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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
“You cannot see him as he really is, you cannot see anyone as he really is. He will always be disappointing because you are expecting someone.”
A hypnotic collection that captures the spectrum of sexuality and the human condition. Nin exemplifies the wasted potential of erotic fiction without reserve.
A hypnotic collection that captures the spectrum of sexuality and the human condition. Nin exemplifies the wasted potential of erotic fiction without reserve.
Strong character development:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape
I grabbed three of her books to figure out who she was. It's poetry. Some of the subject matter I didn't care for and I think a third of this book wouldn't exist had she been alive to watch at least one season of Law & Order: SVU.
What I like most about this book is a marvelous story behind it. It all started with Henry Miller, who was offered to write erotica, one dollar a page, by an unknown rich collector. The torturing part was that there should be as much sex as possible and as less poetry and philosophy as possible. Despite that, pretty soon all of Miller's broke artist-friends, including Anais Nin, were writing erotica. "This started an epidemic of erotic "journals," she writes in her journal, "Everyone was writing up their sexual experiences. Invented, overheard, researched from Krafft-Ebing and medical books. We had comical conversations. We told a story and the rest of us had to decide whether it was true or false. Or plausible.... All of us needed money, so we pooled our stories.... Gonzalo needed cash for the dentist, Helba needed a mirror for her dancing, and Henry money for his trip.... The telephone bill was unpaid. The net of economic difficulties was closing in on me. Everyone around me irresponsible, unconscious of the shipwreck. I did thrirty pages of erotica."
And her short stories are exactly like this - bordering on the limits of imagination; drops of fragrant perfume brought to a consentrated, numbing and almost unbearable exaggeration.
And her short stories are exactly like this - bordering on the limits of imagination; drops of fragrant perfume brought to a consentrated, numbing and almost unbearable exaggeration.
I have such mixed feelings on this collection. Here's the thing: Nin can actually write a really hot erotic scene. However, she can also write a really messed up disturbing scene, and those two things often get stirred together in these stories. I think she hit Kink Bingo in this collection. There is bondage, exhibitionism, prostitution, masochism, rape, incest, pedophilia, beastiality, necrophilia, and probably more that I'm forgetting at the moment. Now, to be clear, not all of those things are necessarily bad (though some certainly are), but it can make for an uncomfortable surprise when the erotic story you are reading takes a disturbing turn and someone is raping their daughter.
There is a lot to find interesting in here beneath the surface though, especially when you take into account when Nin was writing these stories. She does some really interesting things with the female and male gaze, and the societal commentary on sexual mores was also intriguing. These stories must have been absolutely scandalous and taboo when they were published. For that reason alone I found the collection interesting. But more often than not I found many of these stories more disturbing than arousing. If you're looking for something light and hot to read I'd consider looking elsewhere, but if you go into the collection knowing what to expect there's some interesting (and yes, on occasion very sexy) stuff to be found in these pages.
There is a lot to find interesting in here beneath the surface though, especially when you take into account when Nin was writing these stories. She does some really interesting things with the female and male gaze, and the societal commentary on sexual mores was also intriguing. These stories must have been absolutely scandalous and taboo when they were published. For that reason alone I found the collection interesting. But more often than not I found many of these stories more disturbing than arousing. If you're looking for something light and hot to read I'd consider looking elsewhere, but if you go into the collection knowing what to expect there's some interesting (and yes, on occasion very sexy) stuff to be found in these pages.
Heard much of Anais Nin over the years, but never read her. Loved reading this, not just for the intellectual air to the erotica, but she also portrays every body as beautiful - something I'm not used to seeing/reading in the current image-laden times.
A great honeymoon read :)
A great honeymoon read :)
Awesome read! The word choices date the book, and take a few pages to get used to but it's well worth the read.
If you are easily offended don't bother reading this book. We don't need to mud the review section with "this book needs to be taken off the shelf!" :p
If you are easily offended don't bother reading this book. We don't need to mud the review section with "this book needs to be taken off the shelf!" :p