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A review by chasingholden
Henry and June: From a Journal of Love: The Unexpurgated Diary (1931-1932) of Anais Nin by Anaïs Nin
4.0
Taken more or less directly from the extremely detailed journals of Anaïs Nin, This collection documents the intense year of her life when she first met Henry Miller and his wife June. Being a diary it can of course at times become a little self-indulgent, but the beauty, fluidity, and unflinchingly raw humanism of Nin’s writing stops the reader from rolling their eyes too much and offering an incredible chance to dive head first into the heart and soul of a creatively brilliant and incredibly curious human being. That is not to say that she is without flaws; But it would be a complete mistake and ignorant simplification to reduce this book to self indulgent erotica, or dismiss it because its author is not a very nice person, because there is a lot more going on there than smut.
Nin’s discussions of sexuality and love are just brilliant. Asking carefully thought-out questions and being as honest as she can be at the time, Nin examines and analyses her relationships with the men in her life, and with the most significant woman, June.
Anais is determined to analyze and try to understand every aspect of her emotional life. She possesses a remarkable self awareness that allows her to view herself almost as a separate person objectively reflecting back on the past days or weeks events.
Nin’s discussions of sexuality and love are just brilliant. Asking carefully thought-out questions and being as honest as she can be at the time, Nin examines and analyses her relationships with the men in her life, and with the most significant woman, June.
Anais is determined to analyze and try to understand every aspect of her emotional life. She possesses a remarkable self awareness that allows her to view herself almost as a separate person objectively reflecting back on the past days or weeks events.