I’m not a
fan of Leonard Cohen but I am a fan of the Greek island connected to his early
fame. Hydra is where Leonard went as a young poet with little money but an
earnest zeal to work on his art. Most of us know the rest of the story. Hydra’s
calm gave him the peace to write Flowers for Hitler and Beautiful
Losers, and it is where he met his most famous muse Marianne.
I probably
know more than the average non-fan about Cohen. Primarily, because I edited The
Water and the Wine by Tamar Hodes, a novel set on Hydra in the sixties. This
fictionalised account of Tamar’s childhood on Hydra tells much of life behind
the scenes. Her parents had left a kibbutz in Israel and taken her and her
brother to the island to follow their own artistic leanings. As fate played it,
Leonard, Marianne, Charmain Clift and other artists were neighbours. It might
sound idyllic, galivanting to a Greek island and leaving your children with a
round-the-clock nanny so that you can follow your artistic whim. But the way
Tamar tells it bohemian freedom was too much for some, and many strayed far from
the path that prioritised taking care of home and family.
Tamar’s life
turned out well – she has a degree in English from Cambridge and teaches at
universities and prisons. However, the other expat children did not fare so
well. Drug use and mental illness plagued many of their lives.
Today, Hydra
still attracts those who want to write, paint or just think – a recent Times article
referred to it as an island for the ‘arty elite’. Personally, I do my best work
on the island, and friends smile with recognition when I refer to it as ‘my
happy place.’ There are no cars, motorbikes, or other jarring noises. Instead,
peacefulness permeates and it is easy to feel lighter as you scale the steps
from the port (although the heart rate may work at twice speed to get you there).