Henry and June: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1931-1932

A beautiful excuse... The one that a woman would disclose only to a journal intended for others to read, be it by Hudo, Henry, Alandy, June, or those people to whom she is bound. It could be about an affair, love, an obsession, lust, craving, or whatever feeling she harbors...

She writes simply and plainly, sometimes perhaps too simply, with a smooth flow of short sentences. I read it with pleasure, underlining paragraphs with a pencil that would strike a chord with something very intimate within me. However, I often grow tired and even sick of her, her excuses, her perception of people, events, and herself...

Anyway, for some women, this book can serve as an inspiration; for others, it may be a bitter truth; yet for still others, it is just another excuse, a woman's attempt to justify her existence.

But I love her, despite her sentimentalism and the way she is. I love her... I wish I could have met her in her time and engaged in a long evening talk... laughing at the 'things' that we pretend matter the most!

The way Anais Nin writes in "Henry and June" is truly remarkable. It is obsessive, with her thoughts circling around certain themes again and again. The cyclical and repetitive nature of her writing gives it a sense of rhythm and intensity. At the same time, it is poetic, filled with beautiful and passionate language that brings her experiences to life.

I believe that the dizzying and obsessing descriptions of the sexual and emotional aspects of her life resonate with the inner thoughts of many. Although Nin's diaries have faced some质疑, we should not let the question of historical facts prevent us from reading this incredibly intimate and self-analyzing text.

This book is clearly about one woman's perception of her daily life, her inner struggles, and how they impact her personal and creative affairs. When I read it, I was immediately struck by its eroticism and reflectiveness. It contains the musings of a dreamer who is determined to make her dreams a reality.

True, Anais Nin may have been selfish and lived a life that many would disapprove of. But she was also a passionate woman who lived life on her own terms, which was quite outrageous for her time. And for that, I have a great deal of admiration for her and her work.

This bipolar roller-coaster of a love triangle between Anais Nin, Henry Miller, and Henry's wife June was an absolute whirlwind that left me completely drained.

I found myself constantly waffling between the determination to force myself to finish the account and the temptation to simply quit. In the end, I managed to read most of it, except for approximately 30 pages.

If I ever had the slightest inkling that I was neurotic or overly self-analytical, well, I can now rest easy, knowing that I pale in comparison to these individuals.

I firmly believe that I am an open-minded and non-judgmental person. However, throughout my reading, all I could feel within myself towards Anais, Henry, and June was a jumble of confusion and exasperation.

I experienced frustration, impatience, and yes, even judgment. The only parts of the story that held any real interest for me were the therapy sessions. (After all, I am a therapist myself.)

But then, I was left frustrated when Anais claimed she was done with therapy yet continued to repeat the same patterns, perhaps even exacerbating them. (She went from relying on clothing and makeup to seek approval, to feeling confident in herself without the need for elaborate adornment, only to then get a nose job. What was that all about?)

I truly didn't like the aspects of myself that this book seemed to arouse - the judgment, the feeling of superiority, the annoyance. And it's极为罕见 for me to feel no empathy whatsoever. But in this case, that's exactly how I felt.

There are undoubtedly many other things I could say, and perhaps there are some interesting insights to be gleaned about men and women. But in the end, all of my inner experience boiled down to this: Good riddance.

I can't precisely recall the very first instance when I delved into Nin's short stories. Technically, I might have been a touch too young for that sort of material. My mom left all her books scattered around, not really believing in hiding the R-rated stuff. However, I feel strangely fortunate to have been exposed to her writing at an early age as it clearly had a positive influence on my ideas about sex. Her emphasis on sensuality, her honesty and frankness regarding the beautiful and complex emotions associated with sex, the diversity of her characters, and her female characters' enjoyment of their bodies - this kind of content is not typically what a teenager is exposed to, which is a pity. But more significantly, I learned from Nin that sex is something that can be written about shamelessly and beautifully, that one can create literature out of dirty stories, and that is truly a wonderful thing! I'll always have a special place in my heart for her work.

But "Henry and June" is not fictional; its material is more or less directly lifted from Nin's extremely detailed diaries and documents the intense year of her life when she first met Henry Miller (whose work I've never read but must now definitely get to) and his wife June. Nin initially becomes fascinated with June but quickly develops feelings for Henry as well. The whole situation rapidly turns into a blend of obsession, intense physical desire, intellectual stimulation, and a search for personal identity. The two writers embark on a passionate affair while perfectly understanding that neither of them will leave their respective spouses. The affair eventually comes to an end, but they remain in touch for the rest of their lives, having left a lasting influence on each other.

Nin was psychoanalyzed when the science was still relatively new, and she was an insightful amateur analyst herself. She kept a meticulous and deeply introspective record of her life, spending a great deal of time detailing her inner world and attempting to understand it. In this book, she grapples with conflicting desires and ideas, trying to make sense of it all with varying degrees of success.

