Henry Miller: A Life

by Robert Ferguson

“In this engrossing biography Ferguson measures the cheerful amoralist of Tropic of Cancer and The Rosy Crucifixion against the guilt-ridden, insecure male in revolt against his bourgeois Brooklyn family. . . . The Miller in these pages is neither the macho bully portrayed by feminists nor the adolescent sexual philosopher dismissed by the academic establishment, but a ‘unique…and necessary literary figure,’ a popular American sage….Richly rewarding.” ― Publishers Weekly The only biography Henry Miller ever wanted was the one he himself wrote in the brash, life-affirming fictions of The Tropic of Capricorn , The Tropic of Cancer , and The Rosy Crucifixion . But Robert Ferguson’s new biography tells a different tale; for where the novels are sexually explicit and brutally frank―woundingly so to those close to Miller―they are also the fantasies of a man escaping from his past, and from himself.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Literature, 20th Century

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[iva°]

abandoned #59

ne zato jer bi bila loša, uopće nije... za ljubitelje ovog enfant terriblea ovo je prava poslastica. doista iscrpni uvid u djetinjstvo, mladost (a vjerujem i u ostatak njegovog života, ali dalje nisam stigla), pisano kritičkim pristupom i nepristrano.
ali, mislim da je vrijeme moje ljubavi prema henry milleru prošlo (prije 20tak godina, rekla bih iskreno...), jednostavno me više ne interesira toliko. kad sam shvatila da posežem za bilo kojom drugom knjigom umjesto ovom, odlučila sam -bar privremeno- staviti ju na led.

[Jeff Buddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, why do we need a biography of Henry Miller? Don't we know everything?

It turns out, we don't.

Like many writers of autobiographical fiction, Miller was a self-mythologizer, only he was the first self-mythologizer. And according to Robert Ferguson he decided to make himself a monster. He's literature's first rebel, someone who decided to write like he wanted to write and who had the talent to pull it off.

Henry Miller, in reality, was an arrested adolescent, a man who broke down between here and there, but did little else.. Ferguson portrays him as a man totally conscious of building an anti-intellectual myth. That's who he is; this is who Henry Miller is. Astrology, Scientology: these are just ideas.

Ferguson's bio gives us insight into Miller. I was never one of those who worshiped at his feet. Yet, the writers I have read and loved owe a lot to this man, who seems to remain an enigma.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

that henry miller was a big pu$$y when it came to women and relationships

[James Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

We both had similar lives, me and Henry.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of Miller who is a literary hero of mine. However this book led me to the thought that in reality had I known Miller I wouldn’t have liked him much. An accurate portrayal of the real man and very much worth a read.

[ger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sympathetic and detailed book which is not afraid to point out the difference between the 'Miller' of the books and his real life. It is strangely boring in places though.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written - but dull - biography of the famous author. I dont blame Ferguson, he had little to work with. Miller didn't really care about politics, and did nothing interesting except be an author. He lived in the USA, then moved to Paris in 1930, then moved back to the USA in 1940.

But then most authors lead dull lives. Miller wrote, got married 5 times, and...that's about it. Even worse, Miller was basically a nobody, not even a published author, until "tropic of cancer" won him crticial acclaim (and censorship) in 1934. Miller was 43 at that point. He published "Tropic of Capicorn" in 1939. Then came "Air-conditioned Nightmare" in 1944, and finally "Big Sur" in 1957. That was his last major work until he died in 1980. Miller didn't really become rich and popular till the 1960s, after the 1961 SCOTUS decision on censorship.

Everything of interest is in his work - which is autobiographical.

[Steven Spector · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give the guy ten points for perseverance as most of his critical success was attained later in his life and not easily at that. He lived life on his terms, although sometimes censors and female company may have directed him elsewhere for a time. The book attests to his talent and to his qualities (and failings) as a human being. A worthwhile and balanced read about a very unique figure in American literature and dare I say in American history as well.

[Thierry Sagnier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Miller is one of those fascinating characters whose place in history is difficult to determine. I like him because he lived in my birth city of Paris and wrote some books that, to a young boy--at the time--were pretty racy. Later, I found he was a rather sad, guilt-ridden individual, Ferguson's book portrays both. I enjoyed it, though it was at times a little laborious to get through. This being said, if you're a Miller fan, you have to read this.

[Charles Samuels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it may be impossible to fully extract the real Henry Miller from the myth he created, Robert Ferguson has given us a wonderfully detailed portrait of a man who was, above all else, uniquely himself.

[Nicole C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the first biography I have read regarding Miller; it gives more perspective to the fiction that he wrote, as well as some characters that aren't immediately obvious.

[Teri Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think it portrayed miller as a misogynist pig & a so so writer actually