Only the Story Remains (A Memoir)

A memoir that moves through poverty and war, immigrating to a foreign land, bringing world music to Canada and beyond, and befriending artists like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan

Malka Marom will tell you that art saved her life. As a child, she craved stories and songs more than sustenance, and it’s no surprise, perhaps, that they ended up being the central thread of her unusual, often amazing life.

In the ’60s, with her singing partner, Joso Spralja, another immigrant to Canada, Malka formed a singing duo that made world music a domestic hit, and though they rarely sang in English, they eventually had one of the bestselling records of the era and a CBC TV show after Hockey Night in Canada.

Later, Marom channeled her love of music and poetry into journalism, producing award-winning documentaries and interviews with Canadian luminaries such as Joni Mitchell, Irving Layton, and Leonard Cohen. These artists eventually became lifelong friends, and the former folk singer found herself spending many surprising days with some of the most original creators of the era, including Bob Dylan.

Spanning a childhood in wartime Israel through the folk scene of the ’60s and ’70s in Canada, Only the Story Remains shares snapshots of a time long past and reveals the hidden side of show business and familiar icons. These are tales of perseverance, reinvention, and the power of art, of a story-hungry child who went on to live some remarkable tales of her own.