Colyer's Quiet Days -- The Complete Works of Henry Miller

Author: Henry Miller
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Henry Miller was a controversial writer who always evoked extreme emotions in his readers—those who loved him adored him to the death, and those who hated him hated him just as fiercely. Whether it was extreme love or hatred, no one could ignore him. We must flow on like music, endlessly. Joy is the gift you receive after giving up everything. Joy is like a small river, flowing ceaselessly. In my view, this is the message the clown wants to convey to us. We must keep flowing, immersing ourselves in joy, and never stop to reflect, compare, analyze, or possess ourselves. This book consists of two parts: "Clichy's Quiet Days" and "A Smile Beneath the Staircase." "Clichy's Quiet Days" is a collection of autobiographical novels completed around the same time as "Tropic of Cancer." In the work, the author depicts some of the vagabond yet free life fragments he experienced in Paris. The unrestrained lifestyle he chose to escape the accumulation of frustrations is fully revealed in the work. Thus, we learn that what is truly preserved is eternal, including the journey of indulgence. "A Smile Beneath the Staircase" portrays the brief life of the clown Auguste, from glory to decline, from vagrancy to renewed glory, and finally to his accidental death after choosing to wander again. The novel reveals that the dignity and humility of an individual's life are entirely at the mercy of divine trickery and manipulation. Life carries an unbearable weight, yet there is also an unbearable lightness. Only the experience of joy is the remedy that sustains our vitality. Therefore, joy is selfish, and the joy of creating joy is even more selfish and more hidden.