Reviews for 1927-1931, Vol. 4

The average rating for 1927-1931, Vol. 4 based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-06-28 00:00:00 Corey Strong I went through a real Nin kick about fifteen years ago. But, I got a bit miffed when I learned the versions I was reading were so hacked up--they read nice, but major topics omitted. When I learned she was married, I almost threw the book across the room! (Actually I was on a plane and sighed loudly instead.) It changed so much! Also, she was a train wreck in her drama, it got annoying. Affairs with her gay cousin, affairs with her shrink, affair with girls, and so on. The more I read about her ridiculous behavior, the more unacceptable I found her writing. Her fiction was gibberish to me. Her book on D.H. Lawrence was good, but more of a good start than any great lit crit. Fortunately, most of the characters have died off, so this version is more complete. I can't really figure all her diaries and their publishing history out. She wrote a ton of diaries, to the point it seems to detract from her other creative output. She is known, I think, for all the sexy stuff in later years--including an affair with her father, possibly fabricated. (She was not overly attached to facts and reality.) This diary covers 1927 to 1931, she is mostly in Paris, is in her mid twenties. Once I hit forty, I became very forgiving of what people do in their younger years, so I am not so critical of her overall, and this slice of life is pretty tame. Nin lives with her banker husband who is supporting her mother and younger brother as well. At one point, they loose a ton of money in the stock market crash and they have to give up their fancy digs for something cheaper outside the city. These folks are poor in "down to just two or three servants" poor, not really poor, so it is not tragic. As far as her love affairs, she adores Hugh, her husband, but resents him being such a working drudge. On the other hand, she loves the money, and stuggles with this. She had some stupid affair with a writer dude I will look up (John Erskine), is pining over that at times, then focuses on her gay cousin. She is also, at times a shameless flirt and explores her issues in her diary, trying to figure it all out. This is right before she meets Henry Miller, her next big love affair. The other topic she struggles with is being an artist. She reminds me of god damn Kerouac with the struggle to get published. At this time, she is writing many stories and articles. She spends many years of her life trying to reconcile the diary with her writing, and eventually decides the diary is her work. I wish she had gotten it all figured out. I am not sure if I will continue with the next chunk, it is frustrating to witness some one frittering away their talents becuase it is more exciting to be desired. But this volume was great, I really enjoyed it and found if thought provoking. I intermittenly keep a paper diary, and this was a good prompt to continue with it. One other thing, her handwriting is unbelievably neat and consistent. No cross outs, just beautiful cursive, page after page.

Review # 2 was written on 2006-12-17 00:00:00 Stephen Calabretta Vol 4: The early work of this author fascinates me. These are early diaries of Nin--before she met Henry Miller. She's a young woman, recently married to an investment banker in Paris (Hugh), and the daughter of a famous concert pianist. Although her diaries are dated from 1927 to 1931, one would never guess. The issues that she writes about are timeless. Nin takes Spanish dancing lessons with a brooding teacher, gets painted by Russian countesses, and generally lives a visceral lifestyle. Her quest for more and more stimulation tends to trap her....which doesn't bode well for the later years. And she writes beautifully; I think better than many great American male authors such as Hemmingway...seriously.