First published in France in 1939, but banned in America until the 1960s, this semiautobiographical novel is a prequel of sorts to Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. It depicts a younger version of himself, working for Western Union in 1920s New York, and yet to meet the woman who will make a writer of him. Famous for its frank portrayal of life in Brooklyn's ethnic neighborhoods and Miller's outrageous sexual exploits, the book incorporates material from some of his earlier, unpublished writing, and is now considered a cornerstone of modern literature.

"There is an eager vitality and exuberance to the writing…. We watchfully hear the language skip, whoop and wheel across Miller's pages."—William H. Gass