Bird is Dead

A man who shares his name with a famous singer must grapple with his identity, purpose, and love.

Leonard Cohen is a would-be artist, a would-be lover, a would-be tragic figure; yet he is a man haunted by the greatness of his namesake. He struggles to compete. He struggles to be more than a punchline in his own mind. He struggles, in particular, to write one song as great as the least of the great Leonard Cohen's songs.

At the centre of Leonard's life is Daphne. In their meeting on a Greek island, a contemporary fable of Daphne and Apollo plays out. But even with Daphne, Leonard is shadowed by the 'other' Leonard Cohen, whom he fears is the real Apollo. The ancient myth haunts the fated lovers.

Once upon a time, Apollo fell hard for Daphne, who turned herself into a laurel tree. No less a fate awaits the protagonists of this novel, in which art, love, and fame all fatefully intertwine.