The Canadian pianist Glenn Gould was a child prodigy and a musical genius whose 1955 recording of Bachs Goldberg Variations catapulted him to world fame. He was also plagued by lifelong depression, was terrified of playing before live audiences, and consumed prescription drugs by the handful. He died at fifty of a massive stroke. In this acclaimed biography, the late psychiatrist Peter Ostwald - an accomplished violinist and longtime personal friend of Goulds - raises many questions about Gould and his music. Was his genius sponsored by eccentricity or vice versa? Do those with genius sacrifice themselves for a higher ideal while remaining personally unfulfilled? Ostwald lays bare the energy and contradiction behind Goulds brilliance.