Leonard Cohen awarded Spain's Prince of Asturias literary award

Canadian poet and singer Leonard Cohen has been awarded the prestigious Spanish Prince of Asturias prize for literature for his body of work

The prize was awarded on Wednesday, with the jury praising Cohen for work of 'Immutable merit.'

In a statement, the jury said Cohen's writing has: 'influenced three generations of people worldwide through his creation of emotional imagery in which poetry and music are fused in an oeuvre of immutable merit.'

'The passing of time, sentimental relationships, the mystical traditions of the East and the West and life sung as an unending ballad make up a body of work associated with certain moments of decisive change at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century,' the jury continued.

Writing Magazine thought this was a splendid opportunity to share a clip of the magnificent Leonard Cohen. Teachers is the editor's favourite, so here it is, in a rare live recording from 1968. Let us know on Talkback which Leonard Cohen song you'd have chosen, if you had to pick just one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WXwbRPTxEQ&feature=related