The Organist: Fugues, Fatherhood, and a Fragile Mind, Paperback

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.

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.