Henry Miller (Critical Lives)

As an author, Henry Miller (1891-1980) was infamous for his explicit descriptions of sex, and many of his novels, from The Tropic of Cancer to Black Spring , were banned in the United States on grounds of obscenity. But his books-frequently smuggled into his native country-became a major influence on the Beat Generation of American writers and would eventually lead to a groundbreaking series of obscenity trials that would change American laws on pornography in literary works. In this new critical biography, David Stephen Calonne goes beyond Miller's notoriety to take an innov.;Cover ; Henry Miller ; Imprint Page ; Contents ; 1. Paradise in the 14th Ward, 1891-1908 ; 2. Go West, Young Man, 1909-19 ; 3. Cosmodemonia, Mona, the Daimon of Writing, 1920-29; 4. Finding His Genius: Paris, 1930-39 ; 5. The Exile Returns: Air-Conditioned Nightmare and Big Sur Dream, 1940-51 ; 6. Magus on the Mountain, Tropics Triumphant, 1952-62 ; 7. Fame and Insomnia in Pacific Palisades, 1963-71 ; 8. On the Way to Devachan, 1972-80 ; References ; Select Bibliography ; Acknowledgements ; Photo Acknowledgements. As an author, Henry Miller (1891–1980) was infamous for his explicit descriptions of sex, and many of his novels, from The Tropic of Cancer to Black Spring , were banned in the United States on grounds of obscenity. But his books—frequently smuggled into his native country—became a major influence on the Beat Generation of American writers and would eventually lead to a groundbreaking series of obscenity trials that would change American laws on pornography in literary works. In this new critical biography, David Stephen Calonne goes beyond Miller's notoriety to take an innovative look at the way in which the author's writings and lifestyle were influenced by his spiritual quests. Charting Miller's cultivation of his esoteric ideas from boyhood and adolescence to later in his career, Calonne examines how Miller remained deeply engaged with a variety of philosophies, from astrology and Gnosticism to Eastern thinkers. Calonne describes not only the effects this had on Miller's work, but also to his complex and volatile life—his marriages and love affairs with Beatrice Wickens, June Mansfield, and Anaïs Nin; his years in Paris; and the journey to Greece that resulted in the travelogue The Colossus of Maroussi , the book Miller considered to be his greatest work. After discussing Miller's final residences in Big Sur and the Pacific Palisades in California, Calonne considers the author's involvement in the arts, love of painting and music, and friendships with a number of classical musicians. Miller, Calonne reveals, was a quirky, charismatic man of genius who continues to influence popular culture today. Highlighting many areas of the author's life that have previously been neglected, Henry Miller takes a fascinating revisionary approach to the work of one of American's most controversial and iconic writers. This new critical biography takes an innovative look at the life and work of the notorious American author (1891-1980). It examines Miller's intense immersion in esoteric and theosophical interests, charting the cultivation of these ideas from his boyhood and adolescence to late in his career and evaluating the way in which his writings and lifestyle were influenced by his spiritual quests. Calonne discusses Miller's involvement in the arts, his love of painting and music, and his friendships with a number of classical musicians. Miller is revealed as a quirky, charismatic man of genius who continues to influence popular culture today, as, for example, in the work of award-winning graphic novelist Alison Bechdel. Highlighting many areas of Miller's life that have hitherto been neglected, Calonne's book takes a fascinating revisionary approach to the life and work of one of America's most controversial and iconic writers