Tropico del Cancro - Tropico del Capricorno

by Henry Miller, Luciano Bianciardi (Translator)

I sensi prima di tutto: con questo messaggio irruppe nella Parigi del 1939 "Tropico del Capricorno", a rinfocolare lo scandalo suscitato dal 'romanzo gemello' Tropico del Cancro. E sempre Henry Miller a parlarci con la sua inconfondibile voce, raccontando in prima persona i suoi anni spesi a vivere, scrivere, bere e godere la New York di inizio Novecento. Tutto è chiaro, tutto è narrato con una sincerità disarmante, che poco lascia all'illazione e tutto offre alla comprensione, alla percezione diretta. La penna di Miller corre veloce come la corrente dell'Hudson, accecante come il sole sui vetri dei grattacieli, intinta nella polvere dei marciapiedi calcati da un'umanità ricca e miserabile, creativa e prigioniera, alla ricerca dello spazio per respirare davvero. E chi legge si ritrova catapultato su quelle avenue, in quelle stanze da letto perennemente sfatte, all'inseguimento perenne dell'unica creatura che per sempre ci risulta imprendibile. Una creatura di nome Libertà.

Genres: Classics, Fiction

627 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 1980

About the author

Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical reflection, stream of consciousness, explicit language, sex, surrealist free association, and mysticism. His most characteristic works of this kind are Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn, and the trilogy The Rosy Crucifixion, which are based on his experiences in New York City and Paris (all of which were banned in the United States until 1961). He also wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism, and painted watercolors.

Reviews

[Kris E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Tropic of Cancer years ago and it blew me away. Just started Tropic of Capricorn (seems I forgot I had it in this set) and it seems to be following suit. There is no way to say what this book is about. It's about everything, and nothing. Just any thought that runs through his head put down on paper. But I'll be damned if every sentence isn't pure poetry....

[Belén Rey Álvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me lo tuve que leer dos veces. La segunda lo hice en el estado anímico necesario para entenderlo, porque, a diferencia de casi toda la producción literaria de Miller, Trópico de Cáncer y Trópico de Capricornio hay que leerlo en el punto exacto de hastío.

Habitualmente se califica a las novelas de Miller como "eróticas", como podrían ser las de Bukowski, nada más lejos de la realidad. A pesar de tener frases tremendamente explicitas, es tan sumamente sucio y desapegado, que si aparece es porque forma parte de la vida.

Esta obra, previa al estado de comodidad literaria que alcanzaría, al mezclar autobiografía con ficción, no sólo logra ser intimista, si no que expresa todo lo que llevaba 40 años guardándose. Es de las más contundentes de toda su producción, y para mi, el origen de la Generación Beat que se le sucedería.

[Alex Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't quite put my love for these book in to words. The problem is I read these when I was quite naive, as well as, recently where I don't quite feel as naive (in other words, I just can't see my naivette yet because I am trapped in it).

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the sqeamish

[Rick Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was big into the Grove Press books in my late teens and early twenties. They included authors like Nabakov, Anais Nin, Alan Ginsberg, Samuel Beckett, Marquis De Sade and others---- but Henry Miller was the star of their universe to me.

And why not? His books were full of "sex" and the kind of writing that revolutionized English literature along with the rest of the Grove Press crew. He was also and man of his times; sexist and racist.

So how does this hold up to me 50 years later? If you could cut out the misogany and ignorant racism, Henry Miller did cut a unique figure in English literature. I can see how he influenced my writing style even to this day----- some stream of consciousness and surrealistic imagery along with a heavy use of commas and semi colons to enhance paragraphs to a couple of pages with lists, asides and what not. But in the end, Henry Miller is like Pete Rose, no matter how good and "modern" his writing was== he doesn't make it into the Hall of Fame because he was not only sexist, but probably a woman hater. I won't be re-reading any Henry Miller just like I won't be rooting for Pete Rose to make the Hall of Fame. I could overlook Miller being a man of the 1920's just like I could overlook Rose's betting on games. I can't overlook the fact that they are both dicks.

[Eva_Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce livre nous décris assez bien la misère de l'existence humaine. Tout est assez sale, décadent dans ce livre qui a été grandement controversé à sa sortie. Durant ma lecture, il y a eu des grands moments de littérature (bien plus que de réflexions pour être honnête). Mais il y a aussi eu des moments d'inachevé. Aussi surprenant que cela puisse paraître, ce livre manque d'audace.
Les personnages m'ont laissé un goût amer. Aucun soucis à ce qu'on présente des personnages détestables mais là ça tournait à l'énervement.
La manière d'écrire sur les femmes est juste immonde. On y est décris par des noms d'animaux, il n'y a aucune envie d'approfondir les personnages féminins qui sont à la fois très présentes dans les scènes de sexe (que j'ai trouvé ridicule) mais totalement absentes en tant que personne humaine.

[Sofìa · Rating 5 out of 5]

El vaivén de sucesos narrados en este libro es fascinante. Altos y bajos de un tipo jocoso, sincero y voraz, completamente capaz y disciplinado, y totalmente despistado, flojo y cínico. Trópico de Capricornio es la muestra de las interrogantes humanas sin maquillaje, el sexo sin culpa, la casualidad, las obligaciones, el tedio de la vida y la diversión en la muerte.

[Fiona · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a load of pretentious waffling drivel. OK I get the fact it was all a bit racy for it's time with all the sex talk and all that. But I don't get why anyone would consider it as being any good. Should have stayed banned because it's awful.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Lupita Villalobos · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me atrapó.

[Maria Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

L' ho letto troppo giovane, non credo di averlo capito

[Matthias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropic of Cancer: Majestic, with some drops here and there where it's "just" very good.

Tropic of Capricorn: Very good, with some peaks here and there where it's majestic.

Both together in the same volume: KABOOM.

[Suranjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raw, driven and passionate. His style takes a little getting used to.

Sure, he is obsessed with sex and crudity, but this was the 1930s! Pretty radical for its time.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A waste of time, more than not.

[Julie Salyards · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reasons to never trust men on every page!

[Natalie Navar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ole crazy Henry Miller.