In Anaïs Nin, I have discovered a kindred spirit of sorts: a pervert* and an iconoclast, but also a feminist (yes, you read that correctly) who felt both very strong and deeply vulnerable simultaneously and had a really difficult time reconciling those aspects of herself. That wonderful quote: "I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman" perfectly captures how I felt in my search for a partner. I read that sentence and wanted to shout: "This! This is what I've been looking for my entire life!" and eventually found in my husband. It felt like such a huge contradiction to be happy to "submit" to someone and still be assertive and living on my own terms; Anaïs clearly struggled with that conundrum - though I understand she never truly resolved it.

No, she is not perfect, not always likable, or even moral. The idea of all that lying and cheating actually repulses me. I wouldn't want to spend time with someone so selfish and fickle. But it is a complete error and an egregious simplification to reduce this book to mere erotica or dismiss it because its author is not a very nice person, as there is a great deal more happening here than just smut. The honest attempt to untangle her feelings, reactions, and understand herself is fascinating, the prose is absolutely breathtaking, and to be honest, it makes me feel dreamy to read about people who had such strong intellectual and physical bonds. After all, most people forget that the brain is where most of the arousal occurs.

It was also interesting to find what is clearly the seed of some of her short stories in the anecdotes she wrote in this journal. Anyone familiar with the "Little Birds" collection (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) will notice a few sentences, a few events that very obviously inspired Nin's fiction later on.

Five stars for the pure reading pleasure and for the entrancing journey into the mind of a very unique writer.

*I use the word pervert here for lack of a better one: I can't find a word that means "someone who shamelessly enjoys sex and refuses to be judged as a human being based on that aspect of themselves" and doesn't mean deviant or into alternative sex (whatever the hell that means).

One of the most erotic, intimate, romantic literary novels I've ever read!!!

This novel takes the reader on a passionate journey filled with intense emotions and sensuous descriptions. The characters' relationships are explored in great detail, revealing the depth of their desires and the complexity of their hearts.

The author's writing style is both beautiful and captivating, painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind and making them feel as if they are a part of the story.

Every page is filled with anticipation and excitement, as the plot unfolds and the characters face their challenges and overcome their obstacles.

It's a novel that will leave you breathless and longing for more, a true masterpiece of erotic literature.

Dear Anaïs,

You really think way too much. It's high time you started acting your age. You should seriously consider getting a job. After all, having a job gives you a sense of purpose and helps you become more independent.

Also, you need to decide whether you want to honor your marriage vows or get a divorce. You can't keep living in this state of limbo.

You're behaving like a teenager who is always carrying a tattered, doodled spiral-bound notebook and has a Starbucks prepaid account app.

Or maybe you're like one of those modern-day hipsters, a trustafarian who thinks you're being so edgy in your ragged velvet dress with holes in the elbows. You go to dive cafés, thinking you're going against convention, and you're bicurious with the friend of the day.

But the truth is, you're not as deep or avant-garde as you think you are. You're just being self-indulgent, inconstant, and quite frankly, annoying. You're not really sucking the marrow out of life; you're just, well, sucking.

It's time for you to grow up. Get out into the real world and take on some responsibility. Only then will you have something truly meaningful and real to write about.

Sincerely,

A Twenty-first Century Woman

Whenever I read Anaïs Nin, I am immediately transported into a world that seems to mirror the deepest recesses of my own mind. Her words have a magical quality that makes me feel as if she is describing the very thoughts and emotions that reside within the core of my soul. It's as if she has tapped into a universal language of the heart and is able to express those intangible feelings that we often struggle to put into words ourselves.

Each sentence she writes is like a precious gem, shining a light on a different aspect of the human experience. Whether she is exploring themes of love, desire, or self-discovery, Nin's writing always manages to strike a chord within me. It makes me question my own beliefs and values, and encourages me to look deeper within myself to uncover the truths that lie hidden beneath the surface.

Reading Anaïs Nin is not just an act of consuming words on a page; it is a journey of self-exploration and growth. Her writing has the power to inspire, to move, and to transform. It makes me believe that there is beauty and meaning in even the most complex and difficult of emotions, and that by embracing them, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Oh wow,

What a remarkable tale this is, and what an astonishing personality Anaïs Nin is. Her writing is truly beautiful, like a flowing river of words that carry the reader along. Her observations and descriptions are of the highest caliber, painting vivid pictures in the mind's eye.

However, the only reason this book receives 4 stars is because of the significant amount of repetition within it. I understand that this could potentially be seen as unfair, considering it is a diary and perhaps this is precisely how events unfolded. But after a while, it确实 became tiresome.

Despite this minor drawback, the overall beauty and depth of Anaïs Nin's writing still shine through, making this a captivating read that offers unique insights into her life and thoughts.