In Favor of the Sensitive Man, and Other Essays [Paperback]

Anais Nin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Original Harvest Book; Hb333 | Publication Date: April 1, 1976

Here, in more than twenty essays, Nin shares her unique perceptions of people, places, and the arts. Includes several lectures and two interviews.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ana-s Nin (1903-1977) was born in Paris and aspired at an early age to be a writer. An influential artist and thinker, she was the author of several novels, short stories, critical studies, a collection of essays, two volumes of erotica, and nine published volumes of her Diary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (April 1, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156444453
• ISBN-13: 978-0156444453
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) was born in Paris and aspired at an early age to be a writer. An influential artist and thinker, she wrote primarily fiction until 1964, when her last novel, Collages, was published. She wrote The House of Incest, a prose-poem (1936), three novellas collected in The Winter of Artifice (1939), short stories collected in Under a Glass Bell (1944), and a five-volume continuous novel consisting of Ladders to Fire (1946), Children of the Albatross (1947), The Four-Chambered Heart (1950), A Spy in the House of Love (1954), and Seduction of the Minotaur (1961). These novels were collected as Cities of the Interior (1974). She gained commercial and critical success with the publication of the first volume of her diary (1966); to date, fifteen diary volumes have been published. Her most commercially successful books were her erotica published as Delta of Venus (1977) and Little Birds (1979). Today, her books are appearing digitally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite discussion of Nin's own feminism from the self, September 30, 1998

By 

Elise Hudson - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Favor of the Sensitive Man, and Other Essays (Paperback)

The book is divided into essay on 3 topics: Women and Men; Writing, Music and Films; and Enchanted Places. This is a very developed sense of Anais - open, radiant, and sincere as always. There are several distinct themes throughout the collection. One of these themes, and to her, the most important, is that women (and men) must first come to know themselves intimately and erotically before they can successfully contribute to any other person, group, society, or otherwise. "In denying the need of intimacy with ourselves, our extroverted culture destroys the possibility of intimacy with others." Nin openly discusses her knowledge of feminism and the roles women have traditionally held in dealing with themselves. She also voices in several essays, her opposition to women's "listing of griefs against men." She emphasizes the rebuilding of the self through poetry and eroticism. "Eroticism is one of the basic means of self-knowledge, as indispensible as poetry."

The book is full of discussion of feminism, eroticism, psychology of the self, our roles in relationships, art, and society. There are 2 fascinating interviews with Nin, several of Nin's essays on other writiers and filmmakers, and her magical recreations of enchanted places. It is a must read for Anais Nin fans. It's short, it's sweet (I couldn't put it down), and intellectually, but most importantly, emotionally fulfilling.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some books sink into our consciouness, September 30, 2006

By 

Carla Fair-Wright "avid reader" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: In Favor of the Sensitive Man, and Other Essays (Paperback)

There is no simple way to explain the meaning of human relationships. Anyone who believes that our socialization as human beings can be easily understood should read 'In Favor of the Sensitive Man'.

The twenty seven pieces included cover Nin's main interest: feminine sexuality, human relationships, and eroticism. The book is divided into 3 sections: Women and Men, "Writing, Music, and Films", Enchanted Places. A book as intelligent as this about human interaction had to written by a someone with a background in psychology and a keen inner awareness.

Anais Nin (1903-1977) was born in France. She began to keep a journal of her life in 1914, when her father, composer Joaquin Nin abandon the family. These journals were published in 1966 and lifted Nin from obscurity into the celebrity. Nin studied psychoanalysis under Otto Rank and practiced as a therapist in New York. At some point, she was even a patient of Carl Jung.

As Nin writes, there are books which we read early in life, which sink into our consciouness. I read the famous Nin "dairies" in my teens. I am convinced that Anais' is a brilliant woman and a gifted writer. This book is a confirmation of those beliefs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anais Nin deserves more attention!, April 22, 2010

By 

A. Koutsouflakis (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Favor of the Sensitive Man, and Other Essays (Paperback)

As a graduate of an English Lit program, I was very disappointed to have discovered Anais Nin so late. Her writings, though accessible to the average reader, are significant in terms of the subjects of gender-identity and -role theories, feminism, and other concepts discussed in the realm of academia. Aside from that, this collection of Nin's essays covers a range of topics and reminds readers of the progress women (specifically, but not only) have made over the past several decades. Nin also reminds us that we are not where we should be in terms of equality. Her words are certainly food for thought for anyone interested in what it means to live as an artist or creative soul in a world where ideas are only as successful as their marketability.