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svvcker 's review for:
Delta of Venus
by Anaïs Nin
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.