Sometimes, when I’m stuck in a writing rut, I find myself surfing the Internet, imagining what it would be like to be one of the literary greats. My searches have included the likes of Anton Chekov, Nikolai Gogol, Samuel Beckett, Shelley Jackson, and Kierkegaard, to name a few. But by far, the most Googled author in my search history is Henry Miller. Perhaps because I think, rather subjectively, that he may be one of the greatest authors of all time and also partly because I find the pictures of him and Anais Nin on a beach somewhere fantastic, the racy covers of his books, and the bizarre videos of his pornography-plastered bathroom utterly fascinating (a quick Google search should serve my point). Which brings me to one of my most exciting finds as a result of writing procrastination: The Henry Miller Memorial Library.

The Henry Miller Memorial Library is situated on Highway One (Pacific Coast Highway) in the picturesque Big Sur, California over-looking the Pacific Ocean. The library itself stands as a living homage to the late Henry Miller (and should you not know who Henry Miller is—I resist here admonishing you—he is the author of classics Tropic of Cancer and the Rosy Crucifixion among others.) This non-profit library teems with literary history and screams VISIT ME!

It’s said that when Henry Miller first visited Big Sur in 1944, upon arriving, he uttered, “Here I will find peace. Here I shall find strength to do the work I was meant to do.” He lived in Big Sur with his third wife and two children. Miller wrote; “Peace and solitude! I have had a taste of it, even here in America.”

Henry Miller was enormously influenced by the environment in Big Sur, California. Miller’s amorous fascination is best exemplified in his classic, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, within which he wrote, “This place can be a paradise. It is now, for those who live it. But then will be another paradise, one in which all share, all participate. The only paradise, after all.” (pp. 403-404).

A man named Emil White can be thanked for producing the Henry Miller Memorial Library. White had been one of Miller’s closest friends. So close that should you flip through the last few pages of Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, you will find Miller’s dedicated inscription of the book which reads, “To Emil White of Anderson Creek one of the few friend who has never failed me …” (Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymous Bosch, 1957).

After having been deemed a revolutionary by the Hungarian Army and narrowly escaping death by firing squad, Emil White immigrated to the United States. White found a job at a bookstore and it is there that Henry Miller and Emil White met for the first time. White had been a huge fan of Miller’s, despite the fact that his work was relatively unknown in the United States at this time. Emil joined Miller in Big Sur after the author asked him to work as both his caretaker and personal secretary for five dollars a week.

Once settled in Big Sur, White took up painting and produced tour guide brochures for a living. It is said that the profit from these guides is what funded White’s founding of the library in 1987 after Henry Miller’s death. Emil White bought the property upon which the library now stands; an astonishing meadow gated with colossal redwoods. Upon Miller’s death, White decided to maintain the property to serve as a memorial to Henry Miller and as a haven for local artists to showcase their work. Emil stated in his will that his property would be an homage to the great author and to future scholarly research on Henry Miller.

Emil White’s wishes have been granted. Today, the library functions as so much more than a memorial. In 1997, it became accredited as an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It is a place of literature, music, culture and beauty. With an incredible outdoor performance stage, the library has been host to performances by Animal Collective, Neil Young, Patti Smith and Henry Rollins, to name a few. The library holds frequent workshops, readings, poetry slams, art exhibits, private events, and educational fairs.

In one of Emil White’s last interviews, he was asked if he had any regrets. He remarked, “I only wished I had moved to Big Sur sooner.” Three hours from San Francisco and six and a half from Los Angeles make this iconic library the perfect literary excursion. The library’s devotion to literature and to the work and life of great author Henry Miller solidifies it as an important literary place.

Surrounded by beauty and enveloped in a rich world of writers, poets, and artists, it may be the exact inspiration you need to finish that story and start your novel. Or maybe that’s the inspiration I need—nevertheless, I plan on making the scenic trip up there the first chance I get. And none of this could be possible without my daily dose of procrastination. Which is why I’ve included some links below; because discovery is important, no matter what you put off doing to get there. As Henry Miller once said, “Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge.” Exactly.

For more info on the exciting things taking place at the Henry Miller Library and about founder Emil White and Henry Miller, check out their website.  Also worth tuning into are NPR’s Bob Edwards interview Henry Miller Library Director Magnus Toren and this YouTube video which features the great Miller reminising about his favorite place.

by Katie Manderfield
an MFA candidate at CalArts, an editorial assistant for Black Clock, and is constructing an experimental literary journal for women; her work has been published or is forthcoming in Pindeldyboz, 3:AM, and dogmatika

photography from The Henry Miller Memorial Library