Rating:  Summary: There was only one real problem - and that was food. Review: "When I think about this period, when we lived together in Clichy, it seems like a stretch in Paradise. There was only one real problem, and that was food. All other ills were imaginary. I used to tell him so now and then, when he complained about being a slave. He used to say I was an incurable optimist, but it wasn't optimism, it was the deep realisation that, even though the world was busy digging its grave, there was still time to enjoy life, to be merry, carefree, to work or not to work."
This quote was enough to inspire me to quit my awful job and start living my life. Since then I moved overseas myself and I haven't looked back.
Quiet Days in Clichy, amazing as it sounds after reading the book, was written originally in 1940. At that time, Henry Miller was 49 years old. He rewrote it 16 years laters. At 65 years old, Miller, was able to recapture with mastery the magic of his youthful adventures with his hilarious and memorable sidekick, Carl, during the Paris years. Even now, some 60 years later, the book is still as relevant and inspiring as it ever could have been.
For anyone remotely interested in Miller but have been put off by the intense tangent-rambling in the Tropic books, I would suggest picking up this lesser-known edition. It's straightforward, hilarious, and at times shocking, but undoubtedly it will continue to be an inspiration to those who long to live life to the fullest.
Rating:  Summary: This is probably the best book I have ever read Review: A friend recommended Henry Miller to me and this was the first book I read by him. This book was so good I had to limit my reading to it or I would never have put it down. Henry Miller rights about a lot of sex in his books and this one is no exception. There are prostitutes and just fun times with friends in this book in two parts set in Paris. I would recommend this to any young man mostly i don't know if many women would be to enthralled by Miller's writing.
Rating:  Summary: Nostalgic days in Paris Review: An interesting and nostalgic reminiscence of Henry Miller's early days in Paris. Miller seemed cold and detached, a poor writer, yet gave all his money to a stranger, a cool, French prostitute, who left him alone with hunger in the middle of the night, a hunger that pushed him to search for food from his garbage can, a desperate and heartbreaking search. This vivid description of his wild search and miserable discovery is striking, emotional, absurd, dazzling. This is not the most fascinating book, yet it is a pleasure to read it. It is charming, fresh, original, direct, moving, very masculine, strong and humble at the same time. "Tropic of Capricorn" is a more remarkable and unforgettable book.
Rating:  Summary: A rollicking good time! Review: Clichy stands alone in the works of Henry Miller. While being another semi-autobiographical romance, it lacks the deep introspection, commentaries on art & literature and the constant "I am an artist, I am an artist. I am! I am! I am!" so often found in these type of Miller works, which makes this short volume so refreshing and enjoyable. It's mostly about sex, food & fun in Miller's Paris days while living with good buddy Alfred "Joey" Perles. It is erotic & stimulating without being pornographic or "filthy". It's more akin to mind candy than food for thought, which is A-OK with me. A very enjoyable, entertaining read.
Rating:  Summary: A rollicking good time! Review: Clichy stands alone in the works of Henry Miller. While being another semi-autobiographical romance, it lacks the deep introspection, commentaries on art & literature and the constant "I am an artist, I am an artist. I am! I am! I am!" so often found in these type of Miller works, which makes this short volume so refreshing and enjoyable. It's mostly about sex, food & fun in Miller's Paris days while living with good buddy Alfred "Joey" Perles. It is erotic & stimulating without being pornographic or "filthy". It's more akin to mind candy than food for thought, which is A-OK with me. A very enjoyable, entertaining read.
Rating:  Summary: Another side of Henry Miller Review: I've been a huge Henry Miller fan since I was a teenager in the late 50s, but his infamous and banned books (the Cancer and Capricorn ones) are not my favorites. I far prefer this one, along with The Colossus of Maroussi and Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. Quiet Days in Clichy is a memoir, a nostalgic love story of life in Paris before WW II, a celebration of the Bohemian life Miller lived when he was a poor unknown writer. It's wonderful, rollicking, hilarious, and introduces fans to a whole cast of characters who became Miller's lifelong friends, people who influenced his writing and his art forever.
Rating:  Summary: An erotic and ironic odyssey Review: In "Quiet Days in Clichy," Henry Miller tells the story of Joey, an American writer living in Paris with his roommate Carl, who is also a writer. Amidst bouts of poverty, the two have a series of erotic and romantic encounters with a diverse procession of women: a runaway teen, a Danish widow, and other lusty, strange, and/or tragic characters.Miller skillfully evokes the seedy side of Paris, with its prostitutes and cafes. His prose is clear and direct; he portrays the sex scenes with graphic confidence. The book as a whole has a loose, episodic feel. I was intrigued by Miller's irreverent, rather ironic presentation of writers and writing in "Quiet Days." Overall, I enjoyed this book: Miller writes with an earthy energy, and his story is punctuated by striking glimpses of human longing and frustration. According to notes in the text, "Quiet Days" was written in New York City in 1940 and revised in Big Sur in 1956. The book would, I believe, make an interesting complement to some of the poetry of Charles Bukowski (I'm thinking specifically of his volumes "What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire" and "Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument [...]").
Rating:  Summary: An erotic and ironic odyssey Review: In "Quiet Days in Clichy," Henry Miller tells the story of Joey, an American writer living in Paris with his roommate Carl, who is also a writer. Amidst bouts of poverty, the two have a series of erotic and romantic encounters with a diverse procession of women: a runaway teen, a Danish widow, and other lusty, strange, and/or tragic characters. Miller skillfully evokes the seedy side of Paris, with its prostitutes and cafes. His prose is clear and direct; he portrays the sex scenes with graphic confidence. The book as a whole has a loose, episodic feel. I was intrigued by Miller's irreverent, rather ironic presentation of writers and writing in "Quiet Days." Overall, I enjoyed this book: Miller writes with an earthy energy, and his story is punctuated by striking glimpses of human longing and frustration. According to notes in the text, "Quiet Days" was written in New York City in 1940 and revised in Big Sur in 1956. The book would, I believe, make an interesting complement to some of the poetry of Charles Bukowski (I'm thinking specifically of his volumes "What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire" and "Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument [...]").
Rating:  Summary: LIvely and Fun! Review: In Quiet Days, we have a re-written "Paris Days" story which reads smoother and faster (it's also very short) than many of Miller's other novels. It's also hilarious and full of the expected (infective) Miller exhilaration. Parts are deliberately "erotic" and those part (for me) often seem like pandering. Parts almost read like a literary version of Porkies or American Pie. Still, I enjoyed the polished writing and would recommend this short, funny, lively novel to anyone. I also agree with the other reviewer who recommended, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. These two novels Quiet Days and The Losers' Club are my favorite Amazon picks of the last month.
Rating:  Summary: All Hail Henry... Review: It is this novel that made me the writer I am. Miller's sensual connection to language is as powerful and heady as great French wine. Forget reviews - just read him.
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