Henry Miller Years of Trial and Triumph, 1962-1964 · the Correspondence of Henry Miller and Elmer Gertz

The Miller-Gertz correspondence, in addition to the documentation it pro­vides on the famous struggle to free Tropic of Cancer of obscenity charges, is important for numerous reasons, among them being that Henry Miller wrote in­timately to Elmer Gertz on a wide range of topics, including his thoughts about the book which won him public recog­nition in his own country—at long last.

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Still a controversial figure in the 1960s, but with an impressive following, espe­cially abroad where his works were pub­lished freely in many languages, Henry Miller had been denied publication of his major works in his own country until 1961, when Grove Press pub­lished Tropic of Cancer, precipitating a long, costly, and often bitter battle against the continuing censorship of his autobiographical novels.

The attorney chosen by Grove Press to represent the publisher in Illinois was Elmer Gertz, himself a literary critic and historian by avocation, who began intensive preparation by reading everything by and about Miller he could put his hands on, which led in­directly to the letter from Miller that opened their correspondence.

Throughout the long, taxing months of this historic battle for freedom of ex­pression, the bonds linking Cancer’s au­thor and his attorney multiplied and strengthened. They tested themselves and the world, their subjects ranging from the arts to business and family matters; from social problems to films and Hollywood personalities; from courtroom pyrotechnics to ping-pong. An almost day-by-day record of Miller’s activities emerges as he speaks of his writing and painting, his social life, his personal concerns, his travels, his con­tacts with publishers and theatrical producers. Moreover, the unguarded thoughts expressed through all of the correspondence produced astonishing self-revelations, which makes this vol­ume especially valuable.