This here story, it’s called Tropic of Capricorn. Some fella named Henry Miller, he wrote it. Now, I ain’t read it myself, mind you. But I heard tell of it. It is about some hard life. This Henry, he’s the main guy, and he tells the whole darn story.
This book, it’s full of all sorts of things. Some folks say it’s a bit too much, you know? Got all that, how you say, “sex” stuff in it. Back in the day, they even said you couldn’t read it in America! Imagine that. Banned, they called it. Like it was some kinda poison. For thirty years, this book can not sell in America. People were something else back then.
It’s about Henry’s life, you see. But not in the way you’d think. It jumps around like a flea on a hot griddle. One minute he’s a young’un in Brooklyn, then he’s all grown up, then he’s back again. It is really hard to understand. It is not like the TV shows we watch, you know, this happened, then that happened, and then everyone is happy. No, this book is different.
- He talks about his first love, some gal named Una.
- Then there’s this piano teacher he was sweet on, even though she was way older.
- And his wife, Beatrice, they didn’t get along too good.
- He worked at Western Union, you know, sending them telegrams and what not.
This Tropic of Capricorn, it ain’t for the faint of heart, I reckon. It’s raw, like a skinned knee. Shows you life, warts and all. This fella, Henry, he didn’t sugarcoat nothin’. He just laid it all out there, like laundry on a line. And people can not accept it.
Some folks, they love this book. They say it’s important, a “defining piece of modern literature” they call it. Fancy words for saying it’s a big deal, I guess. They say it pushes boundaries, makes you think. They even have a study guide. This guide has Henry’s life story, some questions, themes and characters. Help people to understand this book, I think.
Now, there’s another book by this same Henry Miller. It’s called Tropic of Cancer. That one’s about his time in Paris, back in the 1930s. He was poor as a church mouse, they say. Spent all his money on, well, things a gentleman shouldn’t talk about in polite company. But this one, it’s about his life in America, before he went to Paris. And this is Tropic of Capricorn.
It is not an easy book. Some people do not like it. Too much about sex, they said. But other people, they love it. They think Henry is a great writer. Me? I just think he’s a man who lived a life, and he wrote about it. He wrote about this life, this place, this Tropic of Capricorn. Plain and simple.
This Tropic of Capricorn, it is like a mirror. Shows you the good, the bad, the ugly. It is not always pretty. But it is real. Just like life, I guess. It is life, it is Tropic of Capricorn. And that Henry, he sure knew how to tell a story. Even if it made some folks blush.
You know, back in my day, we didn’t talk about such things. But times change, I reckon. Now, they write books about it. They even make movies. And people read it. They talk about it. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s good to talk about these things, even if they’re uncomfortable. Maybe this book, this Tropic of Capricorn, maybe it helps people understand life a little better. I do not know. But maybe.
This Henry Miller, he was something else. He wrote what he knew, I guess. And he wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Maybe that’s why his books are still around. People are still reading them. Still talking about them. Still trying to figure them out. This Tropic of Capricorn, it is a mystery, I think. A big, messy, beautiful mystery. Just like life.
It is all about life. Hard life, good life, bad life. All mixed up. Like a big pot of stew. You never know what you’re gonna get. But you gotta eat it anyway. That’s what this book is like, I reckon. A big pot of life stew. And you gotta taste it, even if you don’t like all the ingredients. That is Tropic of Capricorn, all about life. That is it.
