This is such a compelling review! I love classical music, the German language, Austrian literature, and Bernhard, although I've only read Auslöschung (Extinction). I think I might select Der Untergeher for my next book club meeting.
I've always thought that the loser's genius was that only he was capable of understanding the extent of Gould's genius and with his suicide that understanding was lost. It's like the reader/writer dynamic. They are nothing without each other.
A refreshing take on a book I read and enjoyed long ago - been planning to revisit it, and you've given me some incentive. A couple of notes on the dramatis personae:
1. I think that Bernhard's loudly proclaimed hatred of Austria was largely a performance. It was the sort of productive hatred of an oyster being irritated into producing a pearl. Bernhard lived in Austria his whole life and never considered leaving, immersed himself in its minutiae, insisted on the localism of his writing (pointing out that his use of German was distinctly Austrian, for instance). I don't think he can be considered a straightforward "hater" - it was a more complex set of emotions in his case. Reading his autobiographical works (collected as "Gathering Evidence") is enlightening in this respect.
2. It's my impression that Gould continues to have a permanent place as a classic recording artist - I can't count how many times his Bach in particular has been reissued, including quite recently. Yes, people complain about his mannerisms and prejudices, but isn't this true for any well-known musician? As a personality and "culture hero," he continues to have some reach outside of his achievements in the studio.
1. Yes, my edition's afterward by Mark M. Anderson makes it clear that Bernard's relationship with Austria was complex, and the quotes I include are so over-the-top that they can read as satire. But I think it's the nature of being a true hater to have some love or at least some fascination mixed in with the hate. A true hater returns to the object of his hate, meditates on it, constantly engages with it, can't let it go — it even comes to define the hater's identity.
2. Gould certainly still has fans. And I'm imprecise deliberately in the piece because I'm talking about the impression I get. I think the "vibe" around Gould these days is extremely mixed — his fans need to make apologies for him, while pianists like Uchida or Brendel get unmixed reverence. And his eccentricities are part of his legacy in a way that's simply not the case for other pianists. Everyone can tell you about Gould's humming, but only real piano-heads know about Kissin's weird bowing, for example.
This is such a compelling review! I love classical music, the German language, Austrian literature, and Bernhard, although I've only read Auslöschung (Extinction). I think I might select Der Untergeher for my next book club meeting.
I've always thought that the loser's genius was that only he was capable of understanding the extent of Gould's genius and with his suicide that understanding was lost. It's like the reader/writer dynamic. They are nothing without each other.
A refreshing take on a book I read and enjoyed long ago - been planning to revisit it, and you've given me some incentive. A couple of notes on the dramatis personae:
1. I think that Bernhard's loudly proclaimed hatred of Austria was largely a performance. It was the sort of productive hatred of an oyster being irritated into producing a pearl. Bernhard lived in Austria his whole life and never considered leaving, immersed himself in its minutiae, insisted on the localism of his writing (pointing out that his use of German was distinctly Austrian, for instance). I don't think he can be considered a straightforward "hater" - it was a more complex set of emotions in his case. Reading his autobiographical works (collected as "Gathering Evidence") is enlightening in this respect.
2. It's my impression that Gould continues to have a permanent place as a classic recording artist - I can't count how many times his Bach in particular has been reissued, including quite recently. Yes, people complain about his mannerisms and prejudices, but isn't this true for any well-known musician? As a personality and "culture hero," he continues to have some reach outside of his achievements in the studio.
1. Yes, my edition's afterward by Mark M. Anderson makes it clear that Bernard's relationship with Austria was complex, and the quotes I include are so over-the-top that they can read as satire. But I think it's the nature of being a true hater to have some love or at least some fascination mixed in with the hate. A true hater returns to the object of his hate, meditates on it, constantly engages with it, can't let it go — it even comes to define the hater's identity.
2. Gould certainly still has fans. And I'm imprecise deliberately in the piece because I'm talking about the impression I get. I think the "vibe" around Gould these days is extremely mixed — his fans need to make apologies for him, while pianists like Uchida or Brendel get unmixed reverence. And his eccentricities are part of his legacy in a way that's simply not the case for other pianists. Everyone can tell you about Gould's humming, but only real piano-heads know about Kissin's weird bowing, for example.