Major Theme(s)

The book is all about sex and writing. The book is actually about the process of writing of the book. Henry and his friends sleep with prostitutes, they go from one brothel to another. Miller loves sex and  writing about sex. He describes the acts in depth. Sometimes he talks about things that happened before and after it. Miller is uneployed, and his wife lives in the United States. He has no money, so he just walks around and writes. About sex. Sometimes he seems to be in love, but it is never for a long time. Another theme of the book is friendship. Henry has friends, people who he wastes time with, authors and journalists, who help and support Henry.

'Henry was so enthralled by women that he sought to demystify their mysterious parts through the violent magic of his books' - Erica Jong

Memories

Miller loves writing. So he keeps writing down his memories. There is no plot, just memories put together. Henry hangs around Paris, meets his friends and sleeps with prostitutes. That is pretty much it.

Mona is about to come back to Paris. Henry feels in love with her and  he can't wait for her to come. When she finally arrives, he sleeps with her in a cheap hotel. Other memories follow. Henry sleeps with Elsa, a German girl who works as a maid in Villa Borghese. She makes breakfast, so Henry isn't angry anymore when Boris eats out. Henry and Boris are planning to write a book. They think that the book is going to have a huge impact on the world. The name of the book is The Last Book, and it is going to be anonymous. In the evening of the same day, he goes to Sylvester and Tania's place for dinner. Henry is upstairs and writes, and he hears them talking downstairs. He is angry at Tania but wants her to speak at the same time, so he can write. New paragraph starts with a new memory. An american woman comes to look at the apartment. Henry likes her. He wants Boris to introduce him to her, but he doesn't. Henry wants to write, but there is nothing he can write about. He keeps thinking of the woman, and what would happen if she bought the apartment. "A little talent and a fat purse."

Paris, the City of Love

The book is set in the 1930s, a few years before the World War II. Before the war, Paris was a city, where all the worldwide known intellectuals, artists and authors used to live. People that we know today, like Samuel Beckett, Ernest Hemingway or James Joyce. There were many English publishers, so the British and American authors could write in English. This is important to know for understanding the book. As I mentioned earlier, the book is the autobiography of Henry Miller. His affair  with Anais Nin made them both famous after she published her diaries in the 1960s. Things got complicated when his wife June came to Paris, and the two women fell in love. This all had an impact on Miller's writing - the book's character Mona and Miller's wife June are alike.

It is now 2012, almost a hundred years later after Tropic of Cancer was published. The city of Paris itself has changed a lot during the decades. However, it is still considered to be one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, visited by thousands of tourists each year. There are still famous authors living in Paris, such as Milan Kundera, one of the best Czech authors in the 20th century. All the people spending lives there have their own experiences, that might be similar or absolutely different to Miller's experiences. Miller had a passion for writing, so he put all of them down.


When June decided to divorce Henry, she told him: "Now you have the last chapter for your book". So he had.

Rated X

Tropic of Cancer, directed by Joseph Strick is a movie that follows Henry Miller's novel. The movie was awarded an X rating in the USA and banned outright in the UK. Even though it had a very positive feedback, US newspapers refused to carry advertisements for the movie. 

Rip Torn as Henry, speaks with a slurred voice. It is due to the opiates he was taking during the filming to numb the pain of an accident.

The First Few Pages

The book opens with Miller describing his life in Villa Borghese in Paris, France. It is his second year in Paris. He is broke, without a job and with no hopes. He consideres himself an artist. Henry claims the book is not a book, but a song. "To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. I am singing. It is to you, Tania, that I am singing." (page 10). What I have learnt about Tania so far is, that she is Henry's friend's wife. She is Henry's lover. His loveliest Jew of all. He compares her to other ladies that he met before. Their relationship is mainly physical, but Henry seems to be in love. Tania's husband, Sylvester, is a famous author. Henry does not think he is a good one though, just like the other authors that he mentions. "Moldorf is word drunk. He is a portable trunk." (page 12). He lives with one of them, Boris. Henry enjoys eating, but Boris never takes him to eat out with him. 

A la Durrel, Henry Miller

So far, the book is just opinnions and memories. I am sorry, a song. What I like about the song is the style. There is philosophy combined with sarcasm, and irony. He loves prostitutes. I was shocked by the way he describes Tania's sexual organs and their sexual relationship.

'A momentous event in the history of modern writing' Samuel Beckett

About the book

Tropic of Cancer is a novel by Henry Miller. The book is a combination of autobiography and fiction. It was first published in 1934, then it was banned for almost 30 years.
The story takes place in Paris, France, and is a collection of Miller's experiences amongst the prostitutes, pimps, and all the people of underground Paris.


"A ranting, randy book carried along by a deep, sensual enjoyment of living"    - Sunday Times