Review of Thomas Quasthoff’s The Voice

By Carolyn See in the Washington Post:

Internationally acclaimed German concert baritone Thomas Quasthoff writes a memoir about his childhood and rise to fame that is “at once jaunty and “pedantic.” Quasthoff was one of thousands of children born with deformities after their mothers took the drug thalidomide some fifty years ago.

Novelist Carolyn See describes the Quasthoff narrative as an unsympathetic, invigorating portrayal of his intense childhood in a body cast, his close relationship with his brother, and the prejudice he encountered along the way to success.

The author refuses to give value to suffering. He saves his attention for art and fun and work, which makes this book a joy to read.

Writing in Newsday, reviewer Justin Davidson says Quasthoff’s tale is uplifting “only in the narrowest sense” because his experiences can’t be generalized to others with disabilities who don’t share his talent.

“I am not here to assuage the guilt of a society that equips certain office buildings with special entrances but otherwise punishes the physically incapacitated with constant disrespect,” Quasthoff writes. “What good are my experiences for someone with a thalidomide disability if he cannot sing? … No good at all.”

Previous post, including a video performance by Quasthoff, is here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 8:35 am and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, arts/music, books, celebrities, disabilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post