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Anais Nin: An Understanding of Her Art

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Rochelle Holt's sensitive, comprehensive study of Anais Nin's art will appeal to the many readers asking, "Who is Anais Nin." Holt allows Anais Nin to speak for herself on many subjects: "I have the right to love many people at once and to change my prince often," said the young Anais. Nin wanted to be useful and to invent a new form of literature describing life as she saw it. "I am in a beautiful prison from which I can only escape by writing. My diary is a mirror telling the story of a dreamer who, a long long time ago went through life the way one reads a book." "Dreams have helped me to live." Holt describes Anais Nin's "rebellious and growing feminist attitude" analyzing her early diaries critically and exerpting Nin's beliefs about the talents of women. Anais Nin recognized the therapeutic value of nature and of books. She believed she could balance her moods through self-education and her art, novels and diaries. Holt refers often to Nin's " possible manic-depression." Perhaps Nin did suffer from the disease, but as I see it the danger of classifying Anais Nin as bi-polar is many people will disregard the artist and see only the label. The author found in Nin a kindred soul. Both women were poets. They became friends, two Pisces artists who agreed that style depends on vision and technique. In her Preface, Holt says this book is "neither adulation nor scholarly criticism, but an honest attempt to understand Anais Nin and her work." Nin had a great desire to love and be loved. She longed for union, passion and compassion. She lived her life "in white heat." ANAIS NIN, UNDERSTANDING HER ART allows us to accompany Nin on that voyage, to better understand ourselves. By Maryanne Raphael, Writers World maryanneraphael@juno.com