavours to establish the extent to which the latter is also true for Cohen’s status in Slovenia - a small country in Central Europe, which until 1991 formed part of socialist Yugoslavia. After an overview of the artist’s reception in North America and Europe, which provides a frame of reference, the perception of Cohen among Slovenians is comprehensively addressed by means of analysing more than one thousand articles in serial publications and online media about him in Slovenia over half a century, i.e. from 1970 to 2020. Cohen’s reputation as a man of letters is discussed first, followed by an analysis of the reception of his work as a recording artist as well as the responses to his live performances - especially to the two concerts he gave in Slovenia towards the end of his life. Lastly, some of the more notable reactions to Cohen’s death in Slovenian media are discussed. 1. Introduction Leonard Cohen began his artistic journey as a poet and novelist and later rose to prominence as a well-respected singer-songwriter, while the series of concert tours he undertook towards the end of his life helped to transform him “from cult favorite to cross-generational icon” (A.G. 2017). Unlike most popular recording artists, he never quite looked the part, i.e. did not dress in au courant outfits . He did not release his first album until he was rather old for someone starting out in the music business and was AAA - Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik Band 47 · Heft 1 Gunther Narr Verlag Tübingen DOI 10.24053/ AAA-2022-0003 Janko Trupej 60 widely regarded as not having a particularly good singing voice. Furthermore, he was not very prolific. 1 Throughout his career, he remained a somewhat enigmatic figure; for instance, Ira B. Nadel (1996: 1) described Cohen as “a well-tailored bohemian, an infamous lover who lives alone, a singer whose voice resides in the basement of song, a Jew who practices Zen” (cf. Holt 2014: X). To the general public, Cohen is perhaps best-known for his melancholic songs (Williams [1975] 2014: 86; Magnusson 2014: 15; Gilmore 2016; cf. Graf 2000: 189, 191) and has been dubbed the ‘Doyen of Doom’, ‘Grocer of Despair’, ‘High Priest of Hopelessness’, ‘Magical Master of Monotony’, ‘Spin Doctor of the Apocalypse’, ‘Grand Master of Melancholia’, ‘High Priest of Pathos’, ‘Poet Laureate of Pessimism’, etc. (Nadel 1996: 1; de Young 2000: 127; Graf 2000: 188; Magnusson 2014: 15). Over the years, his work has attracted considerable interest among academics, but as Stephen Scobie (2000: 3) remarked, his reputation has had some ups and downs. However, especially after his triumphant return to the public eye in 2008, a lot of appreciation was shown to his music and his literary opus both in the mainstream media and in scholarly circles. This is also true for some of the countries that once formed Yugoslavia, for instance Croatia (see Sindičić Sabljo & Sapun Kurtin 2019), Serbia (see Lopičić & Ignjatović 2019) and Slovenia (see Mohar & Gadpaille 2019). The latter paper focuses on Cohen’s reception as a man of letters, and furthermore discusses select articles about the albums he released towards the end of his life, as well as several reactions to Cohen’s death. The present paper sets out to comprehensively address Cohen’s Slovenian reception over half a century. In order to have a frame of reference, an overview of Cohen’s reception in North America and Europe will be presented, since that was where he had the greatest commercial success as a writer and a recording artist and where he toured most often. In the empirical part, the perception of Cohen’s literary works will be addressed first, followed by the reception of his output as a recording artist, as well as his reputation as a live performer. Lastly, reactions to his death will be examined. The analysis encompassed more than one thousand print and online pieces of writing in which Cohen is discussed or mentioned - the paper will focus on those in which not merely facts about Cohen are related, but value judgements about him and his body of work are expressed. 2. Cohen’s Reception in North America and Europe Leonard Norman Cohen was born in 1934 into a well-to-do Jewish family in a suburb of Montreal and developed an interest in poetry at a young age; 1 Cohen released only 14 studio albums from 1967 to 2016, while during the same period, Bob Dylan released 30 albums, and Neil Young was even more prolific. The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 61 he published his first collection of poems titled Let Us Compare Mythologies in 1956, and in the ensuing ten years - a large portion of which he spent on the Greek island of Hydra - would go on to publish three more poetry collections (The Spice-Box of Earth, Flowers for Hitler and Parasites of Heaven) and two novels (The Favourite Game and Beautiful Losers), becoming a prominent literary figure in Canada (see Simmons 2012: 55-56, 99- 100, 110-111, 115-120, 134-136, 139; Gilmore 2016). 2 He would continue to write for the rest of his life and published several more books of poetry, 3 but eventually decided to turn to songwriting because - as he stated on several occasions - by the time he was in his early thirties, he was unable to earn a living as a littérateur (qtd. in Hafferkamp [1971] 2014: 20-21; Brown [1976] 2014: 102; Gilmore 2016). Cohen signed with Columbia Records and in 1967 he released his debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen, which was met with mixed reviews and modest commercial success (see Simmons 2012: 186). 4 He followed it up by the studio albums Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974); these also received mixed reviews (see Simmons 2012: 207, 236, 270) and were not very commercially successful in the United States. 5 However, Cohen soon became a star in Europe - his records sold well there, and he toured across Europe three times in the seven years after releasing his first album, while not undertaking a major tour in the United States until the mid-1970s (Williams [1975] 2014: 82-83; see also ibid. 89-90; Brown [1976] 2014: 98-99; Simmons 2012: 221, 271-274; Greene 2017). The album Death of a Ladies’ Man (1977), produced by famed ‘wall-ofsound’ producer Phil Spector, and the collection of poems Death of a Lady’s Man (1978) were not received particularly well by either critics or fans (de Young 2000: 125, see also Simmons 2012: 293-294, Burger 2014: XVII, Gilmore 2016). The 1979 album Recent Songs was somewhat of a return to form (Wilentz 2012: 227) and fared better critically, although not commercially (see Simmons 2012: 305). Cohen continued to be popular in many European countries (Holden 1985: 20; Arjatsalo 2000: 147; Simmons 2012: 468), but his work was largely neglected in North America for most of the 1980s; Columbia initially even refused to release his 1984 album Various 2 Beautiful Losers, arguably his most important literary work, received a fair share of negative reviews upon publication because of its alleged obscenity (Simmons 2012: 134-136; Gilmore 2016), but by the mid-1970s, it was reportedly already being taught in some modern literature courses (Williams [1975] 2014: 82). 3 The Energy of Slaves (1972), Death of a Lady’s Man (1978), Book of Mercy (1984), Book of Longing (2006), The Flame (2018). 4 Decades later, Anthony DeCurtis (2007: 11) went as far as to claim that “[i]f Leonard Cohen had only recorded this extraordinary debut album and then disappeared, his stature as one of the most gifted songwriters of our time would still be secure” and referred to the record as “an extension of his work as a poet” (ibid.: 12). 5 Because of disappointing sales of Songs of Love and Hate, Cohen’s label reportedly even considered dropping him (Greene 2017). Janko Trupej 62 Positions in the United States (Arjatsalo 2000: 147; Simmons 2012: 323; Burger 2014: XVII; Remnick 2016) - a decision later termed an ‘astonishing misjudgement’ in the authorized monograph about the history of the company (Wilentz 2012: 227). 