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Tropic of Cancer (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Henry Miller (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 3 May 2005 | Series: Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Miller’s groundbreaking first novel, banned in Britain for almost thirty years.

A penniless and as yet unpublished writer, Henry Miller arrived in Paris in 1930. Leaving behind a disintegrating marriage and an unhappy career in America, he threw himself into the low-life of bohemian Paris with unwavering gusto. A fictional account of Miller’s adventures amongst the prostitutes and pimps, the penniless painters and writers of Montparnasse, Tropic of Cancer is an extravagant and rhapsodic hymn to a world of unrivalled eroticism and freedom.

Tropic of Cancer’s 1934 publication in France was hailed by Samuel Beckett as ‘a momentous event in the history of modern writing’. The novel was subsequently banned in the UK and the USA and not released for publication for a further thirty years.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; New Ed edition (3 May 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 589815504X
  • ISBN-13: 978-5898155049
  • ASIN: 0007204469
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 59,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

‘A ranting, randy book carried along by a deep, sensual enjoyment of living.’ Sunday Times

‘Tropic of Cancer is a great prophetic book, a warning of what deadens life, an affirmation that it can yet be lived in an age whose sterile non-cultures seek to thwart all mainsprings of fertility. Miller reveals himself as a battered faun, a crafty innocent, a lonely, lazy, sometimes fearful, always steadfast, worshipper of life’ Spectator

From the Back Cover

A penniless and as yet unpublished writer, Henry Miller arrived in Paris in 1930. Leaving behind a disintegrating marriage and an unhappy career in America, he threw himself into the low-life of Bohemian Paris with unwavering gusto. A fictional account of Miller's adventures amongst the prostitutes and pimps, the penniless painters and writers of Montparnasse, 'Tropic of Cancer' is an extravagant and rhapsodic hymn to a world of unrivalled eroticism and freedom.

'Tropic of Cancer's' 1934 publication in France was hailed by Samuel Beckett as 'a momentous event in the history of modern writing'. The novel was subsequently banned in the UK and the USA and not released for publication for a further thirty years.

"A rhapsody from Whitman, Joyce, Lawrence and Celine, 'Tropic of Cancer' is a ranting, randy book carried along by a deep, sensual enjoyment of living"
SUNDAY TIMES

"'Tropic of Cancer' is a great prophetic book, a warning of what deadens life, an affirmation that it can yet be lived, though with extreme difficulty, in an age whose sterile non-cultures seek to thwart all mainsprings of fertility. Miller reveals himself as a battered faun, a crafty innocent, a lonely, lazy, sometimes fearful, always steadfast, worshipper of life"
COLIN MACLNNES, 'Spectator'

"In rejecting convention, a safe livelihood, the prison-bars of dailiness, Miller has broken through to an exuberant, bitter joy giving 'Tropic of Cancer' its unique flavour"
JOHN WAIN, 'Observer'

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars In and Out in Paris (but not London) 30 Oct 2010
By Supportyourlocallibrary
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Henry Miller's most famous book-one presumes- is a sort of autobiography. The plot (if indeed the book has a plot) tells of the life of a destitute writer and his hungry and marginal existence in post World War One Paris. Notorious for being banned upon publication back in 1934 the book has acquired (and retained) its cult status among several generations of readers. The book is most commonly read as some sort of erotic classic: certainly, the book abounds with graphic descriptions of all manner of sexual encounters but the book is also a fine vehicle for Mr Miller's prose style which- nearly eighty years on-I greatly enjoyed. Miller is clearly much more than a mere pornographer and he was obviously influential upon many later American writers (Jack Kerouac, perhaps).

It is worth noting that George Orwell was a huge fan of this book going so far as to call it 'one of the most important books of the 1930s' and certainly it is not difficult to see parallels with this book and many passages in Orwell's own 'Paris and London' in that both books deal with the lives of the destitute and penniless. Miller also appears to share Orwell's love of ironic detail such as the episode where a pious young Hindu- sent Europe with funds to spread the message of Gandhi- uses the money to run amok in a whorehouse!

