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The night before showtime!
# 66 The Darkness Manifesto by Johan Eklöf
Talking about darkness.
Magnus speaks with Sonia Haoa from Easter Island/Rapa Nui in this episode of A Big Sur Podcast. The slideshow above shows some of the few photos that were taken back in 1983! LINK TO PODCAST HERE! Well worth listening to Sonia!
A conversation with Weston’s Mother on the occasion of his
Birthday, June 28, and the five year anniversary of his passing.
Ronna Rio Emmons well known and loved in the Big Sur community perhaps especially because of her many years of teaching art. We have a lot of fun talking and cover some good stories. Thanks for listening. HERE IS THE LINK.
Magnus speak with Michael Paduano about
the recently published book titled
The Book of Conversations with David Edgar
# 53 Clovis Harrod.
With two kids and $40 in her pocket she came HOME!
Harry Dick Ross and Eve Miller Ross
A small sampling of their artwork currently on display at the Library.
Good News 2:
Tropic of Cancer clocks in at # 4 of Bob Dylan’s all time favorite books.
Read about it here!
Henry Miller Statue – Los Banos, CA
Miller *DID* reject Kubrick!!
Readers may recall that in August’s Digest, we alluded to scuttlebutt that Stanley Kubrick’s people approached Henry’s people about making a film of “Tropic of Cancer.” At first
DJ Spooky, Tim Fain and Oppenheimer: The stars align!
Every now and then, the starts spinning around the galaxy known as the HML line up, and when it does, it’s so cool. Consider, if
What if Kubrick made “Tropic of Cancer?”
According to lore, Stanley Kubrick made inquiries about rights to “Tropic of Cancer.” Henry responded to Kubrick and said: “No. I am going to hold out to the day
Checking in with the Cactus Man on the Big Sur Chapbook release party (Sept 21), Marx (naturally) and more
Readers may be familiar with the Cactus Man. He makes our Open Mic posters and is something of a life coach (1) to the Library.
The beguiling posters of The Cactus Man!
It’s not uncommon for institutions to have artists whose work becomes synonymous with the said institution’s brand. Iron Maiden has Derek Riggs, who created the
Is this the oldest Google reference to the Library?
Sunday January 7, 2007 was the first time the Library showed up on Google search! It was an article titled “Big Sur without the Crowds.” If
Quote from Carly Taylor’s article:
Miller is a powerful author to turn to in our periods of hopelessness, for he can breed joy where others find only nihilism. He sees “a world without hope but no despair.”
Stefan White and Magnus Torén sat down for a wonderful conversation (and a reunification after 31 years!) Here’s the Podcast Episode.
You will hear Stefan’s beautiful voice telling stories about family, Australia, Big Sur, Austria and much more. Some of the White family we speak of are in photographs that Stefan provided to the right: Stefan, Dan, Pat, Emil.
We also touch on:
The Morgenrath family.
Robert Redford and Sonia Braga
A mail-order bride Mother
Living close to where Hitler grew up
Biking in central Europe
Sleeping with headhunters
Being better than Giacometti!
Dr Zeus….and, very important for Stefan, we spoke of his dedication and love for Prem Rawat.
WE NOW HAVE A BEAUTIFULLY SOUNDING PIANO!
A Steinway upright is now installed, tuned and ready for you to play, perform and record! (Acoustics in this room is legendary!)
The piano was donated to us by a generous family north of us and delivered by Howard Piano Moving.
Tuning by Nicholas Fettis.
Listen to him play the piano post tuning HERE!


My whole aim in life is to get near to God, that is, to get nearer to myself. That’s why it doesn’t matter to me what road I take. But music is very important. Music is a tonic for the pineal gland. Music isn’t Bach or Beethoven; music is the can-opener of the soul. It makes you terribly quiet inside, makes you aware that there’s a roof to your being.
To be is music, which is a profanation of silence in the interests of silence, and therefore beyond good and evil. Music is the manifestation of action without activity. It is the pure act of creation swimming on its own bosom. Music neither goads nor defends, neither seeks nor explains. Music is the noiseless sound made by the swimmer in the ocean of consciousness. It is a reward which can only be given by oneself. It is the gift of the god which one is because he has ceased thinking about god. It is an augur of the God which every one will become in due time, when all that is will be beyond imagination.
All music is still governed by the old astronomy, is the product of the hothouse, a panacea for Weltschmerz. Music is still the antidote for the nameless, but this is not yet music. Music is planetary fire, an irreducible which is all-sufficient; it is the slate-writing of the gods, the abracadabra which the learned and the ignorant alike muff because the axle has been unhooked.
/ Henry Miller
The Henry Miller Library guarantees all guests the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn. It is not the proper role of the Library to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. There are many books and stories to read, to write, to tell, and to listen to.
We hope to learn from different ideas, why and how they come to be, and what values they’re premised on. To always critique and argue in good-faith. Some ‘binaries’ that we propose on our bookshelves are: Capitalism vs. Socialism | Keynesian economics vs. Classical economics | Deontology vs. Consequentialism | Empiricism vs. Rationalism | Liberalism vs. Conservatism | Democracy vs. Authoritarianism | Cartesianism vs. Darwinism | Realism vs. Romanticism | Classicism vs. Modernism | Objectivism vs. Relativism | Virtue ethics vs. Deontological ethics | Monotheism/Polytheism/
What a wonderful world!
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