Henry Miller: A Life [Hardcover]

Robert Ferguson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this engrossing biography Ferguson measures the cheerful amoralist of Tropic of Cancer and The Rosy Crucifixion against the guilt-ridden, insecure male in revolt against his bourgeois Brooklyn family. As a struggling writer Henry Miller worked as a Western Union manager, then ran a speakeasy in Greenwich Village. In Paris he discovered psychoanalysis and Anais Nin, his muse, patron, astrological counselor and adulterous lover, "shadow wife and shadow mother"; he hoped in vain she would divorce her husband. Rebelling against the materialism of the American way of life, the writer pursued "a religion of instinct, subjectivity and willed simplicity," observes Ferguson, biographer of Knut Hamsun. The Miller in these pages is neither the macho bully portrayed by feminists nor the adolescent sexual philosopher dismissed by the academic establishment, but a "unique . . . and necessary literary figure," a popular American sage. More ploddingly workmanlike and more admiring than Mary Dearborn's "The Happiest Man Alive" (reviewed above), this portrait is nevertheless richly rewarding. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

These biographies mark the 100th anniversary of Miller's birth. Both describe fully the events of his life, drawing on his autobiographical fiction, nonfiction, and letters, to tell the same basic story with slightly different emphases and interpretations. Dearborn discusses Miller's experiences in terms of his development as a writer. She provides thorough descriptions of how and when various works were written and their publishing history. In her version, Miller turned his life into literature. Ferguson, however, sees Miller's writing as the therapy he needed to come to terms with his life. He takes a psychoanalytical approach, often telling us what Miller felt and what his motives were in particular situations. He is unfortunately sometimes intrusively judgmental. Neither author provides in-depth literary criticism, and they make us aware that a serious critical evaluation of Miller's work is overdue. Dearborn's book is somewhat better written, and while the largest and most specialized collections may want both, hers is the more highly recommended. Both books previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/91.
- Judy Mimken, Cardinal Stritch Coll., Milwaukee
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 397 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393029786
• ISBN-13: 978-0393029789
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,649,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Ferguson was born in the UK in 1948 and left school in 1966. He worked at a number of jobs including postman, hospital porter, deckhand on a trawler, factory worker, cook, driver etc before enrolling at UCL, London in 1976 and taking a course in Scandinavian Studies. He graduated in 1980. In 1983 he emigrated to Norway and has made his home there since. He began his literary career as a radio dramatist, translating and adapting for radio works by Knut Hamsun and Henrik Ibsen for the BBC. He has also written eleven original radio plays and twice won the BBC Methuen Giles Cooper Award for Best Radio Drama, in 1984 and 1986. His first literary biography was Enigma: The Life of Knut Hamsun, which was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Best Biography Award in 1987. It also won the University of London J.G.Robertson Award. In 1996 Enigma was dramatized as a 6-part television series by NRK (Norwegian State Television) As well as literary biographies and a history of the Vikings, Ferguson has written two novels, published only in Norwegian.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best objective Henry Miller bigraphy out there!, August 27, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Miller: A Life (Hardcover)

Robert Ferguson has written a spectacular biography on legendary writer Henry Miller. Ferguson, unlike other Miller biographers (such as Mary Dearborne, Alfred Perles), relates the details of Miller's life & works without personal bias or an angle. Although a very tough task, Ferguson is able to distinguish reality as it happened from reality as reported by Henry Miller (which at times is filled with bald-faced lies, such as claiming to have met Emma Goldman although she was not allowed in the city when Miller claims to have met her) most of the time. While some fans of Miller will not like the work because it "spoils the mystique of a legend", others will, I'm sure, agree that this is a thorough, fair and accurate biography about a man who tried very hard to erase the tracks he made in life with all new marks created by semi-autobiographical romances. And dang good ones at that!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars psychoanalysis of henry miller, October 5, 2007

By 

David Dix "sukyin" (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry Miller: A Life (Paperback)

a little turgid but still a good bio of an interesting character. interesting to watch someone on the cutting edge become so quickly politically incorrect during his lifetime

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "sick of gathering experiences"-- balanced Miller biography that should appeal even if you don't like Miller., September 14, 2007

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Henry Miller: A Life (Paperback)

At a certain moment in my life, it seemed that many many writers I admired were talking about or recommending Miller. I decided to give his books a try. The first thing that I ever read was Gliding into the Everglades, a little book of essays. I actually liked it, and felt encouraged to pick up the Tropics books. Which I loathed.

Don't get me wrong, I had taken my history of literature courses. I understood the boost that Miller gave to personal narrative and the influence that he undoubtedly had shown. I just didn't want to read anything else by him.

And there I remained-- until about a year ago. On a whim, I saw the Ferguson biography and decided to buy it. I was curious if it would make me look at Miller differently.

The answer is: not so much. It *has* influenced me to go back to his essays and give The Air-Conditioned Nightmare a try. However, it did not improve my opinion of his novels, nor did it make me like him at all as a person. It doesn't help that both June and Anais Nin were the kinds of women that I deeply dislike. (Actually, as a writer, Nin is one of the authors I actually like much less than Miller. I typically love diaries of every kind, but I find her self-indulgent crap completely unreadable.) Hystrionic, manipulative and not very clever-- Miller seemed to choose women to turn into muses that were the very opposite of the type I wanted to read about. So in that sense, it was an explanation (of sorts) for my gut level reaction to his work.

Ferguson is a good biographer. I thought that he maintained an excellent balance between detail and readability. He seems fair and respectful to Miller without being adoring. His prose is skilled without being obtrusive. Based on this book, I would be interested to read his biography of Knut Hamsun. Recommended.