Book of Mercy (1984) occupies a central place in the career of Leonard Cohen, as comparison to a wide variety of Cohen "texts," from poetry, the novel and song to the personal interview and music video, reveals. Interviews and book reviews contemporary with Book of Mercy indicate that the latter contains a sincere message of faith and prophetic warning that Cohen publicly defends. Cohen's eclectic but reverent incorporation of language and ideas from Judaeo-Christian traditions of prayer and mysticism shows his regard for the sacred expression of his predecessors. As a result, Book of Mercy stands slightly apart from the rest of Cohen's oeuvre, yet it is not simply an anomaly. Instead, it forms an integral part of a prolonged narrative of spiritual desire that began in 1956 with Cohen's first book of poetry and has continued through to his latest album, The Future (1992) and a recent poem, "On the Path." Book of Mercy marked a renewed sense of artistic vocation and conviction in the work of Leonard Cohen that remains unshaken today.

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