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Leonard Cohen's fame as a songwriter and poet has long eclipsed his reputation as a novelist. He abandoned fiction after only two novels--1963's The Favourite Game and 1966's Beautiful Losers--but these were enough to reveal Cohen as a deft and vivid storyteller, equally comfortable with poetry and prose. Their frank sexuality and unapologetic social satire made them controversial (and wildly popular) on their first publication, but they are easily as substantial as any of Cohen's collections of verse.
Like so many first novels, The Favourite Game is semi-autobiographical, a coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Lawrence Breavman, a Montreal Jewish boy who matures into a promising poet. In order to create his art, Breavman feels compelled to live destructively, divesting himself of his lovers, friends, and family, keeping them only in his memory and his writing. Cohen moves carefully between cruelty and sentimentality, and none of his characters--including Breavman himself--escape his satiric venom.
Though unmistakably a poet's novel, The Favourite Game does not include the experimentation or unrestrained lyricism of Beautiful Losers. Instead, in a remarkably compressed story, Cohen is able to render powerful narrative episodes in the space of a couple of pages or skewer a character in a single sentence. This lends Cohen's narrative voice a slightly disengaged feel, letting the novel maintain a tense atmosphere of ironic intimacy--the passions it presents are tangible, but they are forever unreachable, held tightly in Breavman's memory and Cohen's art. --Jack Illingworth
Review
“Is there any Canadian novel as compelling and as good at capturing youthful anxieties as J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye? Absolutely.…Leonard Cohen’s first novel, The Favourite Game.…One of the 10 best Canadian novels of the 20th century.…”
— Globe and Mail (January 2000)
“The Favourite Game is a morally brave book, intimate and unflinching.…Leonard Cohen sustains the highest level of poetic craftsmanship throughout.”
— Paul Quarrington
“He is a writer of terrific energy and colour, a Rabelaisian comic and a visualiser of some memorable scenes.”
— The Observer (U.K.)
“It is the kind of book that becomes a law unto itself, simply because there is nothing with which to compare it.”
— Calgary Albertan
— Globe and Mail (January 2000)
“The Favourite Game is a morally brave book, intimate and unflinching.…Leonard Cohen sustains the highest level of poetic craftsmanship throughout.”
— Paul Quarrington
“He is a writer of terrific energy and colour, a Rabelaisian comic and a visualiser of some memorable scenes.”
— The Observer (U.K.)
“It is the kind of book that becomes a law unto itself, simply because there is nothing with which to compare it.”
— Calgary Albertan
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good introduction to Cohen's written work,
By
This review is from: The Favourite Game (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a book that few people other than Leonard Cohen would ever dare to write -- or even be able to imagine; especially in the early 60's -- but which, for him, is a fairly straight-forward work. Much more literal and novelistic than Beautiful Losers, Cohen's second novel, and far less obscure than most of his poetry, The Favorite Game is the ideal entry point into Cohen's writing. Cohen write very provocative, very beautiful, highly lyrical poetic prose that is not for everyone. Some will be turned off by the frequent use of allusion and metaphor and the not-always-linear narrative structure; however, for those who like literate, poetic writing, Cohen is a goldmine. Whereas Beautiful Losers and much of his later poetry is very abstract, The Favorite Game is a novel in a traditional and familar form -- the coming-of-age of a young man -- but done in a highly unique and endearing fashion. The language used in the novel is strikingly beautiful, and uniquely Cohen. His writing is of a style that I can only describe as the mastery of Joyce crossed with the eroticism of Miller. He is very frank and candid about sexual matters; but, unlike those two authors, he writes about it in such a way that it is erotic as well as artful and beautiful. The book is also very funny in the uniquely Cohen way -- drier than a bone. Like most of Cohen's works, this is highly autobiographical, and most of us -- certainly those who have experienced either side of love -- will be able to identify with much of it. One might even call it the Canadian Catcher In The Rye, although its literacy and pretentions to high artfulness render it less transcendent than that American masterpiece. Still, for all Cohen fans, this is an absolute must; for readers unfamilar with or curious about the author, it is the ideal place to start.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genuine Cohen,
By L. Fallis (Winnipeg, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Favourite Game (Paperback)
If you are a fan of our fellow Canadian's work this is a must-read. This novel is very 'real', 'true' and consequently I'm tempted to say autobiographical of Cohen (then again isn't most of his work?). The characters are tangible and captivating, the writing superb and rich with metaphorical flavours. Well worth your time, it's addictive.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Guide to Men,
By Oana Uiorean (Romania) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Favourite Game (Mass Market Paperback)
As a woman in her mid-twenties this has been quite a revelation for me. It has opened my eyes in so many ways with regard to men and their nature, and I mean this in a kind and tender way. Growing up I have passed myself through many of the stages that Lawrence is going through, from the sexual awakening to the loss of spiritual innocence, yet the occasional paragraphs to which I cannot instantly relate make for the key to the enigmatic difference between man and woman. A must for any passionate of human nature.
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