Anais Nin: A Biography

Bair's book is exceptional. She is the finest biographer writing today (see also here work on Beckett) Never having been a fan of Nin's this book was a stunning examination of her bizarre, to say the least, life, from incest to bigamy yet Nin tried to keep it all in perspective for her "art." What is particularly poignant is the relationship between Nin and Henry Miller. Old Henry doesn't hold his own, no matter the quiet days spent in Vichy, they were determined by Nin. She was a morally bankrupt person yet Bair makes the revelations of her life absorbing and nearly understandible.

I give Deirdre Bair high marks for her book. Sure, it can be disillusioning to those of us who discovered Anais Nin when we were impressionable youth and admired her for her creative and adventurous life. But I think that in her approach to understanding Nin, Bair was not vicious, jealous, or working from other motives of disrespect. She had the cooperation of Nin's family, friends, and lovers and had access to materials unavailable to others. The length of the book, the amount of materials she studied, and her helpful and thorough notes for each chapter convince me she cared about her subject and presenting Nin's life accurately. I think the book gives a very sensitive assessment of who Nin was. Some of what the book reveals is disappointing, but that is more about Nin than Bair. I appreciate that Bair didn't try to be a psychologist or literary critic- she stuck to doing a thorough job as biographer, working with as many primary sources as possible. Nin is an especially complex subject and I believe Bair did her justice, not trying to simplify, glorify, denigrate or disregard those contradictions and deceptions Nin wove into her life. Instead, she dignified Nin by taking her on as a woman whose life was fascinating, who was a compelling person, and who didn't need- in life or death- to stay hidden behind a facade.

This book was my first exposure to Anais Nin, and I was completely fascinated by her life. The writing of Bair complimented Nin's life beautifully. Nin was quite a troubled woman, and to be able to put her life into perspective the way Bair has is simply amazing. I give Bair 5 stars for her biography on Nin, and Nin 5 stars for having the courage to live her life in the way she did. Most fear to live life to that full extent, and she had the courage, and the guilt as well, to do it.

When I was 18 (many years ago), I discovered the Nin diaries & was intoxicated. Little did I know the true story behind the text! This exhaustive bio reveals the real Anais, petty, vain, & in the end, I think one must conclude amoral; look I'm no prude, Nin's husband Hugo was complicit in his shabby treatment, but the affair with her father, the seduction of her married analysts, & finally the late term abortion would be difficult to explain away as poetic licence, or the brave action of a "liberated woman." Still, I cherish the diaries because, although they are not the "true" in the strictest sense, the writting remains rich & has a validity apart from its flawed author. This lively bio is well worth the read.

I have read many biographies on Anais Nin, as well as her diaries and fictional works. This is an excellent book, brilliantly, and interestingly portraying the life of this eccentric woman.