Certainly since the so called 'sexual revolution' of the 1960s it is possible to read this book as some sort of herald of more enlightened attitudes towards sexuality. To some extent it is. Miller writes with a frankness that even many modern writers would think twice about. However, it would be interesting to read a good feminist analysis of this book as so much of its content is about what men do to (often powerless) women such as Elsa, the repeatedly seduced German maid. The book is often described as being a sort of 'ode to sexual freedom' but is seems to be a freedom bought almost entirely at the expense of women. Maybe the book should be read in conjunction with some Andrea Dworkin or even something by Miller's own lover Anais Nin to balance things out. In summary, this book is something of a shibboleth. Definitely something for both men and women to discuss.
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41 of 44 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing 22 Aug 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is an amazing book. If you're young, confused, full of energy yet not sure how to use it or express yourself, this book is a bible. Miller shows how the essential core of human self-belief can guide you through any adversity. Self-awareness, love of life and acceptance of the fact that anything is possible with sheer faith are at the heart of this book; on the surface is an intensely funny and readable picaresque odyssey full of earth and sex. You can read it and re-read it and it will always make you feel that life is worth it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Bohemian, Very Honest and Very Different From Anything Else! 4 Oct 2011
By Nathan Strange
Format:Paperback
This book is like nothing I have ever read. It isn't an easy read that's for sure and it's a very uneven piece of literature yet there is something rugged about it that makes it more than admirable. Henry's rant which is not merely a novel or a book, nor a poem but a 'prolonged insult, a gob of spit in the face of Art, a kick in the pants to God, Man, Destiny, Time, Love, Beauty . . .what you will.' Henry writes and so it is; some of this work is difficult summarise because it is so spontaneous and random that it is difficult to put a finger on it. Some of it is written in the present tense and some of it in the past. Some of it is memoir some of it is fantasy but it all gels together to produce a dream-like projection of what it's like to live on the edge with no job in the middle of Paris in the 1930's.

George Orwell had written a great essay about this book called 'In The Whales Mouth' which also helps to sum up what this novel it really about and what it compromises. Henry describes the atmosphere of Paris like no other author and he uses his very own neurotic stream of consciousness style to get his point accross. What I found this book to be about was the liberation of yourself from conventions; from the restraint of society and finding your own independant and artistic voice. Henry had certainly done this.

There are many funny stories and memorable moments in this book and some of the characters in which Henry describes are hillarious like some of the people Henry had took advantage of - the devil he was at times. The whole is like a confession, a surrender of the ego which is why I found it quite hard at times to get through. This is well worth reading if you are interested bohemianism and moving beyond the conventional barriers of everyday life which bind us to society. I also recommend 'The Tropic Of Capricorn' which for me was an easier read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Parisian life
Henry Miller poor chap, so full of angst and sexual desperation, ranting away in his usual fashion. All the Tropics are the same kind of thing, so if that`s your thing you`ll like... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Concise
1.0 out of 5 stars Deliberately filthy
Might suit a paedophile, So deliberatley filthy it is in no way pleasing to a normal individual. Perhaps could be a subject for academic study
Published 4 months ago by Ronald Harvey
1.0 out of 5 stars Struggling
Really struggling with this book. I am an avid reader of weighty, thought provoking material but this one fails to stir me. Read more
Published 6 months ago by QueenB
5.0 out of 5 stars The life I wanted to lead.
After reading this book I realised that my life was dull and wasted.
I yearned to have lived the life described in this wonderful book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars A Song for us All
Miller takes the rag and bone shop of the human heart and makes music out of it. His prose is deceptively simple or rhapsodically elevated. Read more
Published on 17 Nov 2010 by dylanT
1.0 out of 5 stars I seem to have missed something
The Tropic of Cancer is often described as shocking, it might well be, but to be frank I did not get far enough to find out. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2010 by flapdoodle dame
4.0 out of 5 stars some great writing here
Tropic of Cancer is a fictionalised (though pretty biographical) account of Henry Miller's stay in Paris in the 1930's and his frequenting of prostitutes, drifting through the... Read more
Published on 30 July 2010 by Mr. Robert Marsland
5.0 out of 5 stars immense
the first henry miller book i read and still the best (mind you i've only managed three so far). to put it lightly, he was a very intense chap. Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2003 by Ed Garland
4.0 out of 5 stars Love or Hate
I have often heard it commented that Miller is an author you'll either love or hate... Tropic of Cancer is gritty, sometimes crude, but always honest. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars Sexually provocative,not one for the prudes
Some of the most descriptive writing that I have ever had the privilege to read. An extremely erotic look at human sexuality with no holds barred. Read more
Published on 24 Sep 1999
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