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Rating(4 / 5.0, 75 votes)
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75 reviews
July 14,2025
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This volume of the diary serves as a remarkable documentation of her life in America during a time when war is brutally tearing apart Europe.

Her political consciousness is increasingly coming to the fore in this work. It is as if with each passing day and each entry, her awareness of the political situation and its far-reaching implications grows stronger.

Moreover, her strength in zeroing in on her immediate relationships has been solidified. She seems to have a remarkable ability to focus on the people closest to her, understanding their emotions, needs, and desires.

Paradoxically, this intense focus on the personal is placed within a much broader social context. The events and upheavals happening in the outside world, the war in Europe, are constantly influencing and shaping her personal experiences and relationships.

It is through this unique combination of the personal and the political that her diary offers a truly fascinating and multi-faceted perspective on her life in America during this tumultuous period.

July 14,2025
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Oh, the raw insights that Anais Nin offers in her diary are truly captivating.

It is a journey of self-reflection that takes the reader deep into the recesses of her mind.

The sexual awakening she describes is both bold and unapologetic, revealing a side of human nature that is often hidden.

Her naked thoughts, laid bare on the pages, make for a fascinating read.

Wow, the power of her words is simply astonishing.

If you haven't read The Diary of Anais Nin, you must!

It is a literary masterpiece that will leave you enlightened and inspired.

Her diary is not just a record of her life, but a window into the human psyche.

It is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the depths of the human experience.

So, don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to discover the world of Anais Nin.

Pick up a copy of her diary today and prepare to be amazed.

July 14,2025
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I find myself eagerly digging through her diaries, as if they are mounds of rich soil filled with glittering treasures to me.

Her books always seem to come to me precisely when I most need them, and they never fail to bring me both comfort and new curiosities.

As Olga so aptly says, she is the poet for all of us (women), and she has the remarkable ability to put us in touch with our own souls.

Each diary volume is like a new season of a show, with a fresh setting and a new cast of characters.

In this particular volume, I felt that I didn't know the characters as deeply as I had in the previous two diaries.

But as Nin herself says, in times of war, the souls are confused.

This is entirely expected, as this volume, with the backdrop of the Second World War, is a very dreary one.

However, it also makes sense that this volume contains the most accurate and poetic description of anxiety that I have ever read.

It truly captures the essence of the turmoil and uncertainty that war brings, and it allows the reader to experience those emotions along with the author.

Overall, this diary volume is a powerful and moving piece of literature that offers a unique perspective on a dark and difficult time in history.
July 14,2025
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I find myself in a state of turmoil, longing for a medicine man who can solder my fragmented body and soul back together. Every separation feels like a tear in the fabric of my being. The doctor diagnoses it as the flu, but he fails to see the emptiness within, the extinguished fire. I am a king without a kingdom, an artist without a home, a stranger to luxury, power, bigness, and comfort. I have lost a world, a small human world of love and friendship. I am no adventurer; I yearn for my home, the familiar streets, and those I hold dear.


It is not advisable to linger too long in the polluted air of history. America, too, is in peril due to its cult of toughness and hatred of sensitivity. Someday, it may have to pay a price for this, as the atrophy of feeling breeds criminals.


The nights embrace us like an abyss of sensual warmth, awakening our senses and almost palpable. They caress our skin, and wherever the earth can breathe, so do our bodies. The pulse of nature synchronizes with our own.


I refuse to become hard and callous like those around me. They shrug their shoulders and don another layer of indifference. If people were more knowledgeable about psychology, they would have recognized Hitler as a psychotic killer. Nations can be neurotic, and leaders psychotic. The artist's ivory tower may be the last stronghold for human values, cultural treasures, and man's cult of beauty.


We inhabit an era of destruction, where destruction and creation are sometimes balanced. But now, destruction prevails. People sacrifice their lives for systems that are mere masks for personal power and gain. Against this, I retreat into a small but loving world, a world of devotion, care, work, to combat the disease and madness of the world. Sometimes, a small world can defeat great systems born of delusions.


