This is a collection of short stories that was penned in the 1940s. It was specifically written for a private collector and had no initial intention of being published. We now know that the "collector" was Roy M Johnson of Healdtown Oil. He was not only commissioning this work but also paying others, such as Henry Miller, to write erotica. Nin later provided an explanation for her participation.

“At the time (1941), we were all engaged in writing erotica at a dollar a page. I became aware that for centuries, we had only one model for this literary genre – the writing of men. I was already conscious of a distinct difference between the masculine and feminine treatment of sexual experience.

I know that there was a significant disparity between Henry Miller’s explicitness and my ambiguities – between his humorous, Rabelasian view of sex and my poetic descriptions of sexual relationships in the unpublished portions of the Diary. As I wrote in Volume Three of the Diary, I had a sense that Pandora’s box held the mysteries of women’s sensuality, which was so different from that of men and for which man’s language was insufficient.”

Nin’s language is literary, yet the collection gives me the impression of a “let’s throw everything in, including the kitchen sink” approach. By this, I mean that Nin covers most aspects of erotic writing available, including some that I find unacceptable, such as paedophilia, presumably with the idea that there is something for everyone to like. The debates surrounding consent and ages of consent are complex and have evolved over time and are not the focus of this review. There is undoubtedly a richness to the language, and since Nin didn’t intend for these stories to be published, she experiments with the language and literary devices. As a result, while many of them work well, some are rather cumbersome. What Nin does is to explore human life through the lens of erotica and from a woman’s perspective, creating a sense of sexual possibility.

The main issue I have with erotica in general (and it took me some time to figure this out) is that, for me, it must have a context beyond just being an erotic story where the point is solely the erotica itself.

However, this collection is an assertion of feminine identity and is lyrical and confessional; it doesn't just focus on the action itself but also on the internalizations of the characters.

Similar to this review, my feelings about this collection are mixed, and I definitely think I need to read a lot more of Nin's work to put it into proper context.

This might be the most exciting erotic novel I've read so far (or if anyone has a more exciting one, do tell me, hehe). The language isn't as intense as the stories on the web, but the narrative is still very passionate and interesting to read.

However, if you have a 15-year-old daughter, don't let her read it yet.

Finally, I have picked up this book.

I have long been aware of this collection of short stories, yet previously, I simply didn't have the opportunity to read it. Since I am a devoted fan of Henry Miller, I thought it would be a great idea to explore a book penned by Anaïs Nin, Miller's long-term close companion.

This is indeed a short story collection, or more precisely, a compilation of erotica. Anaïs Nin was approached by an anonymous reader who proposed paying her to write erotic short stories. As the Foreword adeptly elucidates, Nin was instructed to eliminate the poetry and instead focus on the medical and animalistic aspects of sex. Consequently, this collection of erotica reads somewhat like porn, but nonetheless, Nin's writing style flows sensuously, devoid of a mechanical feel or the sense that sex adheres to a particular formula.

The short stories in this collection encompass a wide range of humanity's sexual preferences: from the typical male-female relationship to homosexual pairings (both gay and lesbian), as well as voyeurism and bestiality. It even features a story involving a transgender individual. Some stories are merely 10 pages long, while others are more substantial.

I'm not offering a synopsis here. Suffice it to say that each short story aroused me at some point. However, despite the sexually explicit nature of these stories, the collection is composed of erotica, not pornography. These short stories are not meant to be read solely for the purpose of achieving orgasm. Instead, they reveal the full spectrum of human sexuality. I appreciate the fact that even though this was written in the mid-20th century, Nin was already bold and daring enough to include sexual encounters that were not so conservative and traditional.

One thing that caught my attention, and which I'm not sure how to interpret, is that Nin seems reluctant to use the word "vagina". In fact, the word "vagina" only appears three times in the collection. This stands in sharp contrast to the word "penis", which appears almost once per page. For "vagina", Nin only refers to it as "her sex", and although she uses this term to refer to the male sexual organ as well, the frequency is highly skewed. I don't know why this is the case, but I can't help but think that Nin is still holding back when it comes to vivid descriptions of human sexual activity.

Anyway, I'm glad I finally got the chance to read this book. It's a book that everyone should read at some point. Sex shouldn't be a taboo; everyone engages in it, so what's the point of pretending that what goes on behind closed doors doesn't exist? I applaud Nin for actually writing this and perhaps being one of the first writers to be so extremely frank about it. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

See my other book reviews here.