6 Cohen’s record label put more effort into promoting I’m Your Man, and with this album and the accompanying tour in 1988, the artist achieved a sort of commercial renaissance (Simmons 2012: 341-348; Wilentz 2012: 227). Despite also achieving considerable success with his 1992 album The Future (Simmons 2012: 370; Gilmore 2016) and his 1993 tour (see Graf 2000: 188, 194; Simmons 2012: 372-374), Cohen subsequently decided to retreat to a Buddhist monastery, where he lived for more than five years (Gilmore 2016; Remnick 2016). He returned to music at the turn of the millennium, releasing the albums Ten New Songs (2001) and Dear Heather (2004), which received quite good reviews and were a commercial success in some countries (Simmons 2012: 412, 422). Soon after the latter record came out, Cohen found out that his manager had embezzled the majority of his savings (Gilmore 2016); because of that, he was forced to return to the stage - despite having suffered from stage fright for most of his career (Remnick 2016; see also A.G. 2017). Cohen’s touring comeback was extremely commercially successful and universally acclaimed - even in parts of the world where he had been underappreciated for most of his career (Simmons 2012: 459-474, 477-482; see also Remnick 2016). 7 For instance, Steve Venright (2014: 139) expressed his admiration in the following words: This tour may have been prompted by financial concerns but it’s clearly about more than money. It’s even about more than music. It’s about Art and Life, Truth and Beauty, the Sacred and the Profane, and it’s about communing once 6 Various Positions did receive some acclaim in the United States even initially, after it was eventually released there by a smaller label. In The New York Times, for instance, Stephen Holden (1985: 20) stated that “the new album’s most ambitious songs have the power of Old Testament fables secularized as troubadour song-poetry”. 7 Rolling Stone - arguably the most influential music magazine in the United States - included the series of concerts Cohen undertook from 2008 to 2013 on its list of the greatest tours/ concerts of all time (A.G. 2017). However, this magazine is a prime example of how Cohen has traditionally been somewhat neglected in the USA. For instance - despite Cohen having recorded several bona fide classics - when in 2003 Rolling Stone compiled a list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, none of his records was included; when the list was revised in 2012 and 2020, each version included only one Cohen album, i.e. Songs of Love and Hate and Songs of Leonard Cohen, respectively. For comparison: Bob Dylan had 11 albums on both the 2003 and 2012 list and 8 on the 2020 list, while Neil Young was featured 6 times on both the 2003 and 2012 list and 7 times on the 2020 list (N.N. 2020). The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 63 again with the man who has evoked these in song with tremendous honesty, grace and spirit for over four decades. 8 Cohen was widely considered to be at the height of his artistic powers even in his late 70s and early 80s (Burger 2014: XV; Gilmore 2016, Sheffield 2016); towards the end of his life, completing as much of his work as possible became his raison d’être (Remnick 2016). Cohen, who had enjoyed only modest commercial success for most of his career but received a fair share of critical acclaim, 9 found both critical and commercial success with the last three studio albums released during his lifetime; Old Ideas would turn out to be the most commercially successful record of his career (Wilentz 2012: 316), while You Want it Darker was even proclaimed an instant classic (Kreps 2016; Sheffield 2016). Cohen’s death in 2016 resonated across the globe, and in the years since, his music has continued to play a prominent role in the cultural landscape of many countries - even the United States (see Greene 2020). 3. Cohen’s Reception in Slovenia 3.1. Man of Letters The first recorded reference to Cohen as a literary figure was made in the music magazine Glasbena mladina: Stane Sušnik (1970: 12) described him as a poet who had also released two excellent albums, and Tomaž Kralj (1971a: 12-13) also referred to his literary works. However, for decades, Cohen’s literary endeavours did not receive much attention; a noteworthy 8 Leon Wieseltier (2010: 5) made a similarly positive remark: “The shows were unforgettable. [...] They were elegant, witty, warm, dark, and light. The love with which Cohen was met by his audiences was oceanic.” 9 As early as in the mid-1970s, Cohen was described as “a writer who has touched a great many people in a way that few others have” (Nelson 1975) and referred to as an ‘institution’ (Brown [1976] 2014: 99). In the 1980s, he was cited as an influence by several younger artists (see Holden 1985: 20; DeCurtis 1993; Sheffield 2016), and in the 1990s, he was, for instance, referred to as “one of the most highly regarded, if not commercially successful, singer-songwriters in popular music” (DeCurtis 1993). At the turn of the century, Christof Graf (2000: 191) stated the following: “In any case, there is no longer any reason to fight about Cohen’s work either as a writer or a musician. You can defy him, analyse him, disassemble him as a myth. Yet millions of people whom he has reached throughout the years with poems and songs are still touched.” Towards the end of Cohen’s life, Sean Wilentz (2012: 269) stated that “[n]o cotemporary musical artist, Dylan included, made richer use of religious, and especially Jewish, imagery to explore contemporary tangles of love, infidelity, depression, and endurance”; Jason Holt (2014: X) claimed that Cohen’s songs could be regarded as both popular music and poetry, while Timothy P. Jackson (2014: 217) went as far as asserting that Cohen was “the closest thing we have today to a Biblical prophet”. Janko Trupej 64 exception from the 1980s is an article in the magazine Problemi, where Andrej Blatnik (1986: 141) describes Beautiful Losers as a poetically and imaginatively written book, as well as a challenging read even for readers of modernist literature. Two years later, Delo (N.N. 1988: 10), the most widely read Slovenian daily newspaper, announced that some of Cohen’s poems from the collection The Energy of Slaves would be read on the radio; this indicates that he had admirers among the Slovenian literati. It took until 1996, when Mladinska knjiga published Jure Potokar’s translation of Beautiful Losers, for the first of Cohen’s full-length literary works to become available in Slovenian. In a short article in Delo (I.B. 1996: 8), it is described as an experimental novel with rich wordplay and witty irony, as well as a literary work proving that its author is first and foremost a poet. In the same newspaper, Jurij Hudolin (1997: 49) praises several aspects of the narrative and laments that it took so long for this novel to be translated into Slovenian. In the literary magazine Literatura, Blatnik (1997: 205) remarks that Cohen is regarded as one of the more interesting writers in modern literature and that Beautiful Losers is one of the best modern Canadian novels; furthermore, the reviewer claims that this was one of the literary works that helped to establish meta-fictional narrative strategies. A further appreciative review appeared in the magazine Razgledi (Resinovič 1997: 30), where the following is stated: Cohen created a technical masterpiece, ennobled with rich language and metaphors, literary innovations and eroticism. [...] Due to the daring homoand heterosexual eroticism and the explicit, vulgar language (according to conservative standards), the novel was initially met with disapproval from many critics - they proclaimed it pornographic. 