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Henry Miller
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Quiet Days in Clichy (Miller, Henry) Paperback – January 13, 1994

by Henry Miller (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 143 ratings
This tender and nostalgic work dates from the same period as Tropic of Cancer (1934). It is a celebration of love, art, and the Bohemian life at a time when the world was simpler and slower, and Miller an obscure, penniless young writer in Paris. Whether discussing the early days of his long friendship with Alfred Perles or his escapades at the Club Melody brothel, in Quiet Days in Clichy Miller describes a period that would shape his entire life and oeuvre.
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  1. Print length
    154 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grove Press
  4. Publication date
    January 13, 1994
  5. Dimensions
    5.35 x 0.44 x 8.26 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    080213016X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802130167
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

This tender and nostalgic work dates from the same period as Tropic of Cancer (1934). It is a celebration of love, art, and the Bohemian life at a time when the world was simpler and slower, and Miller an obscure, penniless young writer in Paris. Whether discussing the early days of his long friendship with Alfred Perles or his escapades at the Club Melody brothel, in Quiet Days in Clichy Miller describes a period that would shape his entire life and oeuvre.

"There is nothing like Henry Miller when he gets rolling.... One has to take the English language back to Marlowe and Shakespeare before encountering a wealth of imagery equal in intensity.... Nobody has ever written in just this way before, nobody may ever write in this style so well again. A time and a place have come to focus in a writer's voice.... [Miller is] a wildwater of prose, a cataract, a volcano, a torrent, an earthquake...a writer finally like a great athlete, a phenomenon of an avatar of literary energy."--Norman Mailer

"That Henry Miller is a great artist, a great American artist, and perhaps the last one we can be proud of--that he is one of the last of our literary giants who rose up during that marvelous period from 1890 to the 1940s--there is no doubt in my mind."--Maxwell Geismar

"The only imaginative prose writer of the slightest value who has appeared among the English-speaking races for some years past."--George Orwell

"American literature today begins and ends with the meaning of what Miller has done."--Lawrence Durrell

Henry Miller was born in December 1891 in New York City. He spent most of his life in Brooklyn, Paris, and Big Sur, California, where he died in June 1980. Widely acknowledged as one of the most influential writers in American literature, he gained fame with Tropic of Cancer, which was banned in the United States until 1961. His other works include Tropic of Capricorn, Black Spring, Under the Roofs of Paris, the Rosy Crucifixion trilogy (Sexus, Plexus, and Nexus), and Crazy Cock.

From the Back Cover

This tender and nostalgic work dates from the same period as Tropic of Cancer (1934). It is a celebration of love, art, and the Bohemian life at a time when the world was simpler and slower, and Miller an obscure, penniless young writer in Paris.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 13, 1994
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reissue
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 154 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080213016X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802130167
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.35 x 0.44 x 8.26 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 143 ratings

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Henry Miller

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
143 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing style superb and appreciate the humor in the book. However, the readability receives mixed feedback, with some considering it a good clean read while others find it disappointing. Moreover, the plot and characterization receive negative feedback, with several customers noting the lack of plot and one mentioning poor character development.

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Writing styleHumorReadabilityPlotCharacterization
5 customers mention "Writing style"4 positive1 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, with one noting its ability to incorporate philosophically laden passages.

"The writing style is excellent. The author wrote his sex experience with implicit descriptions, unlike those in hardcore books...." Read more

"I enjoyed the content of the book. The story was well written, but somewhere in the digital publishing of the book, the content got corrupted:..." Read more

"Miiler’s Writing is always superb." Read more

"...Even when he writes about sex, he is an amateur writer. I think that his claim to fame was that his books where ban in the US." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous.

"...If you like honesty, humor, some deep thinking and scandalous behavior, buy all of his books." Read more

"He’s my favorite American author; hilarious" Read more

"Amusing Miller..." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it a good clean read, while others describe it as a waste of time.

"...or the volcanic gutter smut of Under the Roofs of Paris but a good clean read." Read more

"Quite meaningless, must be one of his worst books, very disappointing. Whole storyline seems to have no direction, a waste of time." Read more

"Miller is always a great read. Some aspects overlap his other writing, but still enjoyable...." Read more

"Great read, albeit a little short!" Read more

4 customers mention "Plot"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the plot of the book unsatisfactory.

"Don't believe the descriptions out there, there is no plot. It's a guy recalling himself and his friend whoring their way through Paris years ago...." Read more

"It is a not much to the story. I was hoping it was more biographical about his stay in Clichy." Read more

"...Whole storyline seems to have no direction, a waste of time." Read more

"...two parts are indistinguishable in tone, boring characterization, plotlessness, animal urges and misogyny...." Read more

3 customers mention "Characterization"0 positive3 negative

Customers criticize the characterization in the book, with one noting the lack of insights into the central characters, while another mentions issues with apostrophes being converted to strange characters.

"...And if there are not insights into the central characters, for sure, all the women are simply "props," or, as more commonly described, they are..." Read more

"...of the book, the content got corrupted: Apostrophes were converted to strange characters which made it hard to read." Read more

"...Its two parts are indistinguishable in tone, boring characterization, plotlessness, animal urges and misogyny...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • William Z. Morphis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Escape
    Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have enjoyed and related to Miller's writing since I found a copy of Tropic of Cancer decades ago. Since then I have literally read everything he has written, no matter how difficult it was to find a copy. This book is one of my favorites because of the fly on the wall voyeurism Miller incorporates while, for me, I am there like an invisible participant. No other 20th Century writer, except Kerouac, documents the realism and actuality of the American nightmare that eats souls and of the occasional escapee from the asylum.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • John P. Jones III
    4.0 out of 5 stars More on the movable feast...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2009
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Much has been written about the interwar period in Paris, particularly by expats, who, of course, did not realize it would be a period between two world wars when they wrote. There was Hemingway's book, referenced in the subject title, George Orwell, Gertrude Stein and many others, including Henry Miller. The `20's were a more optimistic time, the `30's far less so, due to the Depression, and the "gathering storm" of another war. Though he does not state it directly, by referencing the Spanish Civil War, this book is set in the late `30's. Miller fled Paris when the war commenced, so this is a "swan song" for that era. The backdrop is the bohemian setting of Montmartre, and the bars around the Place de Clichy. Miller and his companion apparently lived in the small village of Clichy, just outside the old walls of Paris.

