The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller

Miller wrote the book in New York, and it reflects his resentment at having to return to America, as well as his feeling of isolation there. His portrayal of poet Katsimbalis and the country is tempered by the outbreak of the Second World War, which forced him to leave for the United States in December 1939. Miller drew his Colossus from events that occurred and landscapes he encountered while living for nine months in Greece. Miller had already published what are considered some of his best-known works, including Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, and Tropic of Capricorn. In need of rejuvenation, he traveled to Greece at the invitation of his friend, British writer Lawrence Durrell, who lived in Corfu. In 1939, American writer Henry Miller left Paris, his home of nine years, as the Nazis began to take action in Europe and the outbreak of the Second World War loomed.

The work is frequently heralded as Miller's best. Set in pre-war Greece of 1939, it is ostensibly an exploration of the 'Colossus' of the title, George Katsimbalis, a poet and raconteur. Seeking to reestablish the freedom to live without the conventional restraints of civilization, Henry Miller’s books are potpourris of free relations, quasi-philosophical speculation, reflection on literature and society, surrealistic imaginings, and autobiographical incident.The Colossus of Maroussi is an impressionist travelogue by American writer Henry Miller that was first published in 1941 by Colt Press of San Francisco.

His portrayal of poet Katsimbalis and the country is tempered by the outbreak of war, which forced him to leave for the United States in December 1939. Miller drew his ‘Colossus’ from events that occurred and landscapes he encountered while living for nine months in Greece. Miller had already published what are considered some of his best-known works, including ‘Tropic of Cancer’, ‘Black Spring’, and ‘Tropic of Capricorn’.

Regarded by Miller as one of his key achievements and a sort of catharsis at the height of thw World War II, ‘The Colossus of Maroussi’ has been translated into Persian by Mahbod Irani-Talab and been released by Ghatreh Publishing in Tehran.

The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller