Leonard Cohen's final book due out in October 2018

TORONTO -- Leonard Cohen's final book, which he finished in the months before his death last November, will hit shelves next year.

McClelland and Stewart says it will release "The Flame" on Oct. 16, 2018.

The publishing house describes the book as "a stunning collection of Cohen's last poems, selected and ordered by the author in the final months of his life."

The book also has excerpts from his notebooks as well as the full lyrics to his final three albums and those written by Cohen for the album "Blue Alert" by his collaborator Anjani.

Readers will also get to see prose pieces and illustrations by the Montreal-born "Hallelujah" singer-songwriter, who died Nov. 7 at age 82.

McClelland and Stewart calls the book "an enormously powerful final chapter in Cohen's storied literary career."

"During the final months of his life, Leonard had a singular focus -- completing this book taken largely from his unpublished poems and selections from his notebooks," Robert Kory, Cohen's manager and trustee of the Cohen estate, said Friday in a statement.

"The flame and how our culture threatened its extinction was a central concern. Though in declining health, Leonard died unexpectedly.

"Those of us who had the rare privilege of spending time with him during this period recognized that the flame burned bright within him to the very end. This book, finished only days before his death, reveals to all the intensity of his inner fire. "

McClelland and Stewart publisher Jared Bland said the book is "full of Leonard Cohen's signature combination of grace, humour, wisdom, and heartbreaking insight into the fragility and beauty of this world we all share."

"It will endure as a testament to his humanity and genius, and delight his millions of fans around the world," said Bland.

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