The Henry Miller Memorial Library

Henry Miller wrote “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Perhaps that is the idea with Big Sur, not so much a destination but a new way of looking at things.

“It is not a Library where you can borrow books, it is not a memorial with dusty relics, it is not a fully stocked bookstore, it is not a trinket store where you’ll find a large selection of glossy photographs of the coast, t-shirts, mugs and baseball caps. It is not Henry Miller’s old home… So if it’s none of those things, what is it?” -From the Henry Miller Site.

The Henry Miller Memorial Library is in fact a Big Sur art hub and book store focused on promoting the literary and artistic works of Henry Miller. Miller was not just a fiction writer but also wrote some excellent travel books, particularly about Greece. The library was founded a year after Miller’s death by close friend Emil White, who decided to maintain his property as a memorial to his friend and as a gallery for local artists. Over the years it has also come to serve as a cultural experience for both visitors and residents alike.