10 When Potokar’s translation was re-published in the new millennium, its publisher claimed that the novel remained one of the most exciting and important books of the 20 th century (Modrijan 2009). On the publishing house’s website, Cohen was described as both one of the most respected popular recording artists and one of the most important Canadian literary figures, whose novel Beautiful Losers is among the very pinnacles of both Canadian and world postmodernist literature (Modrijan: n.d.). In the regional weekly Novi tednik, Janja Intihar (2015: 34), who describes the novel as a demanding read because of its rich symbolism, mentions critics’ negative reaction to it because of its sexual theme, but she interprets the text as a condemnation of the constant violations committed by economic and cultural imperialists across the world. In an article published in the daily Večer discussing the themes of some of Cohen’s literary works, Melita Forstnerič Hajnšek (2016) proclaims Beautiful Losers to be the most important among them, and lauds Cohen as one of the most important figures 10 All quotations originally in Slovenian were translated by the author. The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 65 on the Canadian literary scene. On SIGIC, Matej Kranjc (2016c) praises this literary work as not merely one of the greatest Canadian novels but one of the greatest modern novels, while on the website Nova muska, the same writer (2016b) claims that Beautiful Losers made Cohen into one of the most prominent modern prose writers. In a later article, published on Kulturni medijski center Slovenija, Kranjc (2018) states that in Canada and North America, Beautiful Losers shook up the perception of what a novel could be, as well as that it is one of the more groundbreaking novels ever written; he even goes so far as to assert that it would have been deserving of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Modrijan published Kranjc’s translation of The Favorite Game in 2008. In the widely-read daily Dnevnik, Robi Šabec (2008) describes it as fragmented, postmodernist and lyrical, and remarks that through the theme of eroticism, Cohen touches upon religion and social status. Discussing the novel in Slamnik, Tatjana Kokalj (2008: 14) mentions the themes of black humour, eroticism, mysticism and religious meditation, proclaiming the text “a beautiful, somewhat melancholic, but lyrical novel”. In the literary magazine Bukla (Ogrizek 2008), the novel is described as a melancholic, a pessimistic work, and a story of youthful distress; its purified, melodic language is also praised. The reviewer goes on to state that both this novel and Beautiful Losers are characterized by bold eroticism, imbued with religious meditation, mysticism and (black) humour, as well as an original fragmentary writing style, which in Beautiful Losers approaches postmodernism. Both novels are furthermore characterized by a pronounced social tone that severely comments on the contemporary Canadian socio-political reality, including the Jewish community, which is enveloped in ceremonial. A few years after its publication, Adela Vuković (2010) reviewed The Favorite Game on Žurnal24, describing it as a bildungsroman which impresses readers with “the beauty of the word”. In 2008, Modrijan also published Potokar’s translation of Book of Mercy. In an interview, the translator (2008) stated that he was not thrilled with most of Cohen’s poetry, but that Book of Mercy was an exception and that he very much enjoyed translating it; Potokar also revealed that he had translated the collection more than a decade ago, but that for a long time he could not find a publisher for it, despite having offered it to four or five publishing houses. In the Catholic weekly Novi glas, Peter Kuhar (2008: 8) describes this collection as ‘high-quality literature’, and states that although Cohen is primarily known as a singer, many people value his literary output more. In a lengthy review published in the magazine Apokalipsa, Mare Cestnik (2008: 410) is rather critical of Book of Mercy, and in the concluding remarks even reproaches Cohen for allegedly implying that ‘mercy’ is a privilege reserved for the orthodox. According to an article by Janko Trupej 66 Mojca Pišek (2008) in Dnevnik, this is Cohen’s most personal and unusual book, because it is neither dramatic nor lyrical, but instead dominated by mystical and religious themes. In a review published in the regional weekly Štajerski tednik, Vladimir Kajzovar (2009: 10) - who erroneously remarks that it was with this collection that Cohen established himself as a great poet - states that this is one of the books which helps us to grasp the ultimate truth. On Siol, Danaja Vegelj (2010) describes Book of Mercy as “a book of gentle spiritual poetry, which is mature enough and at the same time provocative enough”. Kranjc’s translation of Book of Longing was also published in 2008. 11 Cohen is lauded as one of the most respected personalities in the history of music and an excellent poet on the website of its publisher, Miš založba (n.d.). The interdisciplinarity of this poetry collection is also praised on the publishing house’s website, and it is stated that this work reaffirms Cohen as an artist who thinks outside of the box (Miš založba 2008). In a review of the collection in Bukla, Tina Škrajnar (2008) states the following: “With Cohen there is an ever-present melancholy and sense of doubt, but it seems that he is increasingly successful in coping with them and also knows how to enjoy the positive aspects of life, which he showcases in his poems.” Cohen’s literary work continued to be discussed sporadically in the second decade of the new millennium. In Dnevnik, Katja Utroša (2010) states that by the early 1960s, Cohen had established himself as one of the more influential Canadian poets of the younger generation, while an anonymous writer on RockOnNet (N.N. 2010c) goes as far as putting Cohen’s poetry on the level of that of Emily Dickinson. An article in Štajerski tednik (Bedrač 2011: 27) discusses the themes that Cohen writes about, focusing more on his literary work, but remarking that the lines between his prose, poetry and songs are fluid. In Delo, Jožica Grgič (2012: 19) reports on Cohen’s increasing reputation as a man of letters, i.e. that he has received awards for his œuvre littéraire and that a selection of his poems is being published by Random House in a series devoted to classic authors. In Večer (N.N. 2016e), it is stated that Cohen probably would have deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature just as much as Bob Dylan, while in an interview published in the same newspaper, Kranjc (2016d) made the following comparison between the two artists: Cohen is a somewhat more classical poet than Dylan, less inter-textual, more intimate, introverted, while Dylan is more extroverted, referring to himself as a song and dance man. [...] Dylan and Cohen stood at the beginning of new currents in culture and society: Dylan as one of the initiators of protest poetry at first, which he later managed to transcend by inserting surrealist, symbolic and 11 Kranjc had previously translated a selection of Cohen’s poems entitled Stolp pesmi [Tower of Song], which was published by KUD France Prešeren but remained largely critically unnoticed; according to the COBISS database, a review of it was published in Mentor, but the article is not to be found in the issue indicated. The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 67 other elements, and Cohen with his intimism at the end of the first wave of psychedelia, when the scene was reverting to minimalism. Kranjc (2018) also wrote a lengthy review of Cohen’s posthumously published The Flame (which to date has not been translated into Slovenian), concluding that this poetry collection is worthy of being read many times and of being contemplated. 