Man is prohibited from concerning himself with anything other than the struggle for bread. If his capacity for dreaming, imagining, inventing, and experimenting is extinguished in the process, he will become a well-fed robot, dying of spiritual malnutrition. The dream has its purpose, and man cannot survive without it.


When I provided a sensuous or poetic-erotic description, the client would complain. So, I resorted to writing tongue-in-cheek, becoming outlandish, inventive, and exaggerated, hoping he would realize I was caricaturing sexuality. But there was no protest.


I possess an unfortunate weakness. I cannot flourish in the cold and impersonal. So, I withdraw. Not all of us are meant to be tied down to the daily humdrum work. Some of us, who reject monotonous tasks, have developed a magnificent gift for living.


The symbolic interpretation is the only one that expands and enlarges the world, making it boundless and illimitable. All others reduce it. Marxism simplifies it to the practical. Dreams, mysteries, myths, and symbols are as essential as bread. We cannot exist forever solely in the actual and the present; otherwise, we will suffocate. The realm of the literal is a prison.


When one is uprooted and transplanted, there is a temporary withering. I always panic, thinking it is permanent. I believed my life was shrinking. I have a hunch that Pandora's box holds the mysteries of woman's sensuality, so distinct from man's, and for which man's language is inadequate. The language of sex remains to be invented.


If one lives as a poet, the poet's duty is to maintain his power to create the marvelous through contagion. If he can remain within a dream and communicate this capacity to others by osmosis, that is excellent. But he should not step out of this dream to preach or meddle with political and practical constructions. Let him remain a poet and reveal magic coincidences and possibilities. The one who has the vision is not necessarily the one who knows how to actualize or embody it.


Here, I experience a sense of invisibility. As I walk by, everyone either fails to see or pretends not to. Joy is like a foam, an illumination. When I dance, it seems to lie outside in an illusory garden. When I am in the garden, it explodes from the house. When I travel, it settles like the aurora borealis over the land I am leaving. When I stand on the shore, I witness it blooming on the flag of a departing ship. Joy is present in the street fair, but when I arrive, it folds its tent, tidies its costumes, and starts its motor. Have I ever truly possessed it? At times, a joy arrives in the form of ecstasy, ecstasy in lovemaking, a soaring, a lyrical flight, joy at beauty, desire, and creation. But it is rare and fleeting. I desire a joy that takes simple colors, street organs, ribbons, and flags, not a joy that takes one's breath away and hurls one into space. Not a joy like the mystic's or the poet's ecstasies that lift one into an atmosphere others cannot share. There are numerous joys, and I have only known the ones that arrive like a miracle, casting light on ordinary life.


I thought that with him, things would be different. Knowing my struggles, he would not burden me. But he did. Moreover, he demanded a harshness equal to his own. If I must fabricate an equal hardness, then I do not desire any friendship on such terms. I long to trust, not to live in perpetual self-defense.


When these things explode, we are shocked like people who were asleep, for none of us were informed enough to predict or prepare ourselves. We were all caught sleeping, dreaming, loving, and working.


If the world loves war and destruction, I will not conform. I will continue to love and write until the bomb falls. I will not quit, abdicate, or play its game of death and power.


I want to work. I have no time for battles. The relationship to handcraft is a beautiful one. You live with your hands, engaging in acts of physical deftness. At the end of the day, you can see your work, weigh it. It is done. It exists. Discovering others' weakness does not prove your strength. We all have weaknesses. The knowledge of human weakness is what赋予 friendship its humanity. You must seek another protagonist. I do not thrive on war. War, to me, is the greatest weakness of all.


Out in the world, fifty English soldiers are bayoneted after surrendering. Women are raped by the Japanese. Bali and Java are invaded. Paris is bombarded by the English. India rebels against the English. Ships are torpedoed. Pictures of Polish dead, camp victims, slow starvation, torture, and murders abound. That is the world outside. And what can one do but preserve some semblance of human life, seeking the not-savage, not-barbaric forms of life?


