Jabberwhorl Speaks
Fans of Henry Miller's writing will be familiar with Walter Lowenfels as the Cronstadt of Tropic of Cancer, or Jabberwhorl Cronstadt of Black Spring. Lowenfels, a prominent poet and activist, was one of Miller's earliest supporters in Paris and along with Michal Fraenkel (the Boris of Tropic of Cancer) he promoted the "Death Theme" in literature—which greatly influenced Miller's writing. Lowenfels' reflections on his relationship with Miller can be found in an impressive collection of audio recordings hosted on the University of Pennsylvania web site.
Of particular interest is the recording titled "Discussion of Paris in the 20's and 30's". Here, Lowenfels recalls his first encounter with Miller's wife June in 1928 at the home of Ossip Zadkine and his subsequent introduction to Henry a few days later, when he and June dropped in at the Lowenfels' apartment. We're also treated to a discussion of Miller's personality and means of survival during his early years in Paris. Lowenfels then reads from the introduction Miller asked him to write for Tropic of Cancer, but which Jack Kahane, the publisher, rejected. Along the way we also learn about Lowenfels' and Fraenkel's attempts to launch the Carrefour press as a refuge for anonymous authors and some interesting tidbits about Miller's affair with Bertha Schrank (the Tania of Tropic of Cancer).
Also available is a recording of Lowenfels' "Eulogy for Michael Fraenkel", which appears to have been delivered at Fraenkel's funeral in 1957. Considering Fraenkel's long obsession with the Death Theme as an organizing principle for his writing, the funeral eulogy provides an appropriate means of reflecting on Fraenkel's life.
Part One of "Lowenfels Speaking on the History of his career with Lawsen Lipton and Jack Lawsen" retells a bit of Lowenfels' life in Paris, his vision of the Death School of poetry and a couple of quick anecdotes about Miller. There's much more Lowenfels audio on the site which I haven't listened to yet. So, dig around, and if you come across anything interesting, be sure to drop a note about it in the comments.
