Quiet Days in Clichy
by Henry Miller
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Book Summary Information
Author: Henry MillerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1994-01-13
ISBN: 080213016X
Number of pages: 154
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of Quiet Days in Clichy
Book Review: More on the movable feast...
Summary: 4 Stars
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."
Summary of Quiet Days in Clichy
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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