3.2. Singer-Songwriter Cohen’s music did not receive attention in the Slovenian press until the 1970s, and even then the only notable articles about it were published in the music magazine Glasbena mladina, which suggests that at the time Cohen enjoyed no more than a cult following. In a portrait, Kralj (1971a: 12- 13) likens Cohen’s life to that of troubadours in the Middle Ages and states that his lyrics are on the same level as those of The Beatles, Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as that Cohen’s songs ‘Suzanne’ and ‘Sisters of Mercy’ are more reminiscent of poetry than rock lyrics. The author of the article even claims that Cohen’s songs are characterized by a sort of Socratic wisdom. In the second part of the portrait, Kralj (1971b: 11) gives a very positive review of the recently released Songs of Love and Hate, asserts that Cohen’s songs are never one-dimensional and that some writers would need to write a thousand-page novel to express as many human destinies as Cohen does in three minutes. In yet another extremely positive article in the same music magazine, Kralj (1972: 12-13) claims that Songs of Love and Hate is a perfect record in terms of both message and music; he even proclaims the eight songs on the album to be worth as much as eight books of poetry or as many full-length albums. A markedly different sentiment about one of Cohen’s albums is expressed in Glasbena mladina years later: Miloš Bašin (1978: 19) gives a none too favourable review of Death of a Ladies’ Man, and criticizes Spector’s overproduction in particular. Similarly to what is true for Cohen’s reception in the United States, the late 1970s marked the beginning of a period during which his music was largely neglected by the Slovenian media - no significant contemporary writing about his albums Recent Songs, Various Positions or even the quite successful and critically acclaimed I’m Your Man could be found in Slovenian serial publications. Since Cohen spent a large part of the 1990s in a Zen monastery (releasing only one studio album during that decade), it is not surprising that his music did not receive much attention during that period either. However, The Future was reviewed in Delo; Zdenko Matoz (1993: 8) remarks that this album is hard to find in Slovenia, since it is flying off the shelves. The reviewer asserts that in this follow-up to the excellent I’m Your Man, Cohen - whom Matoz hails as one of the best songwriters in modern music - shows himself as textually and musically mature, and that he looks ahead Janko Trupej 68 without forgetting his past. In an article also published in Delo, prominent poet Uroš Zupan (1999: 7) states that Cohen is first and foremost a poet and writer, who managed to reach a wider audience by singing the words that he wrote; the author of the article goes as far as likening Cohen to a biblical prophet. Cohen received considerable attention early in the new millennium, i.e. from the release of Ten New Songs onwards. A reviewer in Slovenske novice (N.N. 2001: 21) remarks that on this album, Cohen’s voice is still raspy and his lyrics still deep, while in Delo, Jane Weber (2001: 8) similarly states that with advancing years, Cohen’s voice is becoming even deeper and more charming, and that throughout his career, he has been setting the standard for the quality of lyrics in popular music. The reviewer further asserts that it was worth waiting nine years for these masterful new songs and that the album was perfect in its simplicity. In Vikend magazin, Terens Štader (2001: 59) poetically describes Ten New Songs as ‘time-stopping music of tranquillity’ that seems to exist in a parallel dimension. This reviewer hails Cohen’s vocals as ‘monumental’, remarks that ever since he released his first album, the artist has been aware of the weight of words, and claims that - apart from the disastrous Death of a Ladies’ Man - all of Cohen’s albums put more emphasis on lyrics than on production. In Mladina, Max Modic (2001) praises Cohen’s voice on Ten New Songs, but states that album is not his best work as far as the arrangements and the quality of lyrics are concerned; he claims that the record is Cohen’s most monotonous album. Miha Mazzini (2003: 13) begins his review in Nedelo by remarking that Cohen set high standards for the quality of lyrics in pop music but is critical of both the musical arrangements and Cohen’s monotonous singing on the new album - he proclaims it the singer-songwriter’s second terrible record after Death of a Ladies’ Man. This reviewer goes as far as proclaiming the album so boring that he could not even pay attention to the words, but that his thoughts simply kept drifting away. In a review of the collection The Essential Leonard Cohen, also published in Nedelo, Mazzini (2001: 27) reiterates his opinion about the only two bad albums that Cohen ever released but is generally full of praise for Cohen’s body of work, stating that the artist knew how to capture the zeitgeist of a certain era in his songs, and even lauding him as arguably the only poet among the songwriters. In the same newspaper, Mazzini (2005: 27) also reviewed Dear Heather, proclaiming it a fine album and better than Ten New Songs, but remarking that it probably would not gain Cohen any new fans, which - according to the reviewer - he did not really need, since several of his great songs, for instance “Hallelujah”, had been covered by other artists and heard by many people who were not even aware of Cohen’s existence. Mazzini also remarks that he measures the lyrics of other supposedly great lyricists against Cohen’s lyrics. In a review in Slovenske novice (N.N. 2004: 21), it is stated that the new record is not quite on the level of the ‘groundbreaking’ I’m The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 69 Your Man, but that Cohen’s voice sounds raspy and charming. In Mladina, Modic (2004) remarks that while Ten New Songs was reminiscent of chamber music and made it seem that Cohen would prefer to simply disappear, the new album was melodic and incredibly rich despite its musical minimalism. In a review published on Rock obrobje, Janez Golič (2004) is highly critical of the album’s musical arrangements, but states that Cohen’s lyrics and voice are still impressive, as well as that he seems more at peace with himself. In Delo, Gregor Bauman (2004: 10) states that Dear Heather feels as if it could be the last act of Cohen’s artistic career, while describing the record’s sound as “at times ascetically regressive” and the singing as monotonous. The reviewer further remarks that although the record has a specific charm, it will probably take time for its messages to be fully appreciated. Not much significant writing on Cohen was published from the release of Dear Heather until the announcement of his touring comeback - an exception is a review of the film Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man on Diva.si (iTIVI 2007), stating that the only other artists of similar creative stature are Dylan and, arguably, Paul Simon. However, since 2008 Cohen has often been discussed in both print and online media; in one of the earliest noteworthy articles, published on lifeSTYLEenaA (N.N. 2008), he is characterized as follows: Leonard Cohen, one of the most well-known and respected personalities in contemporary popular music, emerged on the music scene at the same time as rock, although he never had much in common with it; his songs are closer to chanson than rock, the lyrics are always more important than everything else and are performed in a unique way. In Štajerski tednik (Kajzovar 2009: 10), Cohen is described as one of the most mystical and fascinating musicians of all time, one whose songs are supposedly as powerful as the poetry found in the Bible, the Torah or the Tibetan Book of the Dead, while on Siol (M.P. 2009), he is lauded with the following words: He is an incorrigible protester, a ‘partisan’, an astute observer of