    This is my first reading of this book; but I first read Miller for the titillation value, shortly after his better known "Tropic of Cancer" was no longer formally banned in the United States, in the early `60's. I was quite young at the time when I placed the book on the cashier's counter. I felt she had given me a knowing look; guiltily I hastily blurted out that it was "for a school assignment," to which she simply chuckled. For me, having grown up in a conservative suburban milieu, "Tropic" was a stunning view of another world, and at the time I wondered how much was sheer fantasy, or did real people actually live this way? With the perspective of life experience, post-suburb, I realize that people very much do live this way, even the women. And they are probably the poorer for it.

    The work is largely autobiographic; Miller is played by a character named Joey. At times he is so poor and hungry that he goes through the garbage searching for food. Trying to support oneself by writing is an arduous task, but checks from America arrive from time to time. Naturally there is much philandering, the Miller "trademark," graphically described in words that would be banned in this review. There are affairs with prostitutes (Joey is the one who seems to have the "heart of gold"), underage kids (that would have resulted in jail sentences even in more permissive Paris), ménage a trois (er, ah, if you'll excuse my French), and sad scenes with mothers.

    What is missing is the "why"? There really is no insight into the motivations to his actions, or should be assume we are dealing at a basic level of hierarchy of needs, like food and sex, and that is sufficient. And if there are not insights into the central characters, for sure, all the women are simply "props," or, as more commonly described, they are indeed objectified. As Miller says: "Sometimes, out of sheer boredom, I would take one on, even though it left the taste of ashes." Of all the sections, I found their brief trip to Luxembourg the most interesting, and his observation, true then, and probably more so now: "...the faces of the inhabitants were stamped with a sort of cow-like bliss."

    Miller broke a particular shell of conventions with his books, and deserves much credit for that. Many others have followed in his steps, so his work now lacks the "shock" value that it did in an era where presidential and political affairs where kept hidden by the media. As another reviewer indicated though, I prefer "Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch."
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Retsel Reltub
    5.0 out of 5 stars Like a new book at a used book price.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The condition and readability of this book is awesome. Goodwill Industries outdid itself.
    Helpful
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  • W W John
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good for first time writer.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The writing style is excellent. The author wrote his sex experience with implicit descriptions, unlike those in hardcore books. This is a good buy for those who want to start writing as a hobby.
    Helpful
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  • Daniel Rumbell
    3.0 out of 5 stars Banned? Really?
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Don't believe the descriptions out there, there is no plot. It's a guy recalling himself and his friend whoring their way through Paris years ago. Like, literally just hiring all of them despite being penniless writers for the most part. Oh, and they're awful to all of them, too.

    All that being said, Henry Miller's descriptions of place and people is amazing. He's less interesting in the erotic descriptions, those having moved quickly. What made me keep reading about these terrible two guys was Miller's display of the Paris they were living in. It was the first and likely last time I will ever genuinely find anything about Paris sufficiently interesting enough to wonder about it. I plan to read his more popular works and see where they take me. If it's anything like the scenery in this piece I will put up with characters who are irredeemably garbage as people. Although it should be remembered I only know how thoroughly detestable they are in person and behavior thanks to the descriptive writing.

    Read it because it is easy, quick, and you will have zero concern about what happens to the characters. Three for the prose, none for the rest.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite author
    Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I'm more than a bit biased on the subject of Henry Miller but typical of any of his books, I couldn't put it down until the very end.
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  • Matt D M
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Great read, albeit a little short!
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  • Jeremy Proud
    5.0 out of 5 stars Miller is always worth buying
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Miller is always a great read. Some aspects overlap his other writing, but still enjoyable. If you like honesty, humor, some deep thinking and scandalous behavior, buy all of his books.
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Zyx
    5.0 out of 5 stars Das Original
    Reviewed in Germany on August 7, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Die Originalfassung geht mit ihrer Stimmung deutlich über die deutsche Übersetzung hinaus, von Anfang an. Es lohnt sich, beide Fassungen zu lesen
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  • J. Dov.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Miller's early days in Clichy.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    The 'inside story' on Miller's early days in Clichy, when he began work on the various Tropics et al.
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  • Client d'Amazon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Une expérience de lecture à tenter
    Reviewed in France on January 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Henry Miller est un écrivain bien particulier, dont les livres sont à la fois provocants et très bien menés. Une vraie expérience !
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  • WordiG
    4.0 out of 5 stars it's amazing how Miller manages to make such a sympathetic impression ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The archetypal spoiled 20th century American male in Paris,
    it's amazing how Miller manages to make such a sympathetic
    impression on the (even me, a female) reader in spite of his
    clearly rapacious libido. An atmospheric book, it won me over
    despite the sexist attitude, clearly of its time. I would have liked
    to know more about the characters that appear in these pages.
    Did he ever bother to get to know them properly, I wonder. -
    or are his conquests just fantasies?
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  • Patrick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Miller brings a whole era to life in this look at his adventures in between the wars Paris.
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