Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical reflection, stream of consciousness, explicit language, sex, surrealist free association, and mysticism.

His most characteristic works include Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn, and the trilogy The Rosy Crucifixion, which draw on his experiences in New York City and Paris. All of these works were banned in the United States until 1961 due to their explicit content. In addition to novels, Miller wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism and was also a painter of watercolors.