Insomnia Or the Devil at Large

Dust jacket notes: "A new book by Henry Miller is a rare and important literary event. INSOMNIA differs from all his other works. It is a love story. Always a romantic at heart, Henry Miller fell passionately, completely, but not hopelessly, in love at the age of 75. The object of his affection was a lovely and talented 25 year old singer, Hoki Tokuda, from Japan. Hoki spoke some English; Miller spoke no Japanese. Hoki was a featured singer in a piano bar in Hollywood. Henry was a semi-retired, divorced, lonely, literary giant. He pursued her for a year. Out of the frustration of sleepless nights, out of a clear vision of himself as an aging romantic, out of his compulsion to court and marry this 'young nightingale,' Miller has fashioned a deeply moving, revealing romance. With fantasies of Hoki impinging on his restless mind, Miller wrote this love story - and turned a part of his sleepless nights into a series of 12 watercolor paintings that are shown in full color in this unique volume. The text has been faithfully reproduced in Henry Miller's own handwriting - just as he wrote it. The plates for the watercolors were made in Italy and printed on a facsimile watercolor weave paper. Henry Miller has long been recognized as one of the world's most influential writers. He has been called the prime mover of today's sexual revolution. This volume reveals him as a writer of romantic insight with an acute sense of human frailty. But, more than anything else, it proves that Henry Miller is one of the great storytellers of all time. He has written a love story that is a testament to an international understanding of the nature of love. It is also a revelation of the youthfulness of Miller's mind. Miller's belief in love as an integral component of longevity and happiness is expressed both in the sensitive text and the spirited watercolors."