An unprecedented glimpse into the formation of the legendary talent of Leonard Cohen. Written between 1956 in Montreal, just as Cohen was publishing his first poetry collection, and 1961, when hed settled on Greeces Hydra island, the pieces in this collection offer startling insight into Cohen's imagination and creative process, and explore themes that would permeate his later work, from shame and unworthiness to sexual desire to longing, whether for love, family, freedom, or transcendence. The titular novel, A Ballet of Lepers, one he later remarked was probably a better novel than his celebrated book The Favourite Game, is a haunting examination of these elements, while the fifteen stories, as well as the playscript, probe the inner demons of his characters, many of whom could function as stand-ins for the author himself.