If Miller were alive today he would likely be writing Penthouse letters, with the same or less skill as others. She was a lascivious bitch, this Marcelle and pleasant at the same time.”This is good writing? No, it is not. Jimmie gave me a big horse-wink and nodded his head approvingly. we stood at the corner of the bar, pretending to dance, and mauled each other voraciously. I turned at once to Marcelle and began to flatter the ass off her. You will find the occasional good turn of phrase but you will more often find poorly conceived attempts such as the following:”That was enough for me. Miller’s writing was not formed by exceptional talent but by shortcuts needed as a result of his inadequacies as a writer. He is simply inept at writing dialogue and any attempt to put Miller in the same class as writers such as Hemingway is a bad joke. Miller’s alleged literary skill is rarely on display in his works and largely absent from this book. Thus while reading Kerouac can be a delight, reading Miller is a bore. Miler is far less talented, significantly less aware of the world around him, a poor observer of others, obsessed about his own physical needs and completely unconcerned with others. The influence is a fact but it does not follow that it is necessarily a good thing.Kerouac’s writing worked because he was exceptionally bright, had a good command of the English language, was a perceptive and sensitive observer of the human condition and was concerned with things other than himself and his bodily functions. Miller’s impact on later writers may be likened to the impact of WWI on WWII. ⭐I understand and respect the influence Miller had on later writers particularly Kerouac and Nin, but Miller’s style and his willingness to bore readers with tales of himself are not of themselves good or even interesting.

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Tropic of cancer by henry miller