Henry Miller at Literary Traveler
The interpretive biographical essay on Miller at Literary Traveler by freelance writer Jeffrey John Shea, "Henry Miller and The Dance of Life," is well written and worth reading, distinguishing itself on both scores from the typical recitations of clichés about Miller that abound elsewhere on the web.
As it happens, I don't particularly agree with this writer's interpretation of Miller's life and the "spirit of his art," but don't let that stand in the way of your reading, enjoying, learning, and even being inspired by it. Not just writing but reading literature has ever been an act of fiction, of fabrication, of imagining a lying wholeness, sense, and sequence to the lives of authors as fully as to the truly fictive existences of their characters. All, no doubt, the better to gain leverage in the all-consuming task of deceiving ourselves about ourselves.
The Literary Traveler offers a great deal more that might be of service on that score. The site is the inspiration of Linda and Francis McGovern, a couple who, whatever their fate, at least seem to have had their priorities straight at one point in time: to travel and to write. I envy them to the extent of their success!
And, yes, I like this well-executed site's business model. Poke around the edges and you'll see what I mean. Maybe even take a tour.
"Great literature, like great travel is essentially about experience, one you read, the other you live, both reveal what is true. That's what we are trying to do with Literary Traveler." - Linda McGovern
"We hope that when people read a book, and then visit Literary Traveler to learn about the author, and the places they lived and traveled - they become inspired to read and travel more, and maybe they even start writing themselves. They start exploring their literary imagination - they become part of what they have read and it is always with them." - Francis McGovern
rri (January 15, 2005)
