Synopses & Reviews
The Loser is a brilliant fictional account of an imaginary
relationship among three men—the late piano virtuoso Glenn Gould, the
unnamed narrator, and a fictional pianist, Wertheimer—who meet in 1953
to study with Vladimir Horowitz. In the face of Gould's incomparable
genius, Wertheimer and the narrator renounce their musical ambition, but
in very different ways. While the latter sets out to write a book about
Gould, Wertheimer sinks deep into despair and self-destruction.
"Like Swift, Bernhard writes like a sacred monster. . . . A remarkable
literary performer: [he] goes to extremes in ways that vivify our sense
of human possibilities, however destructive."—Richard Locke, Wall
Street Journal
"The excellence of Bernhard—and it is a kind virtuosity, ably maintained
in this American translation—is to make his monotonous loathing not only
sting but also, like Gould at the piano, sing."—Paul Griffiths,
Times Literary Supplement
"[He is] one of the century's most gifted writers."—David Plott,
Philadelphia Inquirer
"America has been sadly immune to the charm and challenge of Bernhard's
work and the American public has deprived itself of the deep and serious
pleasure of reading one of the great writers of this century. . . . One
of the great works of world literature. Its arrival on these shores is a
significant literary event."—Thomas McGonigle, New York Newsday
Review
"This 'relentless inner monologue,' as Mark A. Anderson characterizes the novel in an 'Afterword,' is typical of Bernhard's difficult, hypnotic, and compelling work. It is a fictionalized biography of the Canadian pianist Glen Gould, onto which Bernhard—one of Europe's most eloquent writers—grafts details from his own life and, as always, obsessions, which include death, suicide, self-identity, the nature of truth, artistic creativity, and existence. The prose also is obsessive, with the elliptical repetitions and looping sentences which double back on one another while at the same time propelling the reader forward on their beautiful cadences. Bernhard's characters (Bernhard himself, in the minds of his numerous hostile critics) are slightly off center, spectators in society who observe human nature from a distance with an ironic eye. Bernhard's work is iconoclastic, corrosive, and frequently very funny; one feels slightly soiled after reading him." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
"Like Swift, Bernhard writes like a sacred monster....A remarkable literary performer: he goes to extremes in ways that vivify our sense of human possibilities, however destructive". -- Richard Locke, Wall Street Journal
"The excellence of Bernard -- and it is a kind virtuosity, ably maintained in this American translation -- is to make his monotonous loathing not only sting but also, like Gould at the piano, sing". -- Paul Griffiths, Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
Thomas Bernhard (1931-89) grew up in Salzburg and Vienna, where he studied music. In 1957 he began a second career as a playwright, poet, and novelist. He went on to win many of the most prestigious literary prizes of Europe (including the Austrian State Prize, the Bremen and Brüchner prizes, and Le Prix Séguier), became one of the most widely admired writers of his generation, and insisted at his death that none of his works be published in Austria for seventy years, a provision later repealed by his half-brother.