Years before his fame as a singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen was a serious and poetic young man living in Montreal and dreaming of literary stardom. This collection of early work provides a fascinating insight into his world. In these stories, he explores themes that would permeate his later work: from shame and unworthiness to sexual desire and longing, whether for love, family, freedom or transcendence. Meditative, surprising, playful and provocative, A Ballet of Lepers is vivid in its detail, unsparing in its gaze and reveals the great artist like never before. #aballetoflepers #leonardcohen #shortstories #novella #dauntbooks