Iāve had this infamous volume Incest: From a Journal of Love: The Unexpurgated Diary of AnaĆÆs Nin, for years; I honestly just bought it because of the provocative title and because I had heard of her but was unfamiliar with her or her work (sub-rec: finally reading the books you actually own that have been sitting on the shelf). The concept of the narratives we create about our own lives has been on my mind lately as I write a narrative of my own; I was reminded of Nin when thinking about what Gore Vidal wrote (and didnāt write!) about her in his memoir, Palimpsest. After reading interviews with her + and articles about her life and her approach to publishing her journals (linked)āand seeing myself in her ways of coping, processing, and engaging with the worldāIām very excited to interrupt my own languorous navel-gazing reflection during my protracted period of post-holiday down-time and delve into hers/become too intimately acquainted with her delusional girl persona. The title pretty much exactly shows what to expect here, so itās probably going to be an uncomfortable, gut-wrenching and painful read, to say the least, but it should be illuminatingā¦ pray for my stomach and my heart but itās a great place to start
cristobalforyou she was such a singular and self-possessed woman and let her delusional girl persona take the wheel in her life Iām a little obsessed
Miss AnaĆÆs Nin really serves it to us hot in her published journals. doesnāt hold back. Iām reading one now that I think her estate waited to publish after everyone involved was dead and honey I see why. I need to know what her sign was but I refuse to learn until I finish this book. I wish I could read the journals of people I know
This might be one of the best books I've ever read. Like any great piece of art, every concept and theme is interwoven and unfolds endlessly.
Is it a feminist text about what it means to be a woman who gives so much of herself to others who won't get well?
Is it a book about an artist's relationship to reality?
Is living in "the dream" an immaterial, irresponsible vice, or a profound act of courage and life in the modern world?
Is it beautiful look into the culture of the inter-war period?
Is Anais Nin just the most compelling character in her own life(and perhaps yours)?
You'll have to read it to find out!
Thanks @TATERHOLE for getting me into it!
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyābe it a relative or one of my best friendsāwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too š
