""American literature today begins and ends with the meaning of what Miller has done."" — Lawrence Durrell
""There is nothing like Miller when he gets rolling. . . . One has to take the language back to Marlowe and Shakespeare before encountering a wealth of imagery equal in intensity."" — Norman Mailer
Banned in America for almost thirty years because of its explicit sexual content, this companion book to Miller's Tropic of Cancer is a semi-autobiographical novel that chronicles Miller’s life in 1920s New York City. Famous for its frank portrayal of life in Brooklyn's neighborhoods and Miller's outrageous sexual exploits—from his teenage affair with a piano teacher twice his age to his tumultuous marriages—Tropic of Capricorn is now considered a cornerstone of modern literature. The audiobook is narrated by acclaimed actor Campbell Scott.
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"He is so masculine and yet I so admire his writing... so many pages I have read and re-read...this amazing mix of the daily routine, work, sexual adventures, love, and trying to understand the self and the philosophy of life... "
— Poupeh (4 out of 5 stars)
“There is nothing like Henry Miller when he gets rolling…One has to take the language back to Marlowe and Shakespeare before encountering a wealth of imagery equal in intensity.”
— Norman Mailer, New York Times bestselling author“American literature today begins and ends with the meaning of what Miller has done.”
— Lawrence Durell, New York Times bestselling author“A superb entertainment that brings in jeremiads, casual lyrics, and sudden reaches toward the spiritual core of life.”
— New York Times Book Review“Miller has once and for all blasted away the very foundation of human hypocrisy—moral, social, and political…The grandest passages are the scenes of lovemaking. They join in a grand paean to all that is still joyous, healthy, happy, and affirmative.”
— Nation“Campbell Scott might possibly be a narrative deadringer for the eponymous protagonist in Henry Miller’s semi-autobiographical Tropic of Capricorn. Scott’s dry, languorous, and lovely voice, which he uses for most of this book, hits all of Miller’s cynical but observant notes as he describes the great muddle and mess of humanity around him in New York City during the 1920s.”
— AudioFile" A masterpiece of style, the voice so huge and riveting you keep turning the pages despite the total absence of anything resembling a novelistic structure. An epic poem in prose, not a novel. "
— Jason, 2/10/2014" Another great book by Mr. Miller! "
— Danielle, 2/10/2014" I'd never read Henry Miller before. I don't understand the appeal. His quasi-philosophical ramblings go on for pages and pages. It's like two separate books intertwined. There's a few pages of plot, of events, of decipherable narrative, then there's several pages of long winded metaphysical nonsense cloaked in the false legitimacy of "literature." If he were to cut the latter, I could have finished this. Of course, then I don't know what would set him apart from a host of other alcoholic, misogynistic, "outsider" American writers. "
— Bobby, 1/31/2014" This is the first book I have read by Henry Miller. I like his fearless honesty and his apparent ability to write with total authenticity about his life as he experiences it. It is amoral, sexual and infused with great human compassion. I think his candour was unique and expansive and ahead of his time. In my experience I would describe his writing as ground breaking. "
— Simon, 1/22/2014" Its hard for me to like his writing because he's really sexist and brags about knocking his wife around....just can't seem to get past it. "
— Elle, 1/20/2014" Very straight forward and to the point, especially for the time. He did not hide his promiscuous life or bitterness but poured it out on paper. "
— Chrisschuler1, 1/16/2014" I'm not going to finish this book. I'm bored and disgusted by the sexual escapades. I mean, after a while, who cares? "
— Amy, 1/16/2014" so far i see why the American socity at the time couldn't handle this book and had to ban it. IT's not the sex that hits it's the fact that he calls the bluff on the American dream "
— Revrend, 1/9/2014" yo yeah yo "
— Cino, 1/5/2014" Disappointing. I was in my youth a great fan of Miller. Still regard the Rosy Crucifixion as, in my memory, a masterpiece. But my attempts to reread Miller now are foundering. "
— AC, 12/7/2013" did this book ever have paragraphs? i remember it being really hard to put down because he never left a place where there was a break in a story. "