All in all, the long stories were also ridiculously cute. If I had based my judgment only on the first few short stories of a few pages, I might have given up reading.

Considering the fact that these are stories written in the 1940s, albeit only published in the late 1970s, I can understand the roughness of certain themes (such as homosexuality described without batting an eyelid, for example) and terms. Moreover, so often the protagonists are women who demand and obtain pleasure, another revolutionary concept.

Overall, it was worth reading, even if today it has nothing erotic about it.

These stories offer a unique glimpse into the social and cultural context of the time. They challenge our modern sensibilities and make us reflect on how far we have come in terms of acceptance and understanding. Despite their age, they still have the power to engage and entertain, with their vivid characters and engaging plots. Whether you are interested in literature, history, or simply a good read, these stories are definitely worth checking out.

My opinion about this book is highly polarized. There were stories that I absolutely loved, and others that made me feel nauseous. One really needs a strong stomach to read it.

The ones that dealt with female fantasies seemed interesting to me. However, those that explicitly addressed necrophilia, incest, and other paraphilias... well, no. It was just too much for me.

Please take my comment as a warning. This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains some very disturbing and graphic content that may not be suitable for everyone. While I can appreciate the creativity and boldness of the author in exploring these taboo subjects, I also believe that there should be a limit. Some things are better left unsaid or at least presented in a more tasteful and less explicit manner. Overall, it was an experience reading this book, but not one that I would necessarily recommend to others.

"Read it all and wow"

Within this statement, there is a mixture of pride and suffering together.

To be honest, it is a short story that is "eternal" in a sense.

Eternal in the sense that no matter how many eras and ages pass, these stories are still fresh to new readers as well.

It's really not an easy thing to read more than 10 short stories and finish them all at once (not different from a triad).

From the beginning, believing that many people choose to read to experience the tenderness in the style of Anaïs Nin.

But in the end, they will start to get bored and then pay attention to the plot instead.

The short story that stands out from all the short stories, not because of liking it in a certain way, but because of its excellence.

For us, it is "Pierre". We feel that the content and the most delicate language allow the mind to take a break from the intensity of the first few short stories.

However, we still recommend reading it and giving this book a try at least once.

It has a thrilling atmosphere, unexpectedness, an uncertain atmosphere, and twists and turns, but overall it doesn't make you feel overly intense.

At this point, the utmost pride in having finished reading.

When I picked up this book, the truth is that I didn't expect to find all this. I have to say that I think I've read everything in this life

Noia...

There are only two stars, at most two and a half stars, for this collection of (supposedly) erotic stories by Anaïs Nin. I couldn't wait to file away the reading, which I still wanted to carry on until the end to form my own opinion of this famous book: inconsistent plots and, as one can easily imagine, very repetitive, characters who live exclusively in their world of sex (hetero, homo, and everything and more) and sexual excesses, and who, in my opinion, are not destined to leave a trace in the memory of readers. Yes, there is some hint of psychological introspection for some of the protagonists, especially in the longer stories, but overall there prevails an oppressive sense of boredom that certainly does not invite one to pick up the book impatiently.

Perhaps, rather than erotica, it would be better to speak of pornography in this case, given the meticulous, obsessive, and repeated descriptions of sexual acts present here. Instead, I found the stories in 'The Splendid Flowers in the Embrace of Lovers', recently read, by the medieval and Muslim 'Ali al-Baghdadi to be erotic, as well as some parts of 'Mistral's Daughter' by Judith Krantz, which is not an erotic novel per se but which, at this point, outshines these writings of Nin that, in short, I did not appreciate. In addition, there is an aggravating factor: the author wrote these stories at the request of a client willing to pay. Earning a living from a talent and passion for writing is one thing; writing to make money is another, something that is neither rewarded in quality nor in personal satisfaction.

I reserve the right to read at least one other work by this writer in the future to have the opportunity to evaluate her better.

**"Delta of Venus": A Literary and Erotic Exploration**

Less Poetry!
Most of the stories in "Delta of Venus" were written under a rather unique constraint. Commissioned by an erotica collector who demanded, "Concentrate on sex. Leave out the poetry." Anais Nin initially tried to comply. But as she wrote, she began to use a tongue-in-cheek approach, becoming outlandish and inventive, exaggerating to the point where she thought the collector would realize she was caricaturing sexuality. However, the response was still, "Less poetry." The collector was seeking explicit and clinically precise descriptions of sexual activity.

