Paris 1928: Nexus II

Picking up where the final book of Miller's Rosy Crucifixion trilogy left off, this rough draft of an ultimately abandoned novel is a fictionalized remembering of Miller and his second wife's first trip to Europe in 1928, a moment explored in much of his previous work, most notably Tropic of Capricorn. As Val, Miller's stand-in; and his wife, Mona, bum around Paris, their encounters with artists and friends allow Miller to interrogate the artist's life and the role of America in post-WWI society. The decadence of Paris is then cleverly juxtaposed with episodes from a later trip to Eastern Europe, where Mona's family shows Val a very different side of Europe's post-war recovery. Though the text is peppered with numerous sexually-charged illustrations by Australian artist Shead, those expecting Miller's well-known sexual provocations will find themselves somewhat disappointed by what turns out to be a rather gentle travelogue; what salacious bits there are don't come until the very end. While this will be of particular interest for Miller scholars and completionists%E2%80%94for whom it offers unique insights into the author's fiction and memory%E2%80%94casual readers will likely find it pales in comparison to Miller's more complex and complete works. Illus. (Aug.)