Glenn Gould: The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius

Famous for his eccentricities as well as for his brilliance as a pianist, Gould (1932-1982) was a notorious hypochondriac and recluse. In this disturbing biography, Ostwald (Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius), a psychiatrist and musician who met Gould in 1957 and observed his behavior for the next quarter-century, examines his life and career in an attempt to explain his psychosomatic illnesses but manages only to describe them. Except for a few tentative speculations--Gould may have suffered from Asperger disease, a variant of autism, and his reluctance to get close to people may have been an attempt to shield himself from homicidal impulses--the author does not show how the totally self-absorbed, neurotic genius got the way he was. The details of Gould's real and imaginary illnesses may become wearing for some readers, yet Ostwald's analyses of Gould's musicianship and discussions of his radio broadcasts and TV documentaries are illuminating, and his writing has an intimacy that makes you feel you've actually been in the same room with the pianist. Photos not seen by PW. (May) FYI: Ostwald succumbed to cancer after a 12-year battle upon completing this book.