Product Description
The Nightmare Notebook is a beautiful full color reproduction of Henry Miller’s notebook, in a bound printer’s dummy of a Doubleday edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, recording in handwriting and water colors and line drawings of maps, and friends, three years of traveling across the United States. Altogether it makes a really charming and delightful volume that would be especially coveted by any collector or Henry Miller fan.
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Customer Reviews (9)

More than a rant!! Much more.
Very slim book. A quick read. In just a few pages Miller successfully presents the comprehensive problem of dealing with something that outsiders perceive as being so easy--just get rid of that guest of yours.

Well, Miller had made an obligation, and knew what it mean to be needy. So, how does one simply say, "GET OUT!"? But more exciting is Miller's ability to give a sober, fair representation of the rude guest. It would have been so easy & bratty to present the guy as thoroughly rotten; but Miller gains credibility as an artist by delineating the complexity of a condition.

So, I disagree with a previous reviewer who took this book as a rant. No, no. Miller makes a huge effort to be fair to his nemesis. Rants are one-sided and uninteresting.

A superb rant, very wry, a sardonic masterpiece
From page one of this book Henry Miller exacts his revenge on his unwelcome houseguest. This book is a superb rant, filled with some of Henry Miller's most brilliant and amusing caricatures. Henry Miller deftly swings between sweet admiration and praise for the object of his troubles, and outright disgust. Set in Big Sur, later in his life, it's a short, easy read, and doesn't contain the profanities that cause some people shy away from in Henry Miller's books. Highly Recommended for those who want to laugh out loud at Henry Miller's audacity and want to better understand HM's genius.

A Joke
Other than the fact that the author had a good vocabulary and knew a lot of people whom he made reference to, this book was a waste of time. First of all, the author is descriptive and listing to the point of being utterly redundant about pointless subjects ex). " the past and the future converged with such great clarity and precision that not only friends and books but creatures, objects, dreams, historical events, monuments, streets, names of places, walks, encounters, conversations, reveries, half-thoughts, all came sharply into focus, broke into angles, chasms, waves, shadows, revealing to me in one harmonious, understandable pattern their essence and significance." Meaning, everything became clear to me as I saw an intricate but precise pattern and reason to all that is (through astrology).It would have saved me some time. Another ex)"The wealthy were as active as bees or ants, redistributing their funds and assets, their mansions, their yachts, their gilt-edged bonds, their mine holdings, their jewels, their art treasures." It would have made sense to be thoroughly descriptive at some points, but for throughout the novel it becomes unenjoyable and monotonous. Another problem with the book is that it leads to no true climax, it was like slowly been lead down a mildly sloping hill the entire time.And after reading the book I was expecting the ending to give some new bit of information that really tied things up and made the book work. There was no such thing, only a restatement of work was already known.The characters, for the most part just Moricand and Miller, were indistinguishable, except for Miller'sfriend Leon who had some personality vulgar, rude and aggressive, typically American. Eighty percent of book was Miller telling you what he thought about whatever, there was little action in the story so you had take his word for it , making the book very one sided, boring and predictable. There is absolutely no twists, surprises or anything, just a bunch of the authors tangents that are strung loosely together. I'd give this book a 3 out of ten. Unless your looking to improve your vocabulary or learn the names of a bunch of people you've never heard of before I wouldn't bother reading it.

a more mature miller
This book, unlike Miller's "Tropic of Cancer" or "Tropic of Capricorn", follows a pretty standard form. By this i mean that unlike some of Miller's other work, there is a definite plot to this book; a definite beginning, middle and end. In addition, it lacks the surreal atmosphere of these other works. However, Miller makes up for for this with a superb demonstration of his story-telling abilities. Rather than writing fragmented adventures, Miller here writes a book that flows from beginning to end. In this way, he is able to chronical the relationship that he has with the novel's antagonist, as well as with his wife and daughter. Although the decriptions are not as elaborate as in some of Miller's other works, the imagery is still superior to most other writers. Overall, this is a more toned-down Miller than in his early years as a writer, but for it lacks in youthful lust, "A Devil in Paradise" makes up with crafty story-telling, crisp imagery, and a more focused energy.

Great book, short and sweet
We get a glimpse into Henry's life along the California coast, with old friends, his relationship with his wife and daughter, and his neighbors.The imagery is unforgettable and seem more real than reality.His ability to detail relationships are superb.It's a fine book, but not as tumultuous in plot as his earlier ones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Form and Image in the Fiction of Henry Miller by Jane Nelson
From the dustjacket:

FORM AND IMAGE IN THE FICTION OF HENRY MILLER is a study of the allegorical patterns in Miller's major fiction. The cities, characters, and scenes of his fictional world are described as "events" in the development and integration of the self.

The analysis, which draws on several disciplines for its insights, especially on the psychoanalytic studies of C. G. Jung, is a deliberate and detailed attempt to explore the extent to which such insights can successfully support and assist a literary analysis. Consequently no biographical context for the explications is provided. Neither Miller's knowledge of psychoanalytic theory nor the details of his personal life are the concern of this study. The focus is on the fiction itself and the actions of the mind it may dramatize.

