Although Cohen left to find adventure and fame outside the city, he maintained a house in Montréal's Plateau-Mont-Royal district, which he returned to regularly.
I love Montreal. As a Canadian it’s taste and smells get a hold of a deeper feeling. Montreal grabs a hold of you and never lets go. Those heartstrings pull tight. What a wonderful article Perry. Thank you for the deep dive. I love Cohen as he was a poet first and always. 🙏❤️
Thank you for sharing this beautiful memoir and tribute to Montreal. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit and your writing gives me a deep appreciation for it.
Thank you, Heidi; I am so glad my intentions came through. I do hope that you will be able to visit ma ville one day. And thanks so much for restacking.🕊🦜
Absolutely. Thank you, Perry. One of my favorite forms of memoir is based in a sense of place, how that changes not only over time, but in our very recollections. Well done.
Thank you for this expose. Very enjoyable. Your love for Montreal comes through in your writing and is infectious. I would love to hear more about your neighbourhood. I believe it is the same as that of Mordecai Richler's 'Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.'
I was among those anglophones who left in '76, not necessarily because of any shortcomings in the city itself, but through my own shortcoming of having reached my 20th year and still being hopelessly unilingual. Having grown up in a 95% English speaking neighbourhood on the south shore, I never needed to speak French except in school which turned into a misery for me as I failed to grapple with the language.
My first proper exposure to French instruction was in grade five, much too late for me to have any real chance to overcome my already ingrained prejudices. I had trouble enough wrapping my head around English, without confusing myself with French. I resented it. Added to that, I had an uncanny ear for French pronunciation developed from years of tertiary exposure to the alternate culture that surrounded me. Already a very shy and introverted person, I felt extremely self-conscious of my butchery of la langue française. Every time I opened my mouth, I winced. When I entered the workforce, it was to be a teller at the Royal Bank at Sherbrooke and Victoria in Westmount. I had chosen the most English location possible and that worked. Most of the time.
When I found that following my father's footsteps into banking was not for me, I took on a simple labour job at Canadian Oxygen in St. Leonard. It was okay. Une Job Steady ... Un Bon Boss, as they say in Adieu Alouette. But my boss did not speak English and I did not speak French. What we had was a failure to communicate. One day he asked me to attach a device to a tractor trailer out in the yard. At least, that was my understanding. I drilled and drilled through the metal to attach the first of the bolts. I could see the sparks inside the drill as I worked. I pushed with all my might. Suddenly I broke through. A hissing sound. I pulled the drill away and a rush of oxygen followed. It soon became clear that I had drilled not only through the exterior of the tractor trailer, but directly into an oxygen tank, one of hundreds loaded inside the truck. The same truck that was sitting beside the loading dock with thousands of tanks being filled from a large silo which extended high into the sky. I was lucky. We were all lucky that day. I did not become the evening news. I quit the same day. I knew right then I had to leave Montreal, my home. To find a place where language was not such a barrier.
I remain to this day conflicted in my relationship with Montreal.
You were lucky that day, and nothing more unfortunate happened other than quitting a job that was just a job. The area I lived in for the first 12 years of my life was in a neighbourhood called Mile End, which is where Duddy Kravitz is set and where Richler grew up. I think Leonard Cohen also had a conflicted relationship with Montreal (he did live in LA later on, but maintained a house in The Plateau.). But he was formed in Montreal, yes, a city I love, warts and all.
I am writing about growing up in Mile End in the 1960s and will post shortly, probably in a week.
Well, it's good to know I have something in common with Leonard Cohen. Did you mean Cohen was buried in Westmount or that he lived there at some point? Also, I've been trying to figure out what ppm stands for when you say your were born at 315 ppm but are now at 425 ppm. The only thing I can think of is parts per million, but it also sounds like a time. I was born on Mount Royal at The Montreal General at 3:15 am.
Cohen was born in Upper Westmount on Belmont Avenue and lived there throughout his early adult years. Do you know the area around Summit Circle? He is buried in the Westmount section of Mont-Royal.
