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| Portrait of Henry Miller In Big Sur by Henri Cartier-Bresson |
I've never read The Tropic of Cancer. Truth is, I'm a embarrassed to say I've never read a single solitary book by Henry Miller. What I did know about him wasn't much, until now. A person might get the impression he was rather chauvinistic, philandering man. But I see him rather as a hopeless romantic, perhaps chasing after the illusive ideal love.
I believe he possessed a deeply creative soul. A philosopher of sorts, and definitely had 'street cred', and in his own words "I'm just a Brooklyn boy." "I lived in the street and acquired the typical American gangster spirit."
His love affair with Anaïs Nin, gained a lot of notoriety, mostly because of her dairies I think. He was married five times. I get the impression both men and women found him charismatic.
Oh to have a time machine as I envy his life and time in Paris, being surrounded by artists, and writers.
I admire Henry Miller because he had the courage and the audacity to be himself. He had the fortitude to follow his passions and convictions regardless of what others thought. Money and fame were never his priority.
The fact that he was a painter before he was a writer, I find really compelling, and what he had to say about painting even more so.
I found a great site, which is a tribute to him, by Dr. Hugo Heyrman. It's full of photos and facts with loads of information.
I intend to try and track down Henry Miller's book, To Paint Is To Love Again.
