Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

Our home for the discussion of Delta of Venus, by Anaïs Nin. Feel free to add thoughts and comments about the book.

Please be wary of possible spoilers.

I am abandoning this book -- I read about a third of it but I hadn't expected it to be explicit "erotica". And a small quibble -- why is this on the Guardian list when it isn't a novel at all but a collection of short stories?

Perhaps because it's a collection of short stories that are thematically related rather than just one short story?

I also found it a bit of a challenge at times. I couldn't tell whether they were getting less extreme as I read, or if I was just getting accustomed to it. It's certainly not a book to be read on a crowded train, anyway.

Iona wrote: "Perhaps because it's a collection of short stories that are thematically related rather than just one short story? ..."

I think it was just sloppiness on the part of the Guardian -- despite the "novels only" caveat, the list also contains at least one memoir/autobiography (My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell).

You're probably right. Another annoying thing about the lists is that they count some series of books (the Discworld Series, His Dark Materials, even the Narnia books) as one book, meaning there are actually far more than 1000 listed :P

Iona wrote: " they count some series of books"

Not to mention "In search of lost time", in which each one of the 7 is a daunting book, size-wise, in and of itself!

I just started this book last night, though, and was a bit surprised at the first chapter. I am guessing from your comments that it doesn't lighten up...

Don't give up Kaycie! It does get better / less graphic in later parts. I contemplated putting it down a couple of times at the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Oh don't worry, I wasn't going to give up! I was just going to brace myself for the rest of it! :-)

I'm actually a huge admirer of Nin - her diaries / memoirs are amazing. A woman who *really* didn't live by society's rules. Haven't started this one yet, but Henry and June was a great read - beautiful and brave.

Phil - The book I am reading has some excerpts from Nin's diaries as the introduction to the book, and, so far, I liked those a lot better than the book itself. I might have to go and check out her diaries at some point. So far, the stories for me seem like she was going for extreme shock value, so they are quite ridiculous and graphic.

The two books of erotica (this one, Delta of venus and another called Little Birds) were written pseudonymously for the parisian publishing house Olympia Press and were only published in Nin's name after her death - along with the unexpurgated diaries. she really is a fascinating woman - I'd love to read a good biography of her.

They were also - very much - written for money ;)

Phil wrote: "They were also - very much - written for money ;)"

Ya, I read that in the intro, and it really shows, I think. I do like her writing, but I think I might prefer the diaries to something written specifically for shock value.

I started reading this yesterday and the introduction clearly states she, Henry Miller and other authors were writing about sex for the money. A 'client' of the publisher paid a dollar a page for sex stories without the 'poetry'. I got the impression that she didn't like writing without the 'poetry' and I expect she pushed the content to the extreme because of this.

I like her style of writing but I have found the content of this so far is a bit yuck.

Christine wrote: "I like her style of writing but I have found the content of this so far is a bit yuck."

That was my feeling which is why I ended up giving up on it. Now reading some of the comments I guess maybe I should have persevered but I would rather wait and read her diaries or something else she has written.

Leslie wrote: "Christine wrote: "I like her style of writing but I have found the content of this so far is a bit yuck."

That was my feeling which is why I ended up giving up on it. Now reading some of the comm..."

I have persevered and it is improving (although I'm not sure if that is the right word), however, I agree with Nin's view that writing about sex without the 'poetry' is quite base. I think you need warmth and love between the characters to create sensual and erotic writing. What do other people think, or am I talking rubbish?

It's also just occurred to me that each story starts off reasonably ok and then she twists the story so it ends grossly. Which was probably her way of saying 'up yours' to the dollar a page client.

Christine wrote: "I think you need warmth and love between the characters to create sensual and erotic writing. What do other people think, or am I talking rubbish? "

Completely agree!

It's also just occurred to me that each story starts off reasonably ok and then she twists the story so it ends grossly.

I also completely agree with this! And the twists were usually just SO absurd, it also made me painfully aware each time that she was both writing these for money and trying to make a statement to the person who was paying her.


But I also ultimately agree that the stories did improve a bit as I went through the book. I think I still have one left, but there isn't anything quite as ridiculous as the first few. Regardless, it isn't at all what I was expecting.

Just finished this. I found the stories did improve and I loved her writing style. I think I will read something else by Anais Nin in the future.

I quite fancy having a look at her diaries at some point. She sounds like an intriguing woman