“Since he had asked me not to write about them, it was important to me to have his permission. But then, to have his approval, that was even better.”
When Judy Scott, noted local political activist, decided to write a memoir about her time on the Greek island of Hydra, poet Leonard Cohen was a central part of the story. But since he had asked her, in the sixties, not to write about him or Marianne Ihlen, despite their close relationship, she agreed, respecting their privacy. But in 2015, she got in touch with him again, and he agreed that she could tell the tale.
As a young woman traveling through Europe in the sixties, her happenstance landing on Hydra, and meeting George Lialos, opened the door to a long relationship with the expatriate art colony on the island. That Leonard Cohen was the most famous of its residents was an added attraction. But Scott had no way of knowing how the long and intimate connection with Cohen and his sometime partner Marianne Ihlen would lead to major milestones in her life.
While Scott has served for many years as part of the Landlord-Tenant Mediation Board in Culver City where she lives with her spouse, Monika Rogasch, she goes back to Hydra as often as she can.
After the death of both Leonard and Marianne in 2016, sharing the memories felt like the right thing to do. But, “I was glad I already had his permission. It let me know that I could be candid without any hesitation or guilt.”
Scott will be signing her book after an interview on July 8, 2021 at the Village Well Bookstore at 9900 Culver Blvd. from 7 to 8:30 pm. This is a limited capacity event, and tickets are required. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversation-with-judy-scott-tickets-160052347881 to purchase a ticket or sign up for the live broadcast.
Judith Martin-Straw
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