social and political events, a prophet, a visionary and a unique explorer of the human soul. And above all, he is a poet who is much more similar to literary poets than to songwriters in popular music in terms of his sophistication and the complexity of his messages. In 2010, the year of Cohen’s first ever concert in Slovenia, various media outlets heaped high praise upon him. For instance, in Primorski dnevnik (N.N. 2010a: 26) and Dnevnik (STA 2010), Cohen is referred to as one of the most influential musicians of all time, in Slovenske novice (S.N. 2010) as one of the most remarkable artists ever, and in Delo (Matoz 2010b) as a Janko Trupej 70 musician with ‘biblical gravitas’. In Štajerski tednik (Bezjak 2010: 19), Cohen is described as “a walking cultural institution” who has been creating influential music and poetry for years, while on RockOnNet (N.N. 2010c), he is lauded as one of the greatest modern artists and one that transcends genres; his lyrics are described as a combination of Dylan’s and Georges Moustaki’s lyrics. On Seniorji.info, Manca Košir (2010) states that Cohen is “one of the beacons of hope, […] upstanding, vulnerable, fragile, but so very beautiful in his human grace”. On 24ur.com, Boštjan Tušek (2010) describes Cohen as a songwriter extraordinaire with a rich vocabulary, but repeats some factual misinformation about him, including that he always had ‘hordes’ of fans and was always held in high regard by critics. Old Ideas, Cohen’s first studio album in eight years, received numerous reviews. In Delo (Grgič 2012: 19), it is stated that it is an excellent album and if it turns out to be Cohen’s swan song, he could not have taken his farewell from recorded music in a better way. Another review in the same daily (Jč. K. 2012: 19) describes it as an album “reflecting on love, death, suffering and forgiveness” and further states that because of Cohen’s eventful life, his songs are imbued with a certain integrity. In Nedelo (Matoz 2012: 37), it is remarked that Cohen is getting better with age and has delivered another album of the highest quality - perhaps one of his best ever. In Vikend magazin (Milosavljević 2012: 14), Old Ideas is described as fresh-sounding, introspective, and vital and as an album that gets better with every listen, while on Rockline (N.N. 2012), the album is deemed Cohen’s most spiritually mature work, which focuses on the virtues of compassion and honesty. In Mladina, Veljko Njegovan (2012) claims that alongside Dylan, Cohen defined the importance of lyrics in modern popular music and substantially influenced the artistic spirit of the 20 th century. The reviewer further states that Old Ideas does not bring anything new to the table but remarks that the subject matter of the lyrics is timeless. A review in Pogledi (Potokar 2012: 6) asserts that Cohen always maintained his personal or professional integrity and that the simple arrangements of the new album work well with the complex lyrics, as has been the case with Cohen for over 40 years. In Novi Glas, Jernej Šček (2012: 8) refers to Cohen as a giant of American [sic] music, but in the same breath claims that he has not released a good album since the 1960s and particularly criticizes his recordings from the 1980s; however, in the continuation of the article, the reviewer praises Patrick Leonard’s production on the new album and the diversity of the songs, and concludes by stating the following: “The atmosphere of Old Ideas is one of reverie and contemplation, it is almost angelic, but not idyllic. Leonard Cohen invites us to ponder human existence, its bright and dark moments, and I cannot resist him.” Reviewing the album on MMC, Dušan Jesih (2012) states that “it seldom happens that in such a condensed form we encounter so many emotions, exceptional personal testimonies, deep insights and self-ironic confessions, in which The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 71 depression holds out its hand to love, death to the joy of life, desire to disappointment, and God to the Devil”. Popular Problems, which would prove to be the penultimate studio album released during Cohen’s lifetime, also received attention but was not reviewed nearly as often as its predecessor. In Mladina (Njegovan 2014), the new album’s quality is compared to that of I’m Your Man and The Future, and it is stated that although the lyrics are at times somewhat predictable, Cohen has once again delivered a masterpiece. On Koridor (J.P. 2014), a claim is made that despite Cohen always sticking to the same formula, his newer music is neither old fashioned nor passé. On Nova muska, Kranjc (2014b) notes that Popular Problems is not as coherent as its predecessor and contains filler songs, but that certain songs are an important addition to Cohen’s canon. In a favourable review published on the website of Radio Center (N.N. 2014), an anonymous author asserts that Cohen has created a work of art worthy of an artist of his calibre and that his voice has never sounded quite like this. As a testament to Cohen’s popularity, even the Slovenian translation of Sylvie Simmons’ definitive biography entitled I’m Your Man was reviewed several times. In a review published in Slovenske novice (Sarvan 2014: 13), its subject is described in the following terms: “Leonard Cohen is a poet, a writer and a musician, but first and foremost an extraordinary human being, who has the ability to touch people with his life and work.” In Slamnik (Dolinšek 2015: 23), Cohen is referred to as one of the most influential and important musicians of the last 50 years and a creative genius. In Delo, Peter Rak (2015: 18) claims that unlike what is true for many other artists of Cohen’s generation, his music never got repetitive; the reviewer even goes as far as asserting that each of the artist’s albums is equal to the previous one or even better. He concludes by claiming that “Cohen is at the same time sufficiently subjective and universal, mystical and concrete, sacred and vulgar that almost anyone can identify with him”. In a further review of the biography in Delo, Grgič (2015: 13) asserts that not many artists are as respected as Cohen and that despite his advanced age, he is full of creative vigour; in the continuation of the article, she remarks that more than any popular recording artist, Cohen resembles a preacher who delivers his pensées as if they were prayers. In Večer, Bojan Tomažič (2016) wrote the following about Cohen a few weeks before the album You Want it Darker was released: He is confessional and full of life’s wisdom, his music is often described as predominantly soothing, melancholic, sensual and atmospheric. The lyrics are preachy, but always do one some good, even when one is not in the mood for teachings. [...] The fact of the matter is that he cannot live without expressing his thoughts and feelings. And so it will remain until the end. Until the end? ! After all, his songs are timeless. Janko Trupej 72 The reviews of the album were overwhelmingly positive. On Planet (N.H./ U.F./ STA 2016), a claim is made that You Want It Darker would go down in history because of its quality. In Vestnik (T.K. 2016), it is stated that the album is a masterpiece, although according to the reviewer, it is too vital to feel quite like a farewell album. A review on the website of Radio Terminal (N.N. 2016b) states that Cohen is a musical institution, who is still able to explore, evolve and even surprise his audience. An article published in Delo (Grgič 2016a: 19) a few days before Cohen’s death focuses on the artist’s work in the new millennium and relates the background of recording his latest album - it is remarked that if it indeed turns out to be his swan song, it could hardly be more majestic. In Mladina (Njegovan 2016), Cohen is hailed as the greatest living singer-songwriter alongside Dylan, and it is stated that on You Want It Darker, he contemplates