Henry Miller, the Paris years /

Originally published in France in 1975, famed photographer Brassaï's exuberant account of Henry Miller's years in Paris (1930-1939) and of his friendship with the expatriate American writer comprises a delightful, sparkling memoir that seems to define the essence of Miller, both the man and the mystique. Bohemian, interwar Paris had a liberating effect on the Francophile, penurious exile from New York, who wrote Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring and Tropic of Capricorn during those heady years. Brassaï paints Miler as a manic-depressive with a fierce appetite for life, driven by feelings of being a pathetic failure, a great storyteller whose egocentric philosophy blinded him to social and political realities. Brassaï provides an intermittently illuminating analysis of the triangle involving Miller, Anaïs Nin and Miller's estranged wife, June, who burst onto the Paris scene in 1932. There are piquant observations of Miller's friendships with novelists Lawrence Durrell, Blaise Cendrars, Raymond Queneau and Alfred Pèrles, as he moved from nihilism to a mystical phase. Sixteen of Brassaï's photographs of Paris and of Miller perfectly complement the text. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Miller spent 1930-39 in Paris, years that were crucial to the formation of his autobiographical novels Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. In this memoir (originally published in France in 1975), the photographer Brassaï (who also photographed and wrote on Picasso) recounts events that later appear, often in exaggerated or distorted form, in Miller's work. Miller's experiences and relationships were all fodder for his fiction, and it is fascinating to see these incidents and characters observed with another eye, especially one as practiced as Brassaï's. He also presents a nonjudgmental interpretation of Miller's pornographic (and to some, misogynistic) moments. Brassaï was clearly fond of Miller, and this is not a critical work, but there is something intriguing about one artist commenting on the life of another. Appropriately illustrated with 16 of Brassaï's exceptional Paris photographs; recommended for literary collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/95.]-Janice Braun, Mills Coll., Oakland, Cal. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.