The Miller correspondence contains original letters and postcards from Miller to Merton, and photocopies or carbon copies of letters from Merton to Miller. The authors express respect for each others work and trade names of others they are reading. There is a humorous line of conversation related to the appearance of both men and whom they resemble.
Henry Miller was a highly controversial author, and some of his works were censored in the United States until the 1960's. The authors respected each others works despite their vastly different lifestyles. However, Miller, like Merton, had spent years in New York and in France and was an artist as well as author. Merton expresses a desire to read Miller's Tropics novels, but doubts they would get past censors at the monastery.
See also Cold War Letters #92 and #95 and other letters from Merton to Henry Miller published in The Courage for Truth, pp. 274-281. See "Thomas Merton and Henry Miller : an exchange of letters" in Sub-Section D.1 for a full set of the published extant letters.
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1962/04/20 (#01) |
HLS to Merton |
I'll be sending you shortly Joseph Delteil's book on Saint Francis, believing that you will enjoy it |
✓ |
[Robert] Bob MacGregor / book on Hiroshima [Original Child Bomb] / book on Desert Fathers [The Wisdom of the Desert] / Fr. Brocard Sewell
«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1962/04/20 (#02) |
transcript to Merton |
I'll be sending you shortly Joseph Delteil's book on Saint Francis, believing that you will enjoy it |
✓ |
[Robert] Bob MacGregor / book on Hiroshima [Original Child Bomb] / book on Desert Fathers [The Wisdom of the Desert] / Fr. Brocard Sewell
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1962/07/09 (#01) |
TALS[x] from Merton |
It was good to hear from you. I have often thought of writing to you, and usually that is the first |
✓ |
[Cold War Letter #92 - annotations by Merton and Miller - faint copy and difficult to read] Big Sur, Colossus of Maroussi / Giono / Delteil / Fr. Herve Chaigne / James Laughlin / New Seeds of Contemplation
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1962/07/09 (#02) |
transcript from Merton |
It was good to hear from you. I have often thought of writing to you, and usually that is the first |
✓ |
[Cold War Letters #92 - same as other letter from 1962/07/09, but taken from the collected Cold War Letters and without annotation]
«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1962/07/31 (#01) |
HLS to Merton |
Very good to receive your fulsome letter of the 9th -- just got it here. Now about Giono -- I think |
✓ |
Giono, "Jean le Bleu" and "Que ma joie demeure" / Delteil / New Seeds of Contemplation / compares Merton to Emerson and Thoreau / Fr. Sewell
«detailed view» |
| 6. |
1962/07/31 (#02) |
transcript to Merton |
Very good to receive your fulsome letter of the 9th -- just got it here. Now about Giono -- I think |
✓ |
Giono, "Jean le Bleu" and "Que ma joie demeure" / Delteil / New Seeds of Contemplation / compares Merton to Emerson and Thoreau / Fr. Sewell
«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1962/08/07 (#01) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
First of all I agree that it will be hard to translate Delteil, or to find a good translator. I am |
✓ |
translation of Delteil's life of St. Francis / Cesar Vallejo / Alfonso Cortes / Aleijadinho / Wisdom of the Heart, Colossus [ of Maroussi], Time of the Assassins / English Carmelites
«detailed view» |
| 8. |
1962/08/07 (#02) |
transcript from Merton |
First of all I agree that it will be hard to translate Delteil, or to find a good translator. I am |
✓ |
[Cold War Letters #92 - same as other letter from1962/08/07, but taken from the collected Cold War Letters]
«detailed view» |
| 9. |
1962/08/11 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Reading your magnificent essay on Raimu -- whom I have not seen however for twenty years & more |
✓ |
crimes of American movie heroes / key to the twentieth century
«detailed view» |
| 10. |
1963/01/08 (#01) |
HPCS to Merton |
I'm reading the Thomas Merton Reader slowly each night. How wonderful. What a lucid, exciting |
✓ |
verso description from card: "Henry Miller [-] Val's Birthday Gift [-] Watercolor and Ink, 11 1/2 " x 17 1/4 " [-] Collection of Valentin Miller"
«detailed view» |
| 11. |
1963/01/08 (#02) |
transcript to Merton |
I'm reading the Thomas Merton Reader slowly each night. How wonderful. What a lucid, exciting |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 12. |
1963/01/12 (#01) |
HPCS to Merton |
Another little word to say how deeply moved I was when reading of your early life --- the life in |
✓ |
Prades, France / Merton's father / Casals
«detailed view» |
| 13. |
1963/01/12 (#02) |
transcript to Merton |
Another little word to say how deeply moved I was when reading of your early life --- the life in |
✓ |
Prades, France / Merton's father / Casals
«detailed view» |
| 14. |
1963/03/no? |
HLS[x] from Merton |
I was very happy with your two postcards about the [Thomas Merton] Reader & I hope |
✓ |
poems of Robert Lax / Merton sending one of his poems / Harcourt Brace / Delteil
«detailed view» |
| 15. |
1963/05/12 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for all your cards. I have been thinking of you a lot since I have been reading A. Perles's |
✓ |
post-war age / rumors of Merton living as hermit in Mexico and thoughts on travel vs. life at monastery / interest in Tropics novels / censorship / modern Greek poets
«detailed view» |
| 16. |
1964/06/22 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
I cannot let your hummingbird get away without a resounding shout of approval. Perhaps J. Laughlin |
✓ |
[Merton attached photo of Miguel Grinberg and himself / it is not included with our copy of letter] Stand Still Like the Hummingbird / Europe, Zen, Thoreau / Christian spirit / Suzuki / Patchen / J.C. Powys
«detailed view» |
| 17. |
1964/07/04 |
TLS to Merton |
Can't get over this photo you sent me--it's haunting. The two of you are as familiar to me as if I |
✓ |
compares Merton's face to a combination of his own and Jean Genet's; "the look of an ex-convict", "one who has been through the fires" / John Powys
«detailed view» |
| 18. |
1964/08/16 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
I am glad you liked the photos. By now you must have seen Grinberg himself in person. He is a |
✓ |
Merton's resemblance to Picasso / book of selections from Gandhi / Camus' The Plague
«detailed view» |
| 19. |
1964/08/16 (#02) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
I am glad you liked the photos. By now you must have seen Grinberg himself in person. He is a |
✓ |
Merton's resemblance to Picasso / book of selections from Gandhi / Camus' The Plague
«detailed view» |
| 20. |
undated/no/no |
other |
For the first time, here is the correspondence between two great American authors - Thomas Merton |
|
Louisville Today article containing letters from Merton to and from Henry Miller
«detailed view» |
|