life and death, and that one last time he confronts God, the important people in his life and himself. On Nova muska, Kranjc (2016a) claims that the new album represents the pinnacle of Cohen’s opus and is the ultimate ‘farewell’ album, perhaps comparable only to Dylan’s masterpiece Time out of Mind. One of the few slightly critical opinions is expressed in Dnevnik (Bauman 2016): You Want it Darker is an album that is not imbued with an attitude towards life, but with an attitude towards death. Cohen does not significantly differentiate between them. He interprets both the same way, with similar metaphors, only with the knowledge of someone who may not wake up the next morning. Approximately since the album Dear Heather (2004) or even the song “Tower of Song” (1988) he has been telling us that aging is not for wimps, but this time he is more conciliatory - at times perhaps even too much. This is the only real reproach against this elegant album: excessive humility, which is unbecoming to him with regard to the afterlife. Why? Simply because Leonard is bigger than life, bigger than all the religions he combined into his universal prayer book of timelessness and dignity. It seems that Cohen’s posthumous album Thanks for the Dance was perceived merely as an artistic afterthought by the Slovenian media. The only noteworthy review of it was published on Kulturni medijski center Slovenija by Kranjc (2019), who states that perhaps too many people were involved in making the record, but that in spite of this, the result is not disappointing: the artist’s voice is in the foreground, which proves that Cohen retained his artistic powers until the end. The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 73 3.3. Live Performer Until 2008, Cohen had only released three live albums and had never performed in Slovenia, while from his triumphant return to the stage until his death, he released five live albums and appeared twice in concert in Slovenia. Therefore, it is of no surprise that the only notable article focusing on Cohen as a live performer before his touring comeback is a review of Cohen Live in Delo, in which Rok Vevar (1994: 7) recommends the album to everyone who likes good poetry and sophisticated music, and describes Cohen as first and foremost a poet, who uses music as one of the ways to present his poetry to audiences. Cohen’s first concert in Ljubljana was announced on several news outlets; for instance, on RockOnNet (N.N. 2010c) it was stated that his concerts were full of love and passion for music, on MMC (A.H. 2010) it was asserted that Cohen always managed to enchant concertgoers with his melancholic voice, while on Siol (N.N. 2010b) it was remarked that because of Cohen’s humour and subtlety, the atmosphere at his concerts was grandiose. A few days before the concert in the Slovenian capital, Dnevnik published an article in which Bauman (2010) reminisces about Cohen and his 2008 concert in Milan in a very poetic way. On his blog, the prominent economist Jože P. Damijan (2010), who attended both Cohen’s 2008 concert in Munich and his 2010 concert in Zagreb, stated that while at the former concert Cohen appeared fragile and simply thankful for the opportunity to perform, two years later he seemed more lively, and the concert itself was reportedly more polished and virtuosic. The latter concert was also reviewed in more depth on Rockline (Podbrežnik 2010) - in part, the review reads as follows: A Leonard Cohen concert is a unique marathon spectacle which passes in the blink of an eye. A marathon spectacle, which for three-and-a-half hours soaks one up into its world, hypnotizes, enchants and fulfils one. In short, after the concert one definitely feels transformed and in a sort of new psycho-physical state. [...] Cohen remains one of the greatest masters in the artistic delivery of his musical message. His voice is not merely mature, but gold-plated and increasing in carats. It is as if the years cannot touch him - and they never will. The above website (Jurca 2010) also published a shorter, but similarly positive review of Cohen’s concert in Ljubljana; the same is true for the review in Delo (Matoz 2010a), which states that Cohen enchanted his audience, while on The L Files, Domen Savič (2010) likens the concert to a religious experience. Shortly after this concert, an article published in Pogledi was devoted to Cohen’s career as a live performer; Vojko Flegar (2010: 11) claims that there is something consecrated about Cohen’s concerts and that the one in Ljubljana was no different. In Nedelo, the anthropologist Mare Lakovič (2012: 36) stated this was his all-time favourite concert and had the following to say about the performance: Janko Trupej 74 His music is simple at first glance, but is deeply confessional and has a profound meaning; over the years, it has acquired a precious patina, which gives Cohen timelessness. The poetry, in unison with his smooth voice, charisma and excellent musicians, has gained a totally new dimension. Calm, full of life’s wisdom and serenity, Leonard Cohen is better in the sunset of his life than he has ever been. A few notable newspapers announced Cohen’s second concert in Ljubljana in 2013. An article in Dnevnik (nr 2013) claims that his ‘Grand Tour’ was already regarded as an important part of music history. In Delo (Matoz 2013), Cohen is referred to as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our time, and it is stated that during the 15-year absence from the stage he has lost nothing. In Slovenske novice (Predin 2013), it is asserted that Cohen “is still able to reach listeners and transport them into a trance-like mixture of sadness, nostalgia and romance with his routine sincerity and while remaining true to his own style”. Unlike the previous concert, Cohen’s second outing in Slovenia was not sold out, as Nina Krajčinović (2013) notes in Delo, while being full of praise of the organizational aspects and the concert itself. MMC (Jurc 2013) also published an extremely positive review, towards the end of which it is stated that Cohen does not aspire to be a frontman or a star, but simply a troubadour patiently working on his craft. On RockOnNet, Anže Zorman (2013) states that after seeing Cohen in concert for the first time, he started to consider him as something beyond a musician, but rather as a ‘persona’ who leaves a mark on the world. In a review on Žurnal24, Izak Košir (2013) speaks of an unforgettable concert by an artist unlike any other in the history of modern music, while on Rockline, Urban Bolta (2013) gives the following verdict: [F]or three hours, Cohen transformed Stožice into a world of higher physical and spiritual meditation with his deep, intimate vocals. [...] Even long after the legend is gone and only his music remains, those of us who were present will be able to say that we captured a moment in time when a velvet voice sang to us about some of the most emotional stories on this planet. All of Cohen’s live albums from this series of tours also received at least one review. On Siol (M.P. 2009), the album Live in London is described as “a concert gem, pure magic and also a brilliant memory of a time when questions and reflections on justice, honest relationships, beauty, art, sex, religion and emotions [...] were the most important things in life”. On Nova muska, Kranjc (2010) remarks that Songs from the Road cannot be reproached with anything except maybe with not offering anything new, and he laments the fact that live albums by Cohen are being released instead of a new studio album. On RockOnNet, Jurij Bizjak (2011) claims that this live album has its ups and downs but that it is ‘from the soul and for the soul’. On Nova muska, Kranjc (2014a) praises Live in Dublin, but states that The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 75 it seems to be more a money-making scheme than anything else, since the tracklist