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Anaïs Nin

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Under A Glass Bell (Swallow Paperbook) Paperback – January 1, 1948

by Anaïs Nin (Author)

4.5 29 ratings

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Under a Glass Bell is one of Nin's finest collections of stories. First published in 1944, it attracted the attention of Edmond Wilson, who reviewed the collection in The New Yorker. It was in these stories that Nin's artistic and emotional vision took shape. This edition includes a highly informative and insightful foreword by Gunther Stuhlmann that places the collection in its historical context as well as illuminates the sequence of events and persons recorded in the diary that served as its inspiration.

Although Under a Glass Bell is now considered one of Anaïs Nin’s finest collections of stories, it was initially deemed unpublishable. Refusing to give up on her vision, in 1944 Nin founded her own press and brought out the first edition, illustrated with striking black-and-white engravings by her husband, Hugh Guiler. Shortly thereafter, it caught the attention of literary critic Edmund Wilson, who reviewed the collection in the New Yorker. The first printing sold out in three weeks.

This new Swallow Press edition includes an introduction by noted modernist scholar Elizabeth Podnieks, as well as editor Gunther Stuhlmann’s erudite but controversial foreword to the 1995 edition. Together, they place the collection in its historical context and sort out the individuals and events recorded in the diary that served as its inspiration. The new Swallow Press edition also restores the thirteen stories to the order Nin specified for the first commercial edition in 1948.

Print length

101 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Alan Swllow
Publication date

January 1, 1948
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.25 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0804003025
ISBN-13

978-0804003025
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The pieces in this collection belong to a peculiar genre sometimes cultivated by the late Virginia Woolf. They are half short stories, half dreams, and they mix a sometimes exquisite poetry with a homely realistic observation. They take place in a special world, a world of feminine perception and fancy…. Miss Nin is a very good artist, as perhaps none of the literary Surrealists is.”
― Edmund Wilson, The New Yorker

About the Author

Anaïs Nin (1903–1977) was one of the most unique literary figures of this century. As a novelist she was distinctly catalytic, and her life-long diary resembles no other in the history of letters. Her books have been translated in a dozen languages.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alan Swllow (January 1, 1948)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 101 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804003025
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804003025
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.25 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,323,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #55,537 in Short Stories Anthologies
- #98,128 in Short Stories (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 29 ratings

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Anaïs Nin

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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, most notably with the anthology The Portable Anais Nin (2011).

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

29 global ratings

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Tara

Came as ordered

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2022

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Arrived in the condition promised, not a very pretty cover for this edition but book was in good quality

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016

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Anaïs is a delight to read. She is more notorious for her diaries but her prose is lovely. This books is full of brief, colourful stories that flow very nicely and are just fun to read and appreciate her effortless style!

2 people found this helpful

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Nadia555

Loved it!

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2018

I read this collection of short stories over one weekend. I acknowledge that other readers found this book difficult, and while I do see why; I would say it’s pretty accessible compared to other Nin works (House of Incest comes to mind). Overall, I loved Under a Glass Bell. Almost all of these short stories are about neurotic people; the obsessed, outsiders. They’re haunting, even when Anais ends them abruptly and on a cold note (‘The Eye’s Journey’). Some of my personal favourites here are ‘The Houseboat’, ‘Under a Glass Bell’, and ‘The All-Seeing’. ‘Birth’ is autobiographical (this scene is taken from her unexpurgated diary, ‘Incest’). Reappearing here, it ends the book violently and lends power to what is otherwise a surreal and beautifully strange book. Like Anais Nin’s other works of fiction, characters from her real life make an appearance (Antonin Artaud and his Theatre of Cruelty). All of Anais Nin’s signature imagery is here (the opulence, and the fascination with the primitive/savage). The very original choice of words. I would recommend this book to existing Anais Nin fans. If you’re new to Anais, try her diaries or even the lesser-known ‘Novel of the Future’ if you’re seeking a deeper understanding of her writing.

2 people found this helpful

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bookkitten

The Fruits of Surrealism

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2002

Anais Nin did not adhere to the traditions of story-telling. Formulaic plots, character arcs, and realistic descriptions didn't interest her. She was a master of character analysis and description -- instead of watching her characters move through the story, you, as the reader, move through the characters. This was because Nin was experimenting with a new artistic movement called surrealism and she ended up being one of its brightest stars.
Because of Edmund Wilson's favorable review (and he was, of course, the king of critics) this was the collection of stories that finally brought Nin's work to the attention of public. Her writing style is simply stunning. Imagine distilling a story, as one distills a liquid, down to the final crystals. Or creating a beautiful and poetic ritual out of something mundane (such as the Geisha's tea ceremony).
I think my personal favorites in this collection are "Ragtime," an amazing description of the poverty-stricken rag-picking community in 1930s Paris, "The Mouse," about Nin's fearful maid, and "Birth," the now notorious story about Nin's abortion. Seem like ugly topics? You'd be amazed at how beautiful Nin can render them.
It takes a sensitive reader to understand Anais Nin's writing, but if you are that, I think you will find value in these stories.

32 people found this helpful

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Mikhail S. Jenkins

Nin's Narcissistic Short Stories

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2007

Anyone familiar with Nin knows she is one of THE most narcissistic authors of all time. Throughout each and every story, we get a feel each and every story HAS to relate to Nin in some way...its almost a book of staccato self-realization stories rather than pure fiction. It is almost silly at some times, all stories have the small heroine envying the larger-than-life male figure(s) and having a feeling of displacement.

I recommend this book only if you are a Nin-lover and ready for some stories that could come from nowhere but her own pen (or typewriter).

One person found this helpful

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Linda M. Dancker

A. Nin

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2010

Verified Purchase

I bought this book for an older friend and have not read it. Cannot give you a review on something I have not read.

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2011

Verified Purchase

I look forward to Anaïs Nin's other work this book was very deep in thought.
Short stories/poems that seem very personal and dark. She has a labyrinth of a mind that seems to hold her prisoner.

One person found this helpful

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RobinDawn

Bad edition: typos, inaccurate story count

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2016

Numerous typos in the foreword. Foreword states that there are 15 stories but there are only 13: The Labyrinth, Under a Glass Bell, Je suis le plus malade des Surréalistes, The Eye's Journey, The Mohican, Houseboat, The Mouse, Birth, Through the Secrets of My Own Labyrinth, The All-Seeing, The Child Born Out of the Fog, Hejda, and Ragtime. Winter of Artifice is not included.

My advice is to buy another edition.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

ALA

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

Love Anais Nin

Maria merrill

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great

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