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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I can appreciate what Anaïs Nin did for erotica but there is content in here that makes it hard to stomach the rest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence
O que aconteceu com este conjunto de texto é muito interessante. Um cliente privado pagou a Nin e mais alguns escritores (como Henry Miller e George Barker) para lhe escreverem histórias eróticas. E, à medida que recebia as histórias, ia pedindo para deixarem de lado os pormenores poéticos e se concentrarem no sexo, nas partes explícitas. Ia elogiando os textos, mostrando-se satisfeito e pagando bem, sempre mantendo o anonimato. Mas pedindo mais, mais sexo, queria que fosse mais explícito. Estes textos, a colecção da contribuição de Anaïs Nin, têm essa tensão, feita da pesquisa do Kama Sutra, da inclusão das histórias de amigos, do que se ia sabendo sobre sexo da pesquisa médica e de uma frustração crescente porque um cliente misterioso ia repetindo, está muito bem, mas ponham de lado a poesia, e mais sexo por favor.
Este momento com a geração de Anaïs Nin foi curioso. Eis um grupo de pessoas muito motivado para, precisamente, combater os preconceitos em relação ao sexo. Na altura, os livros de Henry Miller eram sistematicamente cenrurados nos EUA, e muitos só seriam publicados anos mais tarde. Nos anos 40, eles estavam numa espécie de vanguarda, no que respeitava ao sexo. E aqui encontraram o mais ávido dos leitores. E não resultou a relação escritor/leitor. Ou resultou como um teste. Os textos aqui publicados são os que Nin escreveu. E o tema que ela lançou no prefácio é ainda pertinente.
Quando o objectivo é falar sobre sexo, escreve-se o quê? Circunavega-se? Escreve-se, como dizia o cliente, poesia? Ou vai-se direito ao assunto? E o que é ir direito ao assunto? Só existe pornografia e o resto? Anaïs Nin diz que o colecionador, o nome por que era referido o cliente, estava a ser tão insistente naquele ponto, que estava a retirar-lhe o maior afrodisíaco, precisamente a poesia. E refere-se a descrições explícitas como descrições clínicas. Mas será que falar do corpo humano, de tudo o que envolve o corpo humano, dois corpos humanos tem de ter a frieza de uma descrição clínica? Não pode ter poesia?
Este momento com a geração de Anaïs Nin foi curioso. Eis um grupo de pessoas muito motivado para, precisamente, combater os preconceitos em relação ao sexo. Na altura, os livros de Henry Miller eram sistematicamente cenrurados nos EUA, e muitos só seriam publicados anos mais tarde. Nos anos 40, eles estavam numa espécie de vanguarda, no que respeitava ao sexo. E aqui encontraram o mais ávido dos leitores. E não resultou a relação escritor/leitor. Ou resultou como um teste. Os textos aqui publicados são os que Nin escreveu. E o tema que ela lançou no prefácio é ainda pertinente.
Quando o objectivo é falar sobre sexo, escreve-se o quê? Circunavega-se? Escreve-se, como dizia o cliente, poesia? Ou vai-se direito ao assunto? E o que é ir direito ao assunto? Só existe pornografia e o resto? Anaïs Nin diz que o colecionador, o nome por que era referido o cliente, estava a ser tão insistente naquele ponto, que estava a retirar-lhe o maior afrodisíaco, precisamente a poesia. E refere-se a descrições explícitas como descrições clínicas. Mas será que falar do corpo humano, de tudo o que envolve o corpo humano, dois corpos humanos tem de ter a frieza de uma descrição clínica? Não pode ter poesia?
Nope. A story where child sexual abuse and incest are framed as "erotic"? That's not erotica; it's child sexual abuse and incest. I don't think so.
DNF.
One story got me a few times, but man there was way too much rape for me to keep reading.
One story got me a few times, but man there was way too much rape for me to keep reading.
