Reviews

Glenn Gould: A Life in Pictures

Derek Fairbridge
Tags

What is there to say about Glenn Gould that hasn’t already been said? Anyone who is interested in the subject is already familiar with the many mythologies surrounding this gangly, pill-popping agoraphobe who wore winter coats year-round and played the piano with neurotic precision and stunning clarity. Yet Glenn Gould: A Life in Pictures (Doubleday)—filled with rare black-and-white photos from the CBC, the National Library of Canada and Columbia Records, as well as family snapshots—is still a fresh and relevant book. The substantial introduction by the Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page sums up Gould’s life and work succinctly yet generously. The images themselves are a bit disappointing: many are too blurry to work as full-page blow-ups. Still, the photos capture Gould’s character, a strange amalgam of self-conscious awkwardness and camera-conscious vanity. And somehow even the fuzzy photos are effective, showing Gould as a flailing whirlwind of creative energy and a fascinating kook.

No items found.

Derek Fairbridge

Derek Fairbridge is the editor of Vanilla Crow, a zine published in Penticton.


SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU

Essays
Soraya Roberts

Silver & Blue

Did you hear that the railway built Canada? That’s probably all you heard


Reviews
Anson Ching

Beach Reading

Review of "Slave Old Man" by Patrick Chamoiseau

Reviews
Peggy Thompson

Taken to a Place of Life

Review of "Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love" by Sarah Leavitt.