Oscar

by Mauricio Segura, Nick Gallager (Reader)

Brad succumbs to the white plague; Oscar, too, spends his days fighting disease, confined to a hospital. Playing the organ at night for a mysterious sickly girl, he discovers his own talent, although years after recovery, he finds himself desperate, poor and depressed - until the devil, otherwise known to the world as impresario Norman G, happens on him in a moment of crisis.    Inspired by the life of legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, Mauricio Segura's Oscar evokes periods across time, from the Depression-era Montreal neighbourhood of Little Burgundy to the swinging cabarets of the 1950s, while offering a reflection on the bonds between an artist and the Caribbean diaspora from which he comes. But above all, Oscar is a poignant homage to a musical giant, a man who changed the face of jazz forever.

MP3 CD

Published May 7, 2019

About the author

Né à Temuco, au Chili, Mauricio Segura est arrivé au Canada à l’âge de cinq ans. Romancier et journaliste, il fait paraître, au Boréal, Côte-des-Nègres (1998), Bouche-à-bouche (2003), Eucalyptus (2010), Oscar (2016) et Viral (2020). Il œuvre dans le milieu de la télévision à titre de scénariste et collabore au magazine L’Inconvénient.

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often a translation fails to capture the nuances of an author’s words. Such is not the case with “Oscar” which is translated from French.
A captivating imagining of the life of a musical genius. Oscar Peterson’s growing up in Montreal, his family life with parents of West Indian origins, his mother Davina’s premonitions, Peterson’s demons, not least of which his obsession with Art Tatum are all laid bare.
Of special interest is the descriptions of an area in Montreal called Little Burgundy which is long gone.
A fascinating read about a fascinating Canadian born musician.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, but lacks depth of a real biography.

[Guylaine Brisson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggle with rating this. This is not a novel. It is a (dramatised/fictionalised) biography. Most problematically there is no plot. I'd argue that it's also missing other essential elements of a novel.
If you are an Oscar Peterson fan, and are interesting in understanding where he came from and the motivations (perhaps) that drove him, then go ahead, read this.

[Audrey Martel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une lecture intéressante et présentée de façon originale. J'ai eu un peu de difficulté à embarquer dans l'histoire, c'est pourquoi je donne seulement trois étoiles.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This probably would have been better if I knew the musician better, but there was a lot packed into a small book.