Born on 26th December, 1891, Henry Valentine Miller would become perhaps the most notorious American writer of the twentieth century. Forging a dynamic narrative style, Miller sought to explore his identity through a combination of autobiographical anecdote, philosophical monologue, fantasy, literary appreciation, and sexual frankness. Even today, however, discussion of this latter element – which resulted in
Tropic of Cancer’s 60+ obscenity trials in the 1960s– overshadows analysis of Miller’s other literary concerns. Nevertheless, Miller has resisted being characterized as a sex-oriented writer, insisting that his use of explicit sexuality serves as a prelude to self-discovery and a means of annihilating all that is contrived, hypocritical, literary. For Miller, sex functioned…
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Citation: Decker, James M.. "Henry Miller". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 July 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3118, accessed 19 April 2024.]