Pandora's Box
Nin did comply within limits, and what we have on the page is the result. Despite the brief, her writing has a simple and economical elegance that makes it both literature and erotica. The quality of her writing couldn't be suppressed. She was trying to move beyond the clinical and scientific aspects that only capture the physical feelings of the body. She wanted to explore the senses and the heart, and through them, reach the essence and ecstasy of a sexually voracious woman. She believed that Pandora's box contained the mysteries of a woman's sensuality, which was different from a man's and for which man's language was inadequate. The language of sex and the senses was yet to be fully explored.

A New Language
Aside from its erotic appeal, "Delta of Venus" is exciting because it gives the sense that we are witnessing the creation of a new language. There is also a different perspective on sex. Only one story is in the first person, and in the others, "they" are engaging in sexual acts, implicitly including "you and I" or "we," rather than the typical male "me" and female "you" dynamic. This allows the reader, regardless of gender, to witness both sides of the sexual act.

This Little Kernel
The stories focus on a woman's "sex," the vulva, or the delta of Venus. Despite the anatomical detail, there is also attention given to the surroundings where sexual activity occurs and fantasies are realized. The characters are realistically drawn, not just caricatures, and we learn enough about their lives to feel we know them as well as any characters in literary fiction, just with more knowledge of their sex lives.

Into the Groove
Whether inevitably or by design, more and more lyrical sentences manage to slip past the embargo on poetry. Nin's interjaculations add a beautiful and sensuous touch to the stories. Phrases like "His decisiveness in small acts gave her the feeling that he would equally wave aside all obstacles to his greatest desires" and "The first time I felt an orgasm with John, I wept because it was so strong and so marvellous that I did not believe it could happen over and over again" bring a sense of passion and emotion.

The Exquisite Torment of the Ecstatic Wound
There are also descriptive phrases that are both beautiful and erotic, such as "ripe for the final possession...the sensitive opening...the little cry of the ecstatic wound...the core of her sensations." Even if some of these phrases may seem familiar from more recent porn or sexually explicit fiction, what makes them special is that they were created or appropriated by a woman for a woman's purposes,超越了男性的委托和欧利庇得斯式的约束. Some of the artist's essence remains in the work.

This collection of stories is ground-breaking and thoroughly enjoyable. It offers a unique perspective on sex and a new language for expressing it. More stories from this period were published in the sequel "Little Birds." For those familiar with Courbet's "L'origine du monde," the last story contains an interesting allusion that gives equal weight to all in the sexual contest documented by Nin's stories.

SOUNDTRACK:
Madonna - "Into The Groove"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52iW3...

“Sex does not thrive on monotony. Without feeling, inventions, moods, no surprises in bed. Sex must be mixed with tears, laughter, words, promises, scenes, jealousy, envy, all the spices of fear, foreign travel, new faces, novels, stories, dreams, fantasies, music, dancing, opium, wine.”

Provocative, evocative, shocking, and infuriating to some, Anaïs Nin's short story collection from the 1940s is a classic of the erotica genre. It was truly ground-breaking for a woman to write about sex in the way she did, defying all preconceived taboos. This collection is not for the faint of heart or moralists. These stories are not just a means to arouse desire but a comprehensive exploration of the vast landscape of sexuality, sometimes delving into the darkest corners where erotic urges may lead. If you're brave enough to embark on this journey, you'll encounter necrophilia, pedophilia, incest, bestiality, exhibitionism, rape, along with orgies, s&m, sex toys, and countless other forms of sexual behavior. Almost none of the stories are morally prudent, but they are about sexuality, not morality.

In Camille Paglia's words: “Sex is the point of contact between man and nature, where morality and good intentions fall to primitive urges. I called it an intersection. This intersection is the uncanny crossroads of Hecate, where all things return in the night. Eroticism is a realm stalked by ghosts. It is the place beyond the pale, both cursed and enchanted.” This book embodies that quote. The writing style is raw yet never vulgar, even when describing the most vulgar acts, which is brilliant in itself, with a touch of poetry. Nin knows what she's talking about when exploring the erotic, and she does so eloquently, honestly, and naturally, not even bothering to fully showcase her literary talent. She uses erotica not just for arousal but for education and expanding the collective consciousness about everything in the sexual realm, not excluding any perversion, no matter how deviant or socially unacceptable.