The great miller cities of Paris and New York are seen as projections or images in which the psychic landscape of the developing self has been given fictional form. The characters are not discussed as characters familiar to readers of the novel, but as figrues of the mind which borrow only their superficial characteristics from the twentieth-century scene. The nature of their form shows that many of them are aspects of one archetype against which the 'I' of Miller's fiction struggles. The development of this 'I' provides the allegorical dimension in the fictional world of Miller and becomes the subject of his confession. The frankly described sexual adventures that prevented many of Miller's works from being distributed in this country until fairly recently are identified as parts of the archetypal world. Other analyses can satisfactorily defend Miller's obscentity, but recognizing the relationship between the sexual imagery and other archetypal images provides a reading that reveals the allegorical character of his fiction and the unity of its action.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jane A. Nelson is currently a member of the Department of English, Bradford Junior College, Massachusetts. She has taught in the Department of American thought and language, Michigan State University; the University of Maryland, Munich branch; and Eastern Michigan University. She received her BA from Mount Holyoke College (1948) and MA and PhD from University of Michigan (1949, 1966). ... Read more

Product Description
Some critics go so far as to call Henry James the American writer. Examine ?Daisy Miller,? The Turn of the Screw, ?The Jolly Corner,? and other works by James. The text includes essays from some of the best James critics along with a chronology of the author?s life.

The title, Henry James’s Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, and Other Tales, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on Henry James’s Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, and Other Tales through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics.This collection of criticism also features a short biography on Henry James, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A well-edited collection put together by Jacob Needleman
Jacob Needleman is the editor of the series 'Spiritual Classics on Cassette' that this fine Miller audio-book is a part of.Needleman is quoted on the back cover as saying: "It is impossible not to love this man, and his writing," and in my view that love that Needleman has for Miller's work comes through in the selections.

Mitchell Ryan (a Broadway actor and well-known character actor in Hollywood) does a fine job of reading the works chosen.What has been focused on here are writings that explore the human character and allow other human beings to become truly 'real,' not simple projections of our own perceptions. For anyone enamored of Miller's works, this audio will not disappoint.

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From the box cover: "Selections range from the delightfully raucous to the metaphysically illuminating, including portraits of the famous -- Walt Whitman, Blaise Cendrats -- as well as people from Miller's own life."

Nice performance, not Miller's best work.
This audio version contains none of Miller's best known works: nothing from the Tropic books, Black Spring or AirConditioned Nightmare. Everything is from one publisher during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Henry Miller is the Best
When it comes to wrtiting with style, itensity and telling the whole truth, Miller is the best America has to offer. ALL his books are worth reading for the nuggets of honesty and intent...

Cosmological Eye
I recommend this book for anyone who is interestedin getting into Miller.There are many greatexamples of his works, without the commitment of an entire book.Henry really has a handle on what it meansto be human.

henry
if it was written by henry miller, it was written from the heart, making it a great work, automatically. ... Read more

Product Description
Henry James looked at his society-its rules and foibles-with a sharp, unsparing eye. Shifting from America to Europe, the new world and the old, he saw how rigid conventions could destroy lives and happiness. Five of James's classic, richly textured novels, in their entirety, present a cast of indelible characters and events: Daisy Miller, the tragic tale of an innocent young American girl in Rome; Washington Square, set in the heartless upper crust of James's native New York; The Portrait of a Lady, the master craftsman's acknowledged masterpiece; The Bostonians, a tart, high comedy about marriage and nascent feminism; and The Aspern Papers, about an editor's desperate attempts to get hold of letters by a romantic poet to his mistress--who has no intention of giving them up.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Henry James, a traveller between Europe and America
Henry James was an American who lived in England. He was one of the few people who understand both countries and the people living there. Some of his books have been made into movies like "Washington Square". If find his books highly entertaining and the language is beautiful without being superficial. This author should be rediscovered! ... Read more

Product Description
"Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue."

----Henry James
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Print ISBN: 978-0-557-59668-3 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Always merry and bright!
I've been a Henry Miller fan for many years, gobbling up all that's been written about him. After reading Mary's memoir, there is no doubt in my mind that, had the Master himself been alive today, he would have been pleased not only with Mary's life choices but also with the way she pens them. "Henry Miller is under my bed," which has as leitmotiv Henry's vast collection of unpublished tapes resting in peace under her bed, takes the reader on a fun and fascinating journey from humble beginnings to Paris via Playboy Mansion, Belfast, Tehran, Moscow and other memorable places.

Molly Bloom has nothing on Mary Duncan
If this is a college professor, I want to be one.If
all bad girls go to Paris, I want to be bad.Mary
Duncan, who lived with Henry Miller (under her
bed), is great fun to be with. This book changed forever
my understanding of Molly Bloom's famous "...yes I said
yes I will yes." Don't miss it; it's a very fast read.

A wonderfully witty read!
This wonderful little book traces the adventures of Mary Duncan, a modern-day adventuress in the world of terrorism, sex, and academia. From her humble beginnings in an American suburb to her travels in Ireland, Russia, Paris and Hugh Hefner's mansion, Ms. Duncan's wise and racy memoir makes for excellent reading. Henry Miller lives under her bed, metaphorically and really, in a box. Why can't we all live like this! Very enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
In this bold study James M. Decker responds to the common charge that Henry Miller's narratives suffer from "formlessness." He instead positions Miller as a stylistic pioneer, whose place must be assured in the American literary canon.

From Moloch to Nexus via such widely-read texts as Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, Decker examines what Miller calls his "spiral form," a radically digressive style that shifts wildly between realism and the fantastic. Decker draws on a variety of narratological and critical sources, as well as Miller's own aesthetic theories, in order to argue that this fragmented narrative style formed part of a sustained critique of modern spiritual decay. A deliberate move rather than a compositional weakness, then, Miller's style finds a wide variety of antecedents in the work of such figures as Nietzsche, Rabelais, Joyce, Bergson and Whitman, and is seen by Decker as an attempt to chart the journey of the self through the modern city. ... Read more