is almost identical to that of Live in London. On the same platform, Kranjc (2015b) welcomes the inclusion of some of Cohen’s more obscure tracks on the album Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour, but claims that the album lacks coherence and expresses disappointment about the inclusion of only ten songs. On Rocker.si, Špela Macuh (2015) is more complimentary, stating that the songs have a spontaneity and intimacy about them and that they showcase the versatility and harmony of Cohen and his band. As if sensing that Can’t Forget would bring the series of recent live releases to a conclusion, in Pogledi, Kranjc (2015a: 6-7) offers a quite detailed overview of Cohen’s path as a live performer, particularly by discussing all of his live albums; in this article, Kranjc is not critical of the fact that so many concert recordings were released in such a short time. 3.4. Reactions to Cohen’s Death Numerous serial publications and online platforms reported on Cohen’s passing. By far the most in-depth obituary was written on one of the latter by Kranjc - cognoscente of all things Cohen. After discussing his literary influences and the beginning of his career as a man of letters, Kranjc focuses on Cohen’s recording career, moving from album to album while illuminating their strengths and shortcomings in the context of the artist’s life and the wider developments on the contemporary music scene. The obituary concludes by examining Cohen’s influence on prominent Slovenian singer-songwriters, including Tomaž Pengov, Jani Kovačič, Tomaž Domicelj and Vlado Kreslin (2016c). In an obituary on another website, Krajnc (2016b) first focuses on Cohen’s transition from writer to recording artist, while the second part of the text is devoted to the question of where Cohen ranks in the pantheon of songwriters; Kranjc asserts that Cohen left behind a body of work that is among the most respected in the 20 th century. For the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), Kranjc (qtd. in N.N. 2016c) stated the following: An eternal prisoner in the tower of song and an untiring traveller through its most secret lands has created a magnificent opus of poetry and prose which is based on respecting and exploring the Word; his melodies time and again prove the inseparability of words and music and vice versa. STA also asked Cohen aficionado Potokar (qtd. in N.N. 2016c) to provide a statement - in part, it reads as follows: Especially on his records he is a poet of exceptional density and precision, as well as sonority and rhythmicity. And of course a poet of such a characteristic unsurpassed (self)irony. […] I have long claimed that being acquainted with Janko Trupej 76 Leonard Cohen and listening to his music comes closest to a profound religious experience. Potokar (2016: 17) himself wrote a short obituary for Delo, expressing his thoughts about Cohen’s artistry in the following words: First and foremost, Cohen was and remained a poet, and his performances were not merely concerts, but festivals of the Word, which is so moving precisely because - like the psalms of old that were meant to be sung and not read - we listen [sic] to it accompanied by unobtrusive musical instruments and female voices, perhaps similar to the way we once listened to words in temples, synagogues and churches. In Dnevnik, Borut Mehle (2016) claims that only Nobel Prize for Literature laureate Dylan had a greater influence on his generation than Cohen, while MMC (G.K. & P.G. 2016) lauds Cohen as not only a legendary singer-songwriter, but also one of the leading literary figures in Canada and an influential representative of modern literature. An obituary on the website of Radio Terminal (N.N. 2016a) heaps high praise on Cohen’s achievements, concluding by stating that he gave his listeners the greatest parting gift by releasing his final album, and that as long as music exists, Cohen will be remembered. An obituary on Nova24TV (D.M. 2016) refers to Cohen as ‘one of the most magnificent kings of music’; on Rockline (Jurca 2016), he and his work are characterized as immortal, while in Slovenske novice (T.P. 2016: 32), it is stated that Cohen was a unique talent who only appears once in a generation and that he addressed timeless topics of the human condition. In a very personal obituary on Portal plus, publicist Dejan Steinbuch (2016) barely refers to Cohen’s life or career, instead focusing on what the artist meant to him and his generation - he concludes as follows: Gone are the years during which we seemed to have grown old alongside Leonard Cohen, attended his concerts and were carried away by his vitality and energy. Perhaps somewhere in the back of our heads there already loomed the fear of the moment when we would lose him. […] In these memories that define some other life, Leonard Cohen is eternal and immortal . In Večer (N.N. 2016d), it is stated that Cohen probably would have been worthy of the Nobel Prize for Literature and that just before he died he recorded one of his greatest albums; furthermore, Vlado Kreslin, one of the most influential Slovenian singer-songwriters, is quoted as saying that Cohen’s music was spiritual and the type of music one would listen to alone. On Svet24, Kreslin (qtd. in D.B. 2016) described his experience when first hearing Cohen’s album Songs from a Room as follows: “[T]his record was like some kind of Holy Bible and went from hand to hand. We borrowed it, considered it something sacred and it was as if a new world had opened The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 77 up to us.” In a lengthy article on Cohen’s life and career published on Govori.se, Tina Ambrožič (2016) asserts that his songs are works of art and that they made their mark on history. An article recounting his life was also published in Delo; Grgič (2016b) hails Cohen as one of the greatest visionaries among contemporary artists, and in the same newspaper she repeats this statement less than two months later in an article about artists who passed away in the previous year (Grgič 2017). Some weeks after his death, a profile on Cohen even appeared in Pil, a monthly for primary school children; Nika Osredkar (2017) concludes the article by stating that Cohen released his last album just weeks before his death and left a great legacy. 4. Conclusion Ever since Cohen’s name first appeared in Slovenian serial publications at the beginning of the 1970s, he has not only been referred to as a singer, but also a literary figure. While select articles from the 1970s in 1980s indicate that Cohen was not unknown among some Slovenian literati, it took until 1996 for the first of his full-length literary works, the novel Beautiful Losers, to be translated into Slovenian - it received a limited but largely positive reception. Cohen began to be discussed more often as a literary figure in the years after his 2008 return to the public eye, when several translations 12 of his books were published within the span of only a few years. While reviews were not plentiful, they were largely positive and helped to establish Cohen’s image in Slovenia as not merely a recording artist but also a man of letters. Cohen’s work as a singer-songwriter received some attention in Slovenia in the 1970s, but noteworthy articles about it were limited to the music magazine Glasbena mladina; most of the writing was extremely positive, which suggests that he enjoyed a cult following. