The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, by Henry Miller
I'm reading Miller, and perhaps some things about Miller, you know the incredibly rich life he lived, the millions of people
he touched with his writing, the lasting friendships he had. Here in Big Sur, the place Miller found during his
Air-Conditioned Nightmare search for a place to settle, we have a perfect place to build on, preserve and champion.
If Hemingway was "the lost generation", Miller is "the found generation".
I love the perspectives on art and artists, the lost creatives...
and reflections of mid-century American culture and politics
[Spoiler (click to open)]
" New Hope is one of America's art colonies. I have a vivid recollection of my state of mind on leaving the place. It framed itself thus: no hope for the artist! "
1941: Beginning in New Hope, made tour of USA accompanied part of the way by Abraham Rattner, the painter, from October 20, 1940 until October 9, 1941. Met Dr. Marion Souchon, Weeks Hall, Swami Prabhavananda, Alfred Stieglitz, Ferdinand Leger and John Marin. Father died while Miller was in Mississippi; he returned to New York.
1942: Left for California in June. Continued with The Rosy Crucifixion (finished half of it) and with The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (finished about two-thirds).
One of the most popular Miller books, just due to the sheer awesomeness of it's title. (Spoiler Alert) "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare" is pre-WWII America, and it wasn't pretty. After spending about a decade abroad, Miller returned to America - he's from Brooklyn - with an urge to reconnect with nature and truly understand his homeland. He did not like what he saw. The United States was sterile, hyper-commercial, increasingly-corporatized, and downright mean. (Sound familiar?) Like some metaphysical journalist, Miller spent three years traveling the US, and this books, chock full of short stories, essays, and ruminations, is his report on the State of the (Dis)Union. Fortunately not all is lost: Miller falls for the many individuals along the way who stand firm against encroaching mindless consumption and uninspired aesthetics.
Post-script: Ironically enough, towards the end of his travels, Henry lands in Big Sur. It is here that he truly finds peace in his homeland. He ends up living here for 18 years. Check out Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch and read all about it.
.
he touched with his writing, the lasting friendships he had. Here in Big Sur, the place Miller found during his
Air-Conditioned Nightmare search for a place to settle, we have a perfect place to build on, preserve and champion.
If Hemingway was "the lost generation", Miller is "the found generation".
I love the perspectives on art and artists, the lost creatives...
and reflections of mid-century American culture and politics
[Spoiler (click to open)]
" New Hope is one of America's art colonies. I have a vivid recollection of my state of mind on leaving the place. It framed itself thus: no hope for the artist! "
1941: Beginning in New Hope, made tour of USA accompanied part of the way by Abraham Rattner, the painter, from October 20, 1940 until October 9, 1941. Met Dr. Marion Souchon, Weeks Hall, Swami Prabhavananda, Alfred Stieglitz, Ferdinand Leger and John Marin. Father died while Miller was in Mississippi; he returned to New York.
1942: Left for California in June. Continued with The Rosy Crucifixion (finished half of it) and with The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (finished about two-thirds).
One of the most popular Miller books, just due to the sheer awesomeness of it's title. (Spoiler Alert) "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare" is pre-WWII America, and it wasn't pretty. After spending about a decade abroad, Miller returned to America - he's from Brooklyn - with an urge to reconnect with nature and truly understand his homeland. He did not like what he saw. The United States was sterile, hyper-commercial, increasingly-corporatized, and downright mean. (Sound familiar?) Like some metaphysical journalist, Miller spent three years traveling the US, and this books, chock full of short stories, essays, and ruminations, is his report on the State of the (Dis)Union. Fortunately not all is lost: Miller falls for the many individuals along the way who stand firm against encroaching mindless consumption and uninspired aesthetics.
Post-script: Ironically enough, towards the end of his travels, Henry lands in Big Sur. It is here that he truly finds peace in his homeland. He ends up living here for 18 years. Check out Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch and read all about it.
.