In writing, my only discipline has been to eliminate the unessential. My underground success persists from person to person, fervent, secret, and quiet. There is a fear that the development of women will make her less of a wife, a mate, that they might lose her. Frances is attentive to Tom's writing, concerned about his struggles. Tom, however, is not concerned with Frances' expansion or gifts. The same holds true for the other women I know.


He bound her femininity as the Chinese bound their women's feet. He polished her language, manners, and impulses. And don't tie up your work with the idea that it is the solution to our economic ills. Do it for its own sake, purely. Enjoy it!


The drama of woman's development is excruciating, for in each case, the man seems to punish all growth. So, the woman intent on growth selects a yielding, passive man who will not interfere with her growth or evolution. But in the end, his weakness destroys her.


You encompassed too much. You had no sense of reality regarding the body - the limitations of the body. Woman communicates with the cosmos through the earth, through her maternal self. So, you become the all-mother, giving out endlessly. You attempted the infinite with a finite human body.


The magic lies in the fact that the changes you effect within yourself in turn influence others. Anxiety begets anxiety, doubt begets doubt, fear begets fear. As you free yourself from yours, there is a chain reaction among all those around and close to you. Tranquility is contagious. We only think of the contagiousness of illness, but there is also the contagion of serenity and joy. Neurosis is the real demon, the only true possession, the real evil force in the world. And it is curable.


My imagination always draws me out into the night. I desire to be everywhere. Lying down, I feel I am missing the heart of passion, drama, and adventures. "More light" is what Goethe meant to convey. The atoms themselves are composed of light. How, then, could there be more LIGHT? Yet, you have accomplished this miracle that Goethe, on his deathbed, dreamed of. You create more light by seeing more light.


There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, through instant illumination. Most of them acquire it piece by piece, on a small scale, through successive cellular developments, like a laborious mosaic. Stories are the only possible enchantment, for when we begin to view our suffering as a story, we are saved. It is the balm of the primitive, the means to exorcise a terrifying life.
July 14,2025
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Anais is a truly beautiful writer.

However, I find myself feeling a sense of guilt for having put this book down on several occasions.

For some inexplicable reason, it seems that I just can't seem to bring myself to finish it.

I think my interest lies more in her history with Henry Miller and her relationships with other writers of that particular period.

Even though her life was spectacular in its own unique way.

Perhaps I should have begun with volume 1 instead.

This might have provided me with a better understanding and context for her work and the events that shaped her.

Nevertheless, I still appreciate the beauty and depth of her writing, and I hope to one day be able to fully immerse myself in her words and complete this book.

July 14,2025
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The original article is so beautifully written.

It showcases a remarkable command of the language, with words flowing seamlessly to create a vivid and engaging narrative.

The author's use of descriptive language brings the story to life, allowing the reader to easily envision the scenes and characters.

Every sentence seems to have been carefully crafted, adding depth and nuance to the overall piece.

It is truly a pleasure to read such a well-written article, and it leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

One can't help but admire the author's talent and creativity in producing such a literary gem.

It serves as an inspiration for aspiring writers, demonstrating the power of words and the art of storytelling.

Overall, this article is a shining example of excellent writing that should be cherished and shared.

July 14,2025
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I stayed awake until 3:15 a.m. just to finish this one. Lol.

It was a long and tiring night, but I was determined to get it done.

Now that it's completed, a review is coming "soon".

I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts and opinions on this with you all.

Hopefully, it'll be worth the wait.

Stay tuned for the review, and in the meantime, have a great day!

I'm sure you'll find the review interesting and informative.

Thanks for your patience and support.

