The Loser

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