Henry Miller-Nexus? (1 Viewer)

[HiddenFormula]

Hey everyone,

First post here! I'd like to hear people's opinions of Henry Miller. I saw a book of his called 'Nexus' in a s/h book shop the other day but didn't have the time to read any of it and I was wondering if it is worth going back to buy? (if it's still there).

I am a massive John Fante fan (how I got into Bukowski) and I was wondering if Miller's writing style is at all similar to Fante's.

Thanks alot!

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Welcome to the forum. You have a lot in common with most of the members here so you will fit right in. I have not read Henry Miller enough to comment.
Go to the New Blood section and tell us about yourself and where you are from, your first introduction to Bukowski and stuff like that. Welcome.

 

[Hosh]

I am a massive John Fante fan (how I got into Bukowski) and I was wondering if Miller's writing style is at all similar to Fante's.

I wouldn't say their styles are similar--Fante is much more sparse & economical...& Miller gets a bit heady with words--but their material shares a very similar spirit and humor. I am a huge fan of both. Quiet Days at Clichy is a shorter book that will give you a pretty good glimpse into Miller's Paris stuff--as will Black Spring. I really dig his essays as well: specifically Stand Still Like The Hummingbird, and The Cosmological Eye. The Rosy Crucifixition Trilogy (Sexus, Plexus, and Nexus) is a pretty massive undertaking for the first time out. Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn also take a pretty decent commitment--so I'd start with the shorter stuff to see if you like the flavor.

 

[hoochmonkey9]

welcome to the forum.
big yes on Miller from me, but don't start with Nexus.
do what Hosh said.

 

[HiddenFormula]

Cheers for the reply guys. I went back today and bought Nexus (it was only £1 after all!) but I'll probably try and get some earlier Miller books before I start on it. I have a few books on the go at the moment anyway so it'll be a while till' I get round to reading it either way!

Hopefully I'll like Henry Miller. I really love the amount of energy Fante had in his writing. The passion just pours out of his books. I also love Fante's slightly manic sense of humour, especially in the Bandini books.

 

[Krash]

Miller, Fante and Bukowski share a common descent from Knut Hamsun. Like Hosh said, Fante and Bukowski write more sparsely, a la Hemingway, and Miller is more exuberant and unrestrained. Nexus is an odd book to start with since it is the third volume of a trilogy, but its the first Miller novel that I read and now I'm a big fan of all his writing. If you like Nexus, go back and read Sexus and Plexus to get caught up on the whole Rosy Crucifixion set. The classic Miller book to begin with is Tropic of Cancer, which like Ask the Dust, strongly recalls Hamsun's Hunger.

 

[jordan]

i think it's a little bit of an oversimplification that they "descend" from hamsun. especially if you're leaving celine out of it, but even moreso, i think it does a disservice to the 3 authors to say that they're just taking hamsun's style and adding their own touch to it. he's certain an influence on them, but he's only one influence among many.

 

[Father Luke]

Hey everyone,

First post here! I'd like to hear people's opinions of Henry Miller.

Since there is some new Miller fans here, I thought I poast this.
It's Henry Miller's letter to Bukowski. Courtesy of ROC

(https://bukowskiforum.com/showthread.php?p=13509#post13509)



Dear Friend ---

--
Okay,
Father Luke

 

[Ponder]

Cheers for the reply guys. I went back today and bought Nexus (it was only £1 after all!) but I'll probably try and get some earlier Miller books before I start on it.

Right, don't start on Nexus before you read Sexus and Plexus.

 

[Krash]

jordan,

Yeah, that is an oversimplification. I was just trying to draw the quickest path between the three authors.

Regarding Celine, I think for Miller he was more of an admired contemporary than a direct influence. Can't say I'm aware of Fante's interest in Celine, but the influence doesn't seem obvious in Fante's novels. The strongest connection appears to be between Bukowski and Celine, and is clear when comparing Ham on Rye with Death on the Installment Plan.

 

[Pessimist]

I'm a big Miller fan... I'd recommend starting with Tropic of Cancer (his first book), and Quiet Days in Clichy. Both are set in Paris in the 1930s. And be sure to stop by the Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company.

Miller was a down and out, marginal type, but he was an optimist at heart. Always merry and bright, he used to say. Buk strikes me as a pessimist, with a much darker view of human existence.