Essay 03: Henry Miller's Reflections on Writing

This extract has been taken from Miller's Wisdom of the Heart.

In the selection of stories and essays between the two covers of this book, Henry Miller demonstrates his mastery of various moods, styles, and subject matters. Writing “from the heart,” he directly engages the reader in his thoughts and emotions. American poet Karl Shapiro puts it aptly when he says Miller’s true purpose is to uncover the essence of our world, manifesting in art, literature, human behavior, and beyond. When he achieves this, he sings, praises, and shouts with uncontainable hilarity, a trait that has made him renowned. Here’s Miller’s introduction of the essay:

Though there is no footnote to this effect (in the book), I am almost certain that I wrote this text expressly for Huntington Cairns, then head of the legal staff in our Treasury Department, Washington, D.C. I had met Mr. Cairns in Paris, shortly after The Tropic of Cancer came out. We became good friends immediately, despite the fact that he was obliged to recommend the banning of Cancer and other of my books.