The Organist - (Regina Collection) by Mark Abley (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Harry Abley was a nightmare of a father: depressive, self-absorbed, unpredictable, emotionally unstable. He was also a dream of a father: gentle, courageous, artistically gifted. Mark Abley, his only child, grew up in the shadow of music and mental illness. How he came to terms with this divided legacy, and how he learned to be a man in the absence of a traditional masculine role model, are central to this beautifully written memoir. This extraordinary story will speak to all those who love music, who struggle with depression, or who wrestle with the difficult bonds of love between a parent and a child. The organist is a rich and wonderful book, a deeply insightful and moving story of a family's journey through the 20th century."--

Book Synopsis

A son's story of living in his father's shadow of genius tainted by depression

Harry Abley was a nightmare of a father: depressive, self-absorbed, unpredictable, emotionally unstable. He was also a dream of a father: gentle, courageous, artistically gifted. Mark Abley, his only child, grew up in the shadow of music and mental illness. How he came to terms with this divided legacy, and how he learned to be a man in the absence of a traditional masculine role model, are central to this beautifully written memoir. This extraordinary story will speak to all those who love music, who struggle with depression, or who wrestle with the difficult bonds of love between a parent and a child.

Review Quotes

"The Organist's intimate scale and unstinting, probing honesty give it what should prove to be...lasting appeal."-- "Maclean's"

"[A] master class in the delicate art of writing about family."-- "Montreal Gazette"

"[A] remarkably transparent record of a writer's lifelong efforts to understand and love his male parent."-- "Literary Review of Canada"

"A fascinating and often beautiful portrait of the fragile psyche of a talented musician."-- "BBC Music Magazine"

"A keenly observed, often elegant accounting of the transformative power of art and the limits of knowing others, even--or perhaps especially--those we feel we should know best."-- "Toronto Star"

About the Author

Mark Abley is a Rhodes Scholar, a Guggenheim Fellow, a winner of Canada's National Newspaper Award, and the first Canadian recipient of the LiberPress Prize for international writers. He has written six books of non-fiction, four collections of poetry, and two children's books. Mark lives in Pointe Claire, QC.