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s - when Cohen was also not in vogue in some other parts of the world - very little was written about him in the Slovenian press; no contemporary reviews of his albums from that period could be found. Not much substantial writing on Cohen’s music was published in the 1990s either, although select articles from that decade indicate that he was quite respected. His albums from the beginning of the new millennium were reviewed in several notable serial publications, although their reception was mixed. However, after Cohen’s touring comeback, discussions about his 12 All the translations are by either Kranjc or Potokar - probably the two individuals who did more than anyone else in Slovenia to bring attention to Cohen’s literary work. Janko Trupej 78 music began to be ever-present in the media, 13 and the studio albums he released towards the end of his life enjoyed a lively and very positive reception; Cohen was frequently hailed as one of the greatest songwriters ever. 14 Not much was written about Cohen as a live performer until the very last decade of his life, but after he commenced his ‘Grand Tour’ - which would eventually include two concerts in Slovenia - Cohen’s live performances were frequently written about, and his concerts were received with universal approval. Even the live albums released from this tour received reviews, which were also mostly positive - apart from some criticism about the material being repetitive. Cohen’s death was covered by virtually all the major Slovenian serial publications and numerous online platforms. Some of the statements by prominent public figures indicate that Cohen was important to some Slovenians on a very personal level, and the praise that he received was similar to that from the last years of his life - one could almost speak of an act of ‘hyper-canonization’. Since the Slovenian reception of Cohen’s work spanned two political systems, we shall also look at the responses to his opus from an ideological standpoint, i.e., address whether there existed an ideological background to the facts that, for decades, his music was not prominently featured in the media, and that it took a long time for his first literary work to be translated into Slovenian. 15 The reception of Cohen’s œuvre was similar in several other European (post-)socialist countries. Soon after he started to release music, Cohen began to have quite a strong following among Czechs, and he remained popular after the Iron Curtain fell; nevertheless, it took until 1996 for the first literary work of his to be translated into Czech. However, by the time Cohen returned to the spotlight in 2008, six more translations had been published (Sparling 2019: 166-172). It was reportedly difficult to obtain copies of Cohen’s records in communist Romania, but he nevertheless developed a cult following as a singer-songwriter and remained popular after the country transitioned into a democracy; however, it was not until the new millennium that he gained more recognition as a literary figure, and Romanian translations of his works began to be published (Bottez & Catană 13 A search in the Digital Library of Slovenia conducted on 19 November 2020 revealed that from 2008 to 2017, the name “Leonard Cohen” appeared 508 times in the corpus of digitized publications, while from 1998 to 2007, it appeared 182 times. 14 The only songwriter consistently referred to as Cohen’s equal is Dylan, while other songwriting greats like Lennon/ McCartney, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young seem to be regarded as children of a lesser god. 15 The Slovenian reception of some North American literary figures was substantially affected by the contemporary socio-political situation (see, e.g., Trupej 2015; Potočnik Topler 2017; Čerče 2018; Mrđenović 2020; Trupej 2021), while this is less true for other writers (see, e.g., Maver 1990; Blake 2003; Intihar Klančar 2004; Klanjšček 2004; Zupan 2015). The Perception of Leonard Cohen in Slovenia 79 2019: 196-202). Only Beautiful Losers has been published in Bulgarian so far, despite Cohen’s popularity as a musician in the country (Andreev & Jankova 2019: 21). Similarly, in spite of Cohen’s considerable prominence as a recording artist in Croatia, it took almost until the end of the previous century for Beautiful Losers to be published in Croatian and even longer for its author to gain greater recognition as a man of letters in that country (Sindičić Sabljo & Sapun Kurtin 2019: 148-152). For decades, Cohen has also been a popular singer-songwriter in Serbia, and three collections of his translated poetry appeared in Serbian in the 1980s, but both his novels were only published in this language after he began his ‘Grand Tour’ and became an international superstar (Lopičić & Ignjatović 2019: 210-213). None of the above scholars claim that Cohen’s writing was considered particularly ideologically problematic during their countries’ socialist eras, and translations of Cohen’s works did not begin to be published en masse in the few years immediately after the end of socialism; it took until the new millennium for Cohen to gain wider recognition as a literary figure in most of these nations - as was the case in Slovenia. 16 The few noteworthy responses to Cohen’s literary output during Slovenia’s socialist era were positive, and after his literary works began to be published in Slovenian, they were praised in publications from different sides of the ideological spectrum, which further indicates that ideology did not play a major role in his reception. Rather, part of the reason for any delay in the recognition of Cohen’s literary works may have been the status that Canadian literature occupies in the Slovenian literary polysystem. While for decades, American culture and literature were influential in Slovenia, even during much of the socialist era (and thus, as Meta Grosman (1988: 350) notes, many Slovenian readers have little difficulty understanding characteristically American elements of literary texts), “Canadian culture occupies a deprivileged position: Canadian literature is frequently overwhelmed by American productivity, occasionally even mistaken for American” (Onič, Mohar & Gadpaille 2019: 142). 17 As for ideology playing a role in the reception of Cohen’s music in Slovenia, while it is true that even for much of the 1960s, the socialist regime still perceived some popular Western artists, for instance The Beatles (see Trupej 2017: 193-195), as a threat for corrupting Slovenian youth with Western values, Marta Rendla (2011: 94) notes that by the late 1960s, the influence of Western music on Slovenian culture was no longer seen as problematic. Furthermore, Cohen had only a small following among Slovenians, and thus the powers that be could not have perceived him as a particularly problematic influence despite the fact that religion (which was 16 The fact that all the poetry collections Cohen published up to Book of Mercy have yet to be translated suggests that he is still considered a minor poet in Slovenia. 17 In our analysis of Cohen’s reception, we also noted that he is occasionally mistakenly referred to as an American artist. Janko Trupej 80 not looked upon favourably by the socialist regime) featured prominently in his songs and despite his capitalist, North American origins. Similarly to what is true for his literary work, after Slovenia declared independence, there was no immediate marked change in the popularity of his music, and he did not gain significantly more presence in the Slovenian media straight away; he remained a well-respected and popular singer-songwriter, but only reached superstar status after his return to the stage in 2008. It can thus be concluded that the responses to Cohen’s work were not substantially influenced by either the socio-political situation in Slovenia, or its relations with Canada (or the West in general) at a certain point in time: the reception of both his music and literary work was similar during the socialist period and much of the post-socialist period. Instead, Cohen’s heightened popularity and presence in the Slovenian media towards the end of his life may be attributed to the general commercial renaissance he enjoyed across much of the world during those years. References A.G. 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