Born at 315 ppm is when the Earth was at 315 ppm CO2. In my case, 1957. It is a shorthand way of both acknowledging climate change and giving an idea of how old I am.
Ah, not far from the branch I worked at in Westmount. On occasion, I would hike up Victoria to Sunnyside, then Upper Bellevue to the summit lookout. It was a challenge to get up there, eat my lunch and get back down within the hour, but it was a pleasant if challenging walk. Interesting to see all the beautiful homes. I think Van Horne had his house up on Summit Circle. Possibly the Trudeau's as well. Pretty heady stuff for a boy from the burbs. That's interesting about the ppm. Thanks for explaining it. You are a year behind me, maybe less. I look forward to your essay on your hood.
Thank you for this guided tour through Montréal, including history, politics, languages and cultures, and the creative scene ~ ending with Leonard Cohen's famous Hallelujah.
I've seen L Cohen once live in the Philharmonie in Berlin. A memorable concert! Must have been in the late 1970s. I also used to sing and perform some of his earlier songs (in a little 'band' we had in our late teens).
A lovely tribute to Montréal and her famous son 💗🙏
I have never been to Montreal, although I have relatives there, and adore the Quebecois friends I have. It sounds like a magical place, and certainly is home to many gifted artists.
I like that unique character of Montréal compared to the anglo cities I've lived in like Ottawa, Toronto, Peterborough, and Calgary. I was fortunate to spend the summer of 1997 to study French at the University of Montréal. Good times spent wandering the city after classes downtown for good food. I loved the architecture of the old parts of Montréal.
We had our honeymoon in Quebec 1987. Traveled by train. Poor church mice. Culture shock for this American and her Canadian prairie husband! So very steeped in history. Had read Willa Cather. Spent one night in Montreal. So very modern we felt like the proverbial fish. ( out of water, not the 2-day old kind!). Canada was indeed a mosaic just like my husband told me.
Really enjoyed reading about your life and feelings about Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto. Very flowing read. Thank you!
Thank you. So well put, Jamie. Montreal grabbed hold of me in the beginning of my life. Cohen was always a poet. A very good one, too.
I love Montreal. As a Canadian it’s taste and smells get a hold of a deeper feeling. Montreal grabs a hold of you and never lets go. Those heartstrings pull tight. What a wonderful article Perry. Thank you for the deep dive. I love Cohen as he was a poet first and always. 🙏❤️
Thank you for sharing this beautiful memoir and tribute to Montreal. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit and your writing gives me a deep appreciation for it.
Thank you, Heidi; I am so glad my intentions came through. I do hope that you will be able to visit ma ville one day. And thanks so much for restacking.🕊🦜
Absolutely. Thank you, Perry. One of my favorite forms of memoir is based in a sense of place, how that changes not only over time, but in our very recollections. Well done.
Thank you for this expose. Very enjoyable. Your love for Montreal comes through in your writing and is infectious. I would love to hear more about your neighbourhood. I believe it is the same as that of Mordecai Richler's 'Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.'
I was among those anglophones who left in '76, not necessarily because of any shortcomings in the city itself, but through my own shortcoming of having reached my 20th year and still being hopelessly unilingual. Having grown up in a 95% English speaking neighbourhood on the south shore, I never needed to speak French except in school which turned into a misery for me as I failed to grapple with the language.
My first proper exposure to French instruction was in grade five, much too late for me to have any real chance to overcome my already ingrained prejudices. I had trouble enough wrapping my head around English, without confusing myself with French. I resented it. Added to that, I had an uncanny ear for French pronunciation developed from years of tertiary exposure to the alternate culture that surrounded me. Already a very shy and introverted person, I felt extremely self-conscious of my butchery of la langue française. Every time I opened my mouth, I winced. When I entered the workforce, it was to be a teller at the Royal Bank at Sherbrooke and Victoria in Westmount. I had chosen the most English location possible and that worked. Most of the time.
