House Of Incest [Paperback]

Anais Nin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1958

Originally published in 1936, House of Incest is Anais Nin's first work of fiction. The novel is a surrealistic look within the narrator's subconscious mind as she attempts to escape from a dream in which she is trapped, or in Nin's words, as she attempts to escape from "the woman's season in hell." In the documentary Anais Observed, Nin says House of Incest was based on dreams she'd had for more than a year. Nin's usage of the word incest in this case is metaphorical, not literal. In this book the word incest describes a selfish love where one can appreciate in another only that which is similar to oneself. One is then only loving oneself, shunning all differences. At first, such a self-love can seem ideal because it is without fear and without risk. But eventually it becomes a sterile nightmare.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“House of Incest is a strange and challenging work that demands the full attention of the reader. It is not so much a story of people (although it certainly is that) as it is a visit into the hellish nightmare of the narrator's experience from which she emerges satisfactorily. But, however one approaches the work, House of Incest is Nin’s best work of fiction and one that contains most of her basic themes, images and patterns that she would use in her later work.”—Benjamin Franklin and Duane Schneider

About the Author

Anais Nin—the celebrated novelst, diarist, and short story writer—was born in France and spent her childhood in various parts of Europe and in New York. Nin returned to New York just before the outbreak of World War II, and she spent the rest of her life living there and in Paris and Los Angeles. Her work is characterized by a interest in the subconscious. Her five novels in the Cities of the Interior series focus on different female types and follow their lives through lovers, art, and analysis. In 1973 Nin received an honorary doctorate from Philadelphia College of Art. She was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1974.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Swallow Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1958)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804001480
• ISBN-13: 978-0804001489
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,433 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

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Background research may be necessary, August 27, 2003

By 

Andrew Olivo Parodi (Oregon, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: House Of Incest (Paperback)

HOUSE OF INCEST is a very slim volume of 72 pages. Naturally, I expected to be done with this oddly titled book in one sitting. After reading the brief introductions, with references to the author spitting out her heart and an Indian making a flute out of the bones of his dead wife, I realized this was a book unlike any other I'd seen. I struggled to relate and to understand, but after about 10 minutes on one page, I had a headache. I put the book down, but was determined to figure out what the heck Anais Nin was talking about.

I turned to many other sources for clarification. ANAIS NIN: A BIOGRAPHY by Deirdre Bair was the first outside source. Bair explains that the main supporting character of "Sabina" is none other than June Miller, the notorious second wife of Henry Miller (who appears as "Mona" in Miller's TROPIC OF CANCER). Then I turned to ANAIS NIN READER, which contains introductory essays explaining that the incest referred to in the title is not literal but symbolic. But far, far above the rest, the most helpful was ANAIS NIN: AN INTRODUCTION by Benjamin Franklin V and Duane Schneider; I learned here that HOUSE OF INCEST is not a conventional story by any means. Rather, HOUSE OF INCEST is an exploration of the narrator's subconscious state (very few passages in this book, the two introductory pages for example, reveal the narrator's conscious state). The main theme of HOUSE OF INCEST is the relationship between the narrator and Sabina; but the narrator eventually realizes that her fascination with Sabina is merely a fascination with an aspect of herself, hence the metaphorical incest for which this volume is named. Finally, I understood this book! Finally, I enjoyed it! Now, I love it and think it's brilliant and am glad it was not so easy to get through at first.

If labyrinths, puzzles, and psychology interest you, then you may find HOUSE OF INCEST has something to offer. But a word of caution: even though the over-riding theme is not of literal incest, there is one instance where it is: "... there sat Lot with his hand upon his daughter's breast," Anais writes on page 52, "while the city burned behind them." HOUSE OF INCEST was Anais Nin's first work of fiction, published in 1936 - nearly 40 years before the publication of the famous diaries. Deirdre Bair explains that Nin was already publishing aspects of her diary as fiction, though attempting to disguise the more painful details. Bair writes that in this instance Nin was not successful.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Captivating, December 9, 1999

By 

Margarite Nathe - See all my reviews

This review is from: House Of Incest (Paperback)

This is not a book for everyone. It is also not one that can be read only once and be completely understood. In order to fully comprehend this book, one must approach it with a receptive mind, ready to interact with the words. This is not a book that simply allows the reader to sit back and witness the story being told. House of Incest challenges the reader to search the depths of his/her consciousness. Reading this book is like reading one's own dreams and finally being able to understand. The language is beautiful and provocative. I would recommend this book to anyone that desires to know him/herself more fully.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful beautiful., February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: House Of Incest (Paperback)

anais nin's prosaic tone and almost elegaic storytelling is one of the most heart-wrenching pieces of literature i've picked up for a while. the short intro to the book, the "i have just spat my heart out," bit convinced me that i had something good. her poetic voice is all the more appealing in that she's able to express her random, wandering thoughts as just that, random and wandering. she knows that her feelings don't always make sense to her and that's what tears her apart. she wants to love yet is afraid of being loved. 'house of incest' has to be one of her best. recommended. recommended.