Black Spring [Hardcover]

Henry Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1965

Written during the same period as "Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn", and banned in the English-speaking world upon its publication in Paris in 1936, "Black Spring" is one of Miller's finest achievements, and arguably his most distinguished book from a stylistic point of view. It consists of a number of linked episodes describing some of the crucial years in his personal saga, from recollections of his childhood in Brooklyn to his time in Paris.Imbued with the spirit of Miller's life experience, "Black Spring" is a linguistic tour de force which brings together the American author's greatest merits.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Henry Miller (1891-1980) was an American writer whose novels were notable for their breaking with literary conventions, and also for their frankness about sex, with the result that many of his works were banned in the U.S. on the grounds of obscenity.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 201 pages
• Publisher: Calder Publications Ltd; First Edition edition (September 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714501271
• ISBN-13: 978-0714501277
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,832,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

HENRY MILLER (1891-1980) was an American writer and painter infamous for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of "novel" that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is distinctly always about and expressive of the real-life Henry Miller and yet is also fictional. His most characteristic works of this kind are "Tropic of Cancer," "Tropic of Capricorn," and "Black Spring." His books were banned in the United States for their lewd content until 1964 when a court ruling overturned this order, acknowledging Miller's work as literature in what became one of the most celebrated victories of the sexual revolution.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary book without time, July 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Spring (Paperback)

Excuse me for my bad English: I'm Italian and I don't speak English. I have found Black Spring completely different from Tropics of Cancer: this is blood, sex and hunger, without thinking (so appear, naturally), that is remember and philosophy, a wondereful mix. Miller is a hard man, and like all the hard men, he is also an hopeless romantic.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Spring -- my first Henry Miller novel, August 12, 2006

By 

Darius Miranda "PoundIt.net" (California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Spring (Paperback)

I just finished reading BLACK SPRING. It blew me away. Henry Miller's storytelling style is so personal, it's kind of like taking an unexpected medium punch in the gut. The geography becomes local, the imagery is rough, obscene and poetic, and goes on for pages at a time. Miller becomes larger than life, powerful through his honesty and vulnerability. I am amazed with his unique ability to effortlessly paint such vivid pictures, wander aimlessly through haunting nightmares, and relive pleasure and passion. From sitting around in the Parisian home of friend Jabberewohl Crondstadt celebrating each other's conquests and madness, to wandering the dark bum-piss hooker-lined streets of forbidden America, I found myself constantly stopping, re-reading and wondering how he took me there. Eventually I stopped raising my hand to ask questions, and just sat back and listened.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating collection by a great American author., August 7, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Spring (Paperback)

One of Miller's earliest books,and considered to be the second in the Tropics trilogy, this is a collection of short sketches (for lack of a better term) by a young Henry Miller using the mature writer's voice that makes him such a powerful speaker. With pieces like "The Angel is My Watermark", a hilarious self-portrait of Miller in Paris suffering an excess of artistic inspiration, to a tender reminiscence of his father's New York tailor shop, this book contains a side to Henry Miller rarely seen through the publicity but known to his careful readers; a side that is philosophical, spiritual, and funny. It remains one of Miller's best and most enduring books.