— jeremy, 12/4/2013" Read this and Tropic of Cancer back-to-back and consider yourself a Miller expert. The man is absolutely outrageous and must've seemed even more so in the time that he was writing! "
— Raimo, 11/11/2013" The blurb for this says it "is now considered a cornerstone of modern literature." Which explains the entire career of John Updike. Funny, books about men who hate women but like using them as sex toys still win acclaim "
— Kaethe, 10/25/2013" Not for everyone -- and especially not for me. The least enjoyable book I have ever voluntarily read. "
— Joe, 10/1/2013" Henry Miller is my new friend. Brilliant writing. I liked this one better than Tropic of Cancer. "
— Jane, 5/22/2013" Really just a fantastic book IMO. So many of his long, thread of consciousness, descriptions of life are just poetry. "
— Marc, 12/27/2012" I have never loathed a book so much. I was so filled with anger that I couldn't go on reading it. I was deeply disappointed. "
— Jocelyn, 9/11/2012" I didn't know it would be so graphic. I'm not prudish, but come on - this is just way too much! "
— Julie, 8/24/2012" Difficult to develop any empathy for the characters. "
— Rick, 4/3/2012" Not as engrossing as Tropic of Cancer, but it has its good moments.... "
— Tiffany, 2/29/2012" This book can change your life... but if you are unable to understand, please don`t read it! "
— Manuel, 1/15/2012" This book was a real eye opener for me when I read it at 17. I'd only been reading assigned English Lit kinds of books and Miller showed me where the word can lead. I read several other of his books. "
— C.J., 9/21/2011" Uno de los mejores libros que leí en mi vida. "
— Rubio, 5/23/2011" I was disappointed in this book, not near as good as the first. The are moments and sections of brilliance, but on a whole it's bogged down by too much stream of consciousness writing. Also, why did Miller abandon chapters and even the convention of paragraphs? "
— Ashley, 4/23/2011" Henry Miller is just not my thing but I can see why some people like him. "
— Bruna, 4/7/2011" I really only read this because of the Seinfeld episode when Jerry has an overdue library book from 1976. But as far as the book, yes, very erotic. "
— Alec, 3/31/2011" Miller es capaz de escribir lo mejor y lo peor en cada página. Descreído anterior a la guerra nuclear se posiciona en la soledad del ser humano ante la sociedad. Deja buen sabor de boca. "
— Rafa, 3/21/2011" more gobs of spit........and sex. "
— Ron, 3/6/2011" Aunque emocionante al inicio, encuentro difífil que las reflexiones hechas por Miller sean del interés de alguien... Leeré el Trópico de Cáncer y espero algo mejor que este libro. "
— Luis, 3/1/2011" Henry Miller is my new friend. Brilliant writing. I liked this one better than Tropic of Cancer. "
— Jane, 2/27/2011" "Una volta mollata l'anima, tutto segue con assoluta certezza, anche nel pieno del caos".<br/><br/>Catartico. "
— Stefano, 2/19/2011" Read this book in 2006. "
— Louise, 12/30/2010" Shocking it is , ban-worthy no.Not for minors. "
— Richard, 12/21/2010" Miller is a difficult writer to read. It's nothing you can read on and off for a month or two. Once you get in his snare, it's brilliant and flows like nothing else you've ever read. This is probably a good book for males to read. "
— Kyle, 12/5/2010" Un libro che mi ha quasi irritato per il suo profondo cinismo e per la visione oscura e nichilista del mondo che ci presenta. Eppure, leggendo si sente che c'è ancora qualcosa d'altro dietro a tutto questo. un libro che probabilmente dovrò rileggere ancora per potermi schiarire le idee "
— Ettore.bilbo, 11/16/2010Henry Miller (1891–1980) was born in New York City and raised in Brooklyn. He lived in Europe, particularly Paris, Berlin, the south of France, and Greece; in New York; and in Beverly Glen, Big Sur, and Pacific Palisades, California, where he died. He is also the author, among many other works, of Tropic of Capricorn, the Rosy Crucifixion trilogy (Sexus, Plexus, Nexus), and The Air-Conditioned Nightmare. Many of his novels, including Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, were banned in the United States until almost thirty years after their initial publication in France. The United States’ publication of Tropic of Cancer in 1961 sparked uproar that led to a number of obscenity trials. One of the early indications of how important Miller’s career would prove to be came in 1940, when George Orwell wrote an essay entitled Inside the Whale in which he praised Miller.
Campbell Scott has, in addition to his numerous stage and film credits, narrated more than forty audiobooks, including This Boy’s Life and Into Thin Air, and won seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.