The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder

Literature | Movies | Training

17 January 2021

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Sometimes it's nice to spend a Sunday afternoon delving into a bit of fiction. I was surprised to discover the Bergen library open today and decided to wander the English section. There I happened upon Henry Miller's The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder. It made me think of Steve Martin's book and how he described performing standup. The protagonist of Miller's book, you see, is a clown. But he's a middle aged clown coming to grips with the effect he has on the audience and the effect they have on him. The character Auguste loses himself in his performance and then loses his audience as well. It is a story many of us middle aged folks can understand.