Product Description

In Delta of Venus Anaïs Nin conjures up a glittering cascade of sexual encounters. Creating her own 'language of the senses', she explores an area that was previously the domain of male writers and brings to it her own unique perceptions. Her vibrant and impassioned prose evokes the essence of female sexuality in a world where only love has meaning. Her second volume of erotic writings, Little Birds, is also published by Penguin.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11028 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Partly of Spanish origin, Anaïs Nin was also of Cuban, French and Danish descent. She was born in Paris and spent her childhood in various parts of Europe. Her father left the family for another woman, which shocked Anaïs profoundly and was the reason for her mother to take her and her two brothers to live in the United States. Later Anaïs Nin moved to Paris with her husband, and they lived in France from 1924 to 1939, when Americans left on account of the war. She was analysed in the 1930s by René Allendy and subsequently by Otto Rank, with whom she also studied briefly in the summer of 1934. She became acquainted with many well-known writers and artists, and wrote a series of novels and stories. Her first book – a defence of D. H. Lawrence – was published in the 1930s. Her prose poem, House of Incest (1936) was followed by the collection of three novellas, Winter of Artifice (1939). The quality and originality of her work were evident at an early stage but, as is often the case with avant-garde writers, it took time for her to achieve wide recognition. The international publication of her Journals won her new admirers in many parts of the world, particularly among young people and students. Her novels, Ladders to Fire, Children of the Albatross, The Four-Chambered Heart, A Spy in the House of Love and Seduction of the Minotaur were first published in the United States between the 1940s and the 1960s, and eventually gathered in Cities of the Interior. She also wrote a collection of short stories, Under a Glass Bell. In the 1940s she began to write erotica for an anonymous client, and these pieces are collected in Delta of Venus and Little Birds (both published posthumously). Penguin also publish A Woman Speaks, a collection of lectures and interviews; Journal of a Wife,/i>, the third volume of The Early Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1923–1927; In Favour of the Sensitive Man and Other Essays; and, most recently, The Early Diary 1927–1931, which is the fourth volume of her diary. Henry and June, a chronicle of her passionate involvement with Henry Miller and his wife June Mansfield, and Incest are the new volumes of the 'unexpurgated diary' of Anaïs Nin, distinguishable from her previously published volumes by the references to both her husband and her love life. Her books have been translated into twenty-six languages around the world. During her later years Anaïs Nin lectured frequently at universities throughout the USA. In 1973 she received an honorary doctorate from Philadelphia College of Art and in 1974 was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. She died in Los Angeles in 1977.

Customer Reviews

Uninhibited, poetic and sensual
"Delta of Venus" remains a very special work of erotic fiction. There is a glut of erotica on the marketplace these days, much of which far more obviously sexy than "Delta of Venus" - but, more often than not, the reader ends up laughing at the creaky writing and over-the-top sex scenes.

Anais Nin's book is very different. Her prose is perfurmed, intoxicating, rather than blatant, and she allows the realm of emotion to inform her stories. Although this may not sound expecially sexy in these "in your face" days, in fact Nin's work is profoundly erotic and deeply affecting. The writing is as subtle and powerful as a Debussy prelude. A feast for the senses.

An erotic feast for the senses
Delta of Venus is a spellbinding collection of short stories, each detailing a specific erotic encounter. Some of the themes are shocking; dealing with taboos that are rarely written about, but Nin writes with such sensitivity and flair that you are swept along with the adventure willingly. The images are vividly sensual and her passion for detail ensures that the reader is always captivated and involved. Nin writes from a feminine persective that will excite and intruige male readers and amaze women with her understanding of the female pysche. The characters are well-defined and herein lies her success: their personalities are the catalyst for the action. She brings them, and the situations that they find themselves in, vibrantly to life. There is something for everyone here. This is a book that will appeal to those who are looking for something more than a mindless romp: it is a beautifully written, thoughtful and most of all dazzlingly erotic book that will keep you thinking long after you have turned the last page. Nin is perhaps best known for her diaries, and Incest, the unexpurgated diary of 1932-34 is highly recommended if you are interested in getting to know the creator of Delta of Venus. The second volume in the "Journal of Love" series, Henry and June is also captivating.

The forgotten beauty of the short story
Sometimes, just sometimes a writer is able to use the short story to give us a glimpse of a world where the characters are real, where you know they have had a past and will have a future, where the moments that we have them for, are taken from a real life. Whatever we know about Anais Nin, the bigamy, the Henry Miller affair, dosn't dilute from the fact that she was a storyteller, a storyteller of passion and great ability, and Delta of Venus is where she excelled in putting her understanding of the erotic on the page.