See you soon!
July 14,2025
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A Beautiful Soul

I read Volume I (1931 - 1934) some time ago and initially caught a glimpse of Nin. Her connection or friendship, or however one might choose to define it, with Henry Miller was highly platonic yet deeply emotionally invested in the first volume. I firmly believe that June, Henry's wife at that time, also played a crucial role in that regard. Age was another factor. In Volume III (1939 - 1944), one witnesses Nin and Henry's understanding of each other through a series of letters and visits. It becomes evident how the two disregard each other's negatives and appreciate each other for who they are. They are always willing to go the extra mile for one another. However, this was also a common trait of Nin and the people around her. She overlooked people's faults and would even give them her last dollar.

At one point in the diary, she is requested to write erotica but without the feelings, emotions, love, etc. This was a special request made by a paying customer. During the process of writing these stories, one can see how painful it was for her. Love-making without love. Later on, after writing a few stories, she decides to write and inform the individual that she can no longer provide such a service as it is essentially harmful to her writing and the whole purpose of her life.

There is a great deal more packed into this novel than what I have described. But it is, to say the least, a very well-written book. It offers a profound exploration of relationships, emotions, and the human spirit. Nin's ability to convey her thoughts and experiences in such a vivid and engaging manner is truly remarkable. The book takes the reader on a journey through her life, filled with love, passion, and self-discovery. It is a must-read for anyone interested in literature, psychology, or the human condition.
July 14,2025
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Nin, a strong advocate of psychoanalysis, desires to apply it to every situation, similar to how we ubiquitously use DNA analysis. She was deeply involved in a vast amount of art, making it difficult to envision the full extent of her influence. Additionally, she vividly describes the hardships of life. Most of the time, everyone is short of money.

However, the big letdown is that I had been led to believe she was an eager eroticist and libertine, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Apart from her reluctant page-by-page porn job, she is practically a prude, despite being a dedicated supporter of Miller. One wonders how they managed to purchase that printing press.

Perhaps there are hidden aspects of Nin's character and her relationship with Miller that remain to be uncovered. It makes one question the true nature of her beliefs and actions, and how they interacted with the artistic and intellectual milieu of her time.

Further exploration into her life and work might shed more light on these mysteries and provide a more comprehensive understanding of this complex figure.
July 14,2025
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Her series of six diaries are some of my favorite books of all time.

Each diary is like a precious treasure chest, filled with her innermost thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

As I turn the pages, I am drawn into her world, sharing in her joys and sorrows.

The way she writes is so vivid and engaging that I can almost picture myself right there with her.

These diaries have taught me so much about life, love, and friendship.

They have also inspired me to be more open and honest with myself and others.

I will always cherish these books and continue to revisit them whenever I need a source of inspiration or comfort.
July 14,2025
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**Original Article**: This is a simple article. It needs to be rewritten and expanded.

**Expanded Article**:
This is a rather simple article.

It lacks the necessary details and depth that would make it more engaging and interesting to read.

In order to improve its quality, it needs to be rewritten and expanded significantly.

We can start by adding more specific examples and illustrations to support the main points.

Also, we can enhance the description and use more vivid language to paint a clearer picture in the reader's mind.

By doing so, the article will become more comprehensive and valuable, capable of capturing the reader's attention and providing them with useful information.

Overall, the process of rewriting and expanding this article is crucial for its improvement and success.
July 14,2025
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It's truly good, yet it is so extremely hard to finish!! This task or activity, whatever it may be, holds great value and potential. However, the path to its completion is filled with numerous challenges and difficulties. Every step forward requires a significant amount of effort and determination.


One might feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task at hand. The complexity and intricacy involved can make it seem almost insurmountable. But despite all the hardships, there is still a glimmer of hope. The knowledge that once it is completed, the sense of achievement will be immense keeps one going.


It's a constant battle between giving up and persevering. The desire to see the end result and experience the satisfaction that comes with it pushes us to continue, even when the going gets tough. So, although it's sooo hard to finish, we must not lose sight of the goal and keep striving towards it.

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