What I admire most about the collection is the portrayal of the female perspective of sexual desire, not exclusively tying it to emotions, as is often the case to counter the deeply ingrained shame and guilt associated with a woman's sexuality. Nin's female protagonists are liberated, shameless, and some might say unscrupulous, exhibiting the same obsessive quality of erotic desire that we usually only see in men (Lolita level and beyond). The women in the stories are unapologetic about their needs, free from all social conventions, fully embracing their fixation on sexual pleasure, which has an equal or even stronger intensity than men's.

“I had a feeling that Pandora's box contained the mysteries of woman's sensuality, so different from a man's and for which man's language was so inadequate. The language of sex had yet to be invented. The language of the senses was yet to be explored.” Here, eroticism is all-encompassing, even devouring all other aspects of the characters. We learn about them solely from their sexual activities, exhibitions, and drives, as that is their primary and only motivation, making them somewhat one-dimensional. But that's the point. How much can we learn about ourselves through our sexuality? Psychoanalysts would say everything. Sometimes, looking at someone's sexual activities and habits is enough to expose core psychological problems. But often, it's not that simple. Nevertheless, in some sense, the story our sexuality tells is the narrative of our lives.

Reading Delta of Venus reminded me of my student days in a psychoanalytic seminar that focused on perversions. I loved that seminar, which was a vast exploration of the psychological depths that shape the darkest and most twisted desires. These stories made me recall that feeling, the same drive to understand and explore, not condemn, making you an observer of all kinds of deviant sexual behavior. Later, I discovered that Nin was herself a psychoanalyst (allegedly not a successful one due to the sexual activities she engaged in with her patients, but having read these stories, that's not at all surprising to me). As a psychotherapist, the central and supreme question is not “Is this right or wrong?” but “Why?” And the answer to that question can only be found by facing the entity, not closing our eyes and pretending it doesn't exist.

To shy away from perversion is to shy away from human nature. Yes, sexual urges are sometimes primitive, animalistic, and some might even say demonic. But they are eternal forces in humanity, always at work beneath and beyond social convention. These short stories take you on a journey you would never otherwise embark on, exposing you to things you would probably never encounter in real life or consider witnessing with your own eyes. And that is the great value of literature.

I truly believe that one has to be somewhat sick and twisted to find pleasure in this book. Well, at least in certain parts of it. Here are a few examples of the truly icky and revolting things that Anais Nin writes about in Delta of Venus.

First, there's this guy who lies in bed early in the morning, and some kids who live in the house come in and horse around in his room. He gets aroused and encourages them to play around on top of the covers.

Decades later, the same guy takes custody of his teenage son and daughter and then has sex with them.

Another guy burns a lady's private part with a hot pipe.

There's also a scene where a dude helps another man take a dead body out of the river and then has sex with the dead body while water pours out of her orifices.

And a lady rides a horse bareback and gets all horny from the feel of the horse's rough coat against her clitoris.

And so on.

Yuck, right? I mean, she does have some good writing in the book, but to be honest, it's so overshadowed by the grossness that it's really hard to get lost in the story. That being said, I'll admit that the reason we read Anais Nin in 2009 was more to gain some perspective on the history of erotica rather than for any sexy fun times. There's no doubt that Nin was remarkable, especially considering she was a female working in a male-dominated industry. But her writing is flat and stale, just like this review. Very few of her stories were fully developed, and I found that she was lacking the intense emotional connection that I would expect from a woman writer. The poeticism is noticeably absent. I'm completely and utterly disappointed. Maybe I set my expectations too high.

Here's the blurb on the back of the book (this edition was published in the 1970s): Thirty-five years ago, Anais Nin created the female language for sexuality. She did it for a wealthy male patron for $1.00 a page. He ordered her to "leave out the poetry," but she simply couldn't. The publication of Delta of Venus now makes available to the rest of us the seductive, erotic and full-bodied nature of her writing. And it reveals Anais Nin as a woman ahead of her time.

Well, Mr. (or Ms.) Blurbist, you couldn't be more wrong. Or further from the truth. Whatever.

The first half of the book is mediocre, but starting from the story of Elena, it becomes a masterpiece of unrestrained eroticization.

Here you can find everything in terms of sexual tastes, from necrophilia to bestiality, from sadomasochism to voyeurism.

After all, Nin was not Otto Rank's assistant and lover for nothing.

Her works often explore the complex and taboo aspects of human sexuality, pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable.

The vivid descriptions and bold themes in the book make it a captivating read for those interested in the darker side of human nature.

However, it should be noted that such content may not be suitable for all readers and may cause discomfort or offense.

Overall, the second half of the book offers a unique and thought-provoking exploration of sexuality that is sure to leave a lasting impression.