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
I read this because it was mentioned in another book as the main character's go to erotica. Considering this character was meant to be very literary, I had expectations of this book that were not met. Is it strange to trust a fictional characters taste in books?
I do not like the way Anais jumps from scene to scene, ends things abruptly or skips backwards and forwards in time with little or no reasoning. This truly is written as though watching porn (which for the time is impressive) but nonetheless makes it as bland and lifeless as porn is to me.
Meh.
I do not like the way Anais jumps from scene to scene, ends things abruptly or skips backwards and forwards in time with little or no reasoning. This truly is written as though watching porn (which for the time is impressive) but nonetheless makes it as bland and lifeless as porn is to me.
Meh.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
TW: rape, incest, sexual violence
I have been intrigued by this book for so many years, ever since I first read about Anaïs Nin, a French-Cuban-American author with a fascinating personal life worthy of a Hollywood movie.
I actually expected this collection to not deliver much in terms of classically erotic material because it is considered such a classic. I felt like perhaps the
explicitness would be toned down, but I was surprised by Nin’s voice—it is poetic, but unsubtle. There is plenty of descriptive sex, but Nin often interpolates a psychoanalytical perspective into her sex scenes.
Nin’s stories cover a wide range of social taboos like incest, rape, kinks and fetishes, homosexuality, trans identity, necrophilia, etc., and though it can sometimes be a little much, she usually never glamorizes or rejects anything. She simply observes a sexual situation and describes the character’s thoughts and emotions.
Many of her characters, especially the men, are drawn to rape fantasies or incest and Nin comes up with some psychological explanations for these issues based on previous experiences, but one thing I like about her writing is that these are never justifications for the character’s actions, they are simply observations. However, sometimes the male characters do face consequences for their actions, such as in the very first story. So, while I do think Nin is trying to be as morally neutral as possible, there are instances where she clearly states that something is wrong and should not be rationalized.
Overall, this was a delight to read because Nin gives us the best of both worlds: straight-up raunchy erotica and serious literature, and this is a feat that I don’t know if anyone else can ever truly achieve. Of course, some of the stories are better than others, but the collection flows so well and I liked how some of the characters appear in different narratives. I had a great time reading this book and it’s not simply a guilty pleasure, but an actually thought-provoking work of literature.
I have been intrigued by this book for so many years, ever since I first read about Anaïs Nin, a French-Cuban-American author with a fascinating personal life worthy of a Hollywood movie.
I actually expected this collection to not deliver much in terms of classically erotic material because it is considered such a classic. I felt like perhaps the
explicitness would be toned down, but I was surprised by Nin’s voice—it is poetic, but unsubtle. There is plenty of descriptive sex, but Nin often interpolates a psychoanalytical perspective into her sex scenes.
Nin’s stories cover a wide range of social taboos like incest, rape, kinks and fetishes, homosexuality, trans identity, necrophilia, etc., and though it can sometimes be a little much, she usually never glamorizes or rejects anything. She simply observes a sexual situation and describes the character’s thoughts and emotions.
Many of her characters, especially the men, are drawn to rape fantasies or incest and Nin comes up with some psychological explanations for these issues based on previous experiences, but one thing I like about her writing is that these are never justifications for the character’s actions, they are simply observations. However, sometimes the male characters do face consequences for their actions, such as in the very first story. So, while I do think Nin is trying to be as morally neutral as possible, there are instances where she clearly states that something is wrong and should not be rationalized.
Overall, this was a delight to read because Nin gives us the best of both worlds: straight-up raunchy erotica and serious literature, and this is a feat that I don’t know if anyone else can ever truly achieve. Of course, some of the stories are better than others, but the collection flows so well and I liked how some of the characters appear in different narratives. I had a great time reading this book and it’s not simply a guilty pleasure, but an actually thought-provoking work of literature.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
"I believe in saying it. There are enough mysteries, and these do not help our enjoyment of each other."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment