Quiet Days in Clichy is the second Henry Miller book I read after Tropic of Cancer. Just like in Tropic of Cancer, I admire Miller on every page. Like all the books banned until now, this is a book that attracts people. You won’t want to leave it until you finish it.
No matter how long ago Miller wrote this, it still feels like a modern novel, and it is one of the most provocative books out there. You will follow Miller and his friend Carl in the streets, penniless but very satisfied with their life; they will amaze you with their lust for life. Your inner voice will say; I wish I could be this brave; I wish I could be just like them. You will never understand why drinking until you are drunk in seedy bars, sleeping with clever, crazy street women and bitches will be so attractive to you. (So at least until you get used to the way things are.)
Miller will blow your mind. If you’ve never read Henry Miller before, I think this book could be an excellent start to admire the author’s genius. And I would like to keep your ears open to the literary discussions in the background; you will love it. Enjoy!
Quiet Days in Clichy
‘Here, even if I had a thousand dollar in my pocket, I know of no sight which could arouse in me the feeling of ecstasy’
Looking back to Henry Miller’s bohemian life in 1930s Paris, when he was an obscure, penniless writer, Quiet Days in Clichy is a love letter to a city. As he describes nocturnal wanderings through shabby Montmartre streets, cafés and bars, sexual liaisons and volatile love affairs, Miller brilliantly evokes a period that would shape his entire life and oeuvre.
‘His writing is flamboyant, torrential, chaotic, treacherous, and dangerous’ Anaïs Nin
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American writer. He was know for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new type of semi-autobiographical novel. That blended character study, social criticism, philosophical reflection, stream of consciousness. Explicit language, sex, surrealist free association, and so mysticism.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
