<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: The Dawn
Review: Anaïs Nin's writing fascinates me. She did not seem aware that there is an inner and an outer world. These worlds seem to merge in her writing. All that she experiences within the inner labyrinths of her life flow out into her writing. Reading her diaries is like walking into the depths of a woman's mind. A woman who is not afraid of the experience of life. She describes scenes where your soul longs to be. She intoxicates with stories of people you would want to meet. It does seem possible to enjoy Anaïs Nin's writing without wanting to live a similar life. She often seems lost and at times her life takes tragic turns and dives into sadness. She has such an intense desire to live life so fully that I think it almost destroys her soul at times. She does seem willing to be an active participant in own experiments. Side 1: "On clear nights one can see Paris." The beauty of her life is recorded in poetic wanderings, descriptions of when she met Henry Miller and vivid recollections of living in Louveciennes. She describes her home, the walls, the gate and the garden. She describes how she alternates between high moments of creativity and lower moments of housework which fails to make her feel alive. She mentions wanting to kill herself and explores possible reasons why she often wishes her life would end. Yet, she says she will not take poison. This seems to be the most intimate recording. You can see Anaïs emerging from a dark place she has been hiding. Finally, she seems to find a comfort level, a soul sanctuary. When she meets Henry, she can finally be her true self. It seems she finds a reason to live. We learn of Henry Miller's wife and Anaïs describes him as dangerous. He baffles her and yet later becomes her soul mate. I love the part where she explains how Henry even notices the hissing of the damp log in the fireplace. She becomes intoxicated with his nature because he is intoxicated with life. While she herself is a brilliant weaver of words, she says: " I tried to look up in the dictionary, some of the words he uses, but they were not there." At parties, she looks for exits, but we find her dreamily sitting watching the dawn and talking to Henry. She suddenly realizes that Henry is the only one who can keep her up all night, talking in a café until dawn. Side 2: May 25, 1932/July, 1932/March, 1933/May, 1933 Anaïs contemplates unique thoughts about men, she talks to Henry Miller and then discusses a time when she sees her father. I am amazed at how forgiving she is and how she is willing to let the past go. Side 3: August, 1934 It really did make me tense to listen to her describing a violent birthing experience. I had put in the tape and was listening as I was falling asleep and I can tell you, I had to listen to side 4 to get to sleep. So, I can't really recommend "Side Three" on the second tape. I wish they had recorded something poetic and beautiful. Side 4: April 1934 On a trip to Morocco she observes market life, veiled women, a man asleep over a bag of saffron and boys making lamps. This was an exquisite recording describing beauty, intrigue and adventure. I love her "travel writing." She sees the area she is visiting as an outer representation of her inner world. She follows women and observes their unique customs and steam baths. Each time I listened to this tape, I heard something different. There are so many details, it is impossible to imagine everything when you first hear this tape. What I most enjoyed was Anais Nin's calming voice, her beautiful accent and appreciation for beauty. Her voice creates a wistful, almost meditative mood. At times there is an undercurrent of sadness and longing in her voice. Anais Nin reads selections from volumes 1 and 2, 1931-1934. If you have read her diaries, the tapes give more insight into her life. 2 Cassettes
Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Rating:
Summary: The Dawn
Review: Anaïs Nin's writing fascinates me. She did not seem aware that there is an inner and an outer world. These worlds seem to merge in her writing. All that she experiences within the inner labyrinths of her life flow out into her writing. Reading her diaries is like walking into the depths of a woman's mind. A woman who is not afraid of the experience of life. She describes scenes where your soul longs to be. She intoxicates with stories of people you would want to meet. It does seem possible to enjoy Anaïs Nin's writing without wanting to live a similar life. She often seems lost and at times her life takes tragic turns and dives into sadness. She has such an intense desire to live life so fully that I think it almost destroys her soul at times. She does seem willing to be an active participant in own experiments. Side 1: "On clear nights one can see Paris." The beauty of her life is recorded in poetic wanderings, descriptions of when she met Henry Miller and vivid recollections of living in Louveciennes. She describes her home, the walls, the gate and the garden. She describes how she alternates between high moments of creativity and lower moments of housework which fails