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1 Hawthorne Literature- A to Z

Tropic of Cancer

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Tropic of Cancer Cover

ISBN13: 9780802131782
ISBN10: 0802131786
Condition: Standard
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Staff Pick

Miller's depraved recollections of himself amid a cast of literary beggars and leeches is every bit as relevant today as it was when it was written seventy years ago. Often overlooked by literary purists for its lack of pretentiousness, this is the stripped down, bare naked American heart beating to its own tune.
Recommended by Stephen, Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Forty years have passed since Grove Press first published Henry Miller's landmark masterpiece — an act that would forever change the face of American literature. Initially banned in America as obscene, Tropic of Cancer was first published in Paris in 1934. Only a historic court ruling that changed American censorship standards permitted its publication. Tropic of Cancer is now considered, as Norman Mailer said, "one of the ten or twenty great novels of our century". Also banned in America for almost thirty years, Tropic of Capricorn is now considered a cornerstone of modern literature.

Together, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn are a lasting testament to one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century and his contribution not only to literature but to the cause of free speech.

Synopsis:

Now hailed as an American classic, Tropic of Cancer, Henry Millers masterpiece, was banned as obscene in this country for twenty-seven years after its first publication in Paris in 1934. Only a historic court ruling that changed American censorship standards, ushering in a new era of freedom and frankness in modern literature, permitted the publication of this first volume of Millers famed mixture of memoir and fiction, which chronicles with unapologetic gusto the bawdy adventures of a young expatriate writer, his friends, and the characters they meet in Paris in the 1930s. Tropic of Cancer is now considered, as Norman Mailer said, “one of the ten or twenty great novels of our century.”

Synopsis:

Now hailed as an American classic, "Tropic of Cancer," Henry Miller's masterpiece, was banned as obscene in this country for twenty-seven years after its first publication in Paris in 1934. Only a historic court ruling that changed American censorship standards, ushering in a new era of freedom and frankness in modern literature, permitted the publication of this first volume of Miller's famed mixture of memoir and fiction, which chronicles with unapologetic gusto the bawdy adventures of a young expatriate writer, his friends, and the characters they meet in Paris in the 1930s. "Tropic of Cancer" is now considered, as Norman Mailer said, "one of the ten or twenty great novels of our century."

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Average customer rating based on 6 comments:
philip.l.wallace, February 1, 2010 (view all comments by philip.l.wallace)

God, I love Henry Miller. He and Dostoevski are the only writers worth reading.
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D.B. Pacini, June 30, 2009 (view all comments by D.B. Pacini)
This not really a book plot-less, stream of consciousness, anti-everything, self-indulgent, crudely rudely gimme some boody, was one of the novels in the 1960s that tested USA laws about pornography. It is also regarded as a masterpiece of 20th century literature. Time magazine lists it in their 100 Best English-language novels from 1923-2005. The preface is supposed to have been written by Anais Nin, but many believe Miller wrote it. I've never been as impressed with Henry Miller and Henry Miller is impressed with Henry Miller, but I do appreciate his staggering (specifically chosen word) literary talent, his abrupt/curt one-liners, and some of his intoxicated poetic rantings/ramblings.

I first read Tropic of Cancer in a teen reading club. One boy in our group insisted that it is "an awesome read" if you are falling down drunk. One girl said she got a sexually transmitted disease from reading it---and she announced that she was going to stop engaging in one night stands, even with cute guys. One girl reviewed the book with her own curt one-liner, saying that "Tropic of Cancer was confetti of seediness" in her opinion. Three of us became even more determined to become "real" writers.

Jerry Seinfeld had a successful TV show about nothing. Maybe Jerry got his "nothing" idea from Miller. In a Seinfeld episode Jerry is accused of not returning Tropic of Cancer to the library after checking it out when he was in high school.

I admit, I'm no Miller scholar, but I think I can say anything I damn well please about this novel---Henry Miller couldn't care less.
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Debra Zyla, February 25, 2008 (view all comments by Debra Zyla)
Sex, food and lots of Pernod. Henry Miller calls Paris a whore and reveals her most intimate parts, including her underbelly, and makes us question that romantic notion of springtime, or anytime, in the City of Drab. She is wet, nasty, hungry and in a foul mood - always. His young expatriate writer is the vagabond you almost, if not truthfully come to, admire. You want him to get that proofreading gig; you love it when he laughs in the priest's face; you hate to admit it but confess you'd do the same thing he does in the end. For the few rambling passages, I will not call it "perfect." But Miller's take on world religion alone, especially his thoughts on Christianity and his hilarious posing of "what if...?" as to what the "great miracle" might be, is worth the price of this book.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780802131782
Introduction:
Shapiro, Karl Jay
Preface:
Nin, Anais
Introduction by:
Shapiro, Karl Jay
Introduction:
Shapiro, Karl Jay
Author:
Miller, Henry
Author:
Nin, Anais
Publisher:
Grove/Atlantic
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
American fiction (fictional works by one author)
Subject:
Paris
Subject:
Sex customs
Subject:
Picaresque literature
Subject:
Autobiographical fiction
Subject:
American fiction (fictional works by one auth
Subject:
Erotic fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
c196
Edition Number:
1st Evergreen ed.
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Series:
Miller, Henry
Series Volume:
548
Publication Date:
19940131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
318
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.38 in 11 oz
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Erotica » Featured Titles
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
History and Social Science » World History » General

Tropic of Cancer Used Trade Paper
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$9.95 In Stock
Product details 318 pages Grove Press - English 9780802131782 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

Miller's depraved recollections of himself amid a cast of literary beggars and leeches is every bit as relevant today as it was when it was written seventy years ago. Often overlooked by literary purists for its lack of pretentiousness, this is the stripped down, bare naked American heart beating to its own tune.

by Stephen
"Synopsis" by ,
Now hailed as an American classic, Tropic of Cancer, Henry Millers masterpiece, was banned as obscene in this country for twenty-seven years after its first publication in Paris in 1934. Only a historic court ruling that changed American censorship standards, ushering in a new era of freedom and frankness in modern literature, permitted the publication of this first volume of Millers famed mixture of memoir and fiction, which chronicles with unapologetic gusto the bawdy adventures of a young expatriate writer, his friends, and the characters they meet in Paris in the 1930s. Tropic of Cancer is now considered, as Norman Mailer said, “one of the ten or twenty great novels of our century.”
"Synopsis" by , Now hailed as an American classic, "Tropic of Cancer," Henry Miller's masterpiece, was banned as obscene in this country for twenty-seven years after its first publication in Paris in 1934. Only a historic court ruling that changed American censorship standards, ushering in a new era of freedom and frankness in modern literature, permitted the publication of this first volume of Miller's famed mixture of memoir and fiction, which chronicles with unapologetic gusto the bawdy adventures of a young expatriate writer, his friends, and the characters they meet in Paris in the 1930s. "Tropic of Cancer" is now considered, as Norman Mailer said, "one of the ten or twenty great novels of our century."
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