When I found that following my father's footsteps into banking was not for me, I took on a simple labour job at Canadian Oxygen in St. Leonard. It was okay. Une Job Steady ... Un Bon Boss, as they say in Adieu Alouette. But my boss did not speak English and I did not speak French. What we had was a failure to communicate. One day he asked me to attach a device to a tractor trailer out in the yard. At least, that was my understanding. I drilled and drilled through the metal to attach the first of the bolts. I could see the sparks inside the drill as I worked. I pushed with all my might. Suddenly I broke through. A hissing sound. I pulled the drill away and a rush of oxygen followed. It soon became clear that I had drilled not only through the exterior of the tractor trailer, but directly into an oxygen tank, one of hundreds loaded inside the truck. The same truck that was sitting beside the loading dock with thousands of tanks being filled from a large silo which extended high into the sky. I was lucky. We were all lucky that day. I did not become the evening news. I quit the same day. I knew right then I had to leave Montreal, my home. To find a place where language was not such a barrier.
I remain to this day conflicted in my relationship with Montreal.
You were lucky that day, and nothing more unfortunate happened other than quitting a job that was just a job. The area I lived in for the first 12 years of my life was in a neighbourhood called Mile End, which is where Duddy Kravitz is set and where Richler grew up. I think Leonard Cohen also had a conflicted relationship with Montreal (he did live in LA later on, but maintained a house in The Plateau.). But he was formed in Montreal, yes, a city I love, warts and all.
I am writing about growing up in Mile End in the 1960s and will post shortly, probably in a week.
Well, it's good to know I have something in common with Leonard Cohen. Did you mean Cohen was buried in Westmount or that he lived there at some point? Also, I've been trying to figure out what ppm stands for when you say your were born at 315 ppm but are now at 425 ppm. The only thing I can think of is parts per million, but it also sounds like a time. I was born on Mount Royal at The Montreal General at 3:15 am.
Cohen was born in Upper Westmount on Belmont Avenue and lived there throughout his early adult years. Do you know the area around Summit Circle? He is buried in the Westmount section of Mont-Royal.
Born at 315 ppm is when the Earth was at 315 ppm CO2. In my case, 1957. It is a shorthand way of both acknowledging climate change and giving an idea of how old I am.
Ah, not far from the branch I worked at in Westmount. On occasion, I would hike up Victoria to Sunnyside, then Upper Bellevue to the summit lookout. It was a challenge to get up there, eat my lunch and get back down within the hour, but it was a pleasant if challenging walk. Interesting to see all the beautiful homes. I think Van Horne had his house up on Summit Circle. Possibly the Trudeau's as well. Pretty heady stuff for a boy from the burbs. That's interesting about the ppm. Thanks for explaining it. You are a year behind me, maybe less. I look forward to your essay on your hood.
Thank you for this guided tour through Montréal, including history, politics, languages and cultures, and the creative scene ~ ending with Leonard Cohen's famous Hallelujah.
I've seen L Cohen once live in the Philharmonie in Berlin. A memorable concert! Must have been in the late 1970s. I also used to sing and perform some of his earlier songs (in a little 'band' we had in our late teens).
A lovely tribute to Montréal and her famous son 💗🙏
Yes; thank you. :)
What a beautiful tribute to Montreal!
I have never been to Montreal, although I have relatives there, and adore the Quebecois friends I have. It sounds like a magical place, and certainly is home to many gifted artists.
That it is; it will always be home to me. :)
I like that unique character of Montréal compared to the anglo cities I've lived in like Ottawa, Toronto, Peterborough, and Calgary. I was fortunate to spend the summer of 1997 to study French at the University of Montréal. Good times spent wandering the city after classes downtown for good food. I loved the architecture of the old parts of Montréal.
Yes, that it is; and this is what I find appealing and miss so much about Montreal. I hope your French courses at U de M paid off.
We had our honeymoon in Quebec 1987. Traveled by train. Poor church mice. Culture shock for this American and her Canadian prairie husband! So very steeped in history. Had read Willa Cather. Spent one night in Montreal. So very modern we felt like the proverbial fish. ( out of water, not the 2-day old kind!). Canada was indeed a mosaic just like my husband told me.
Really enjoyed reading about your life and feelings about Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto. Very flowing read. Thank you!
Thank you, Kathryn. The history of Quebec and of Montreal still plays out today.