to make her feel alive. She mentions wanting to kill herself and explores possible reasons why she often wishes her life would end. Yet, she says she will not take poison. This seems to be the most intimate recording. You can see Anaïs emerging from a dark place she has been hiding. Finally, she seems to find a comfort level, a soul sanctuary. When she meets Henry, she can finally be her true self. It seems she finds a reason to live. We learn of Henry Miller's wife and Anaïs describes him as dangerous. He baffles her and yet later becomes her soul mate. I love the part where she explains how Henry even notices the hissing of the damp log in the fireplace. She becomes intoxicated with his nature because he is intoxicated with life. While she herself is a brilliant weaver of words, she says: " I tried to look up in the dictionary, some of the words he uses, but they were not there." At parties, she looks for exits, but we find her dreamily sitting watching the dawn and talking to Henry. She suddenly realizes that Henry is the only one who can keep her up all night, talking in a café until dawn. Side 2: May 25, 1932/July, 1932/March, 1933/May, 1933 Anaïs contemplates unique thoughts about men, she talks to Henry Miller and then discusses a time when she sees her father. I am amazed at how forgiving she is and how she is willing to let the past go. Side 3: August, 1934 It really did make me tense to listen to her describing a violent birthing experience. I had put in the tape and was listening as I was falling asleep and I can tell you, I had to listen to side 4 to get to sleep. So, I can't really recommend "Side Three" on the second tape. I wish they had recorded something poetic and beautiful. Side 4: April 1934 On a trip to Morocco she observes market life, veiled women, a man asleep over a bag of saffron and boys making lamps. This was an exquisite recording describing beauty, intrigue and adventure. I love her "travel writing." She sees the area she is visiting as an outer representation of her inner world. She follows women and observes their unique customs and steam baths. Each time I listened to this tape, I heard something different. There are so many details, it is impossible to imagine everything when you first hear this tape. What I most enjoyed was Anais Nin's calming voice, her beautiful accent and appreciation for beauty. Her voice creates a wistful, almost meditative mood. At times there is an undercurrent of sadness and longing in her voice. Anais Nin reads selections from volumes 1 and 2, 1931-1934. If you have read her diaries, the tapes give more insight into her life. 2 Cassettes
Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and soothing, with the exception of side three
Review: For the most part I really love these recordings. Anais Nin's voice is beautiful, dreamlike, and ethereal. These readings are soothing and lovely. The only exception is, as The Rebecca Review mentioned, side three, the recording for August 1934. This is a very, very difficult recording to listen to because it describes what I believe people had, at the time of publication of the censored diaries in the 1960s, interpreted to be Anais Nin's stillbirth. It is perhaps the most disturbing bit of writing I have ever read (or heard). Lines like, "Then I heard the bones cracking.... This child is not a child but a demon laying half-choked between my legs," are just more than I can bear.
It was not until the publication of the uncensored diaries in the 80s and 90s that readers realized the full significance of this episode. Not only was this not a stillborn but a very late-term abortion, the father of the child is not certain. It could've been Anais Nin's husband Hugo; Henry Miller, Gonzalo More, and psychoanalyst Otto Rank are other possibilities. And that is perhaps the one saving grace of this truly callous episode (not once does Anais comment on what this ordeal must've been like for the child, so content is she to portray herself as the victim and dramatic heroine), the knowledge that this would not have been a good situation for a child to be born into. As the uncensored versions of her diary have since revealed, among the candidates for father of this poor aborted child was, horrifically, Anais Nin's own father. In this light, aborting the child may've been the greatest mercy possible. Who knows what birth defects it could've suffered.
Overall, this is a wonderful recording. I really love the description of Anais Nin's hometown of Louveciennes, France. And the description of her time in Fez is wonderful. I have always had an affinity for Muslim cultures (I even attended a mosque for a time in my late teens and almost converted), and I love to hear about travelers' experiences in the Middle East. If only that dreaded side three had been left on the cutting room floor and in its stead we had been treated to Anais Nin's beautiful descriptions of June Miller, then this would really be a flawless set.
Andrew Michael Parodi
Rating: 
Summary: A vivid celebration of life
Review: Nin manages to portray everyday life with a romance,depth,colour and indeed frailty that appeals in its' honesty.
<< 1 >>
| 
