Colossus of Maroussi

I had to take a break from "Cat's Eye." Though it is a faciniating and deeply interesting book, it was disturbing my sleep!

I picked up "The Colossus of Maroussi" at the library yesterday and it is the perfect pick-me-up. Henry Miller writes a very entertaining travelogue-type book, totally romanticizing his travels to Greece, and especially the people that he meets. Though his prose contains a lot of bullshit, he does it in the absolutely most entertaining way that makes this a great read!

Miller was a friend of Lawrence Durrell, who wrote the Alexandria quartet. Durrell's books are fiction, and take place in exotic lands. They are about anglo people living in these lands, and the complexities of their emotional and sexual relations.

Durrell and his wife show up in "Colossus", as background companions, but also in a kind of name-dropping sort of way. But, Miller's writing about people is much more about enjoying their zest for life than Durrell's chaotic relationships. All things being equal, I enjoy reading about the former with more delight!