AFW: Ms. Nin, thank you for being here with us today.
AN: Thank you for having me.
AFW: We can only imagine the complicated logistics of your travel. May I ask, what is the nature of your current realm?
AN: It’s different than Southern California. And you can’t get change for a twenty. I still write: letters to earth, entries in my diaries and so on.
AFW: Wonderful. May I ask, how has passing into another realm affected your work? Let's see, it's been about thirty-one years since you passed.
AN: Thirty-one years! It seems only yesterday I was living - in Los Angeles. In answer to your question, I'm unaware of how my work may have been affected by the move. The writing process feels the same to me. I'm taken by ideas and feelings - and need to express them.
AFW: The entities in your world, are they big readers? How do they respond to your work?
AN: Well, frankly, tell-all biographies of God and Satan top the best seller lists. And diet books. It's disturbing.
AFW: Anais, it's fascinating that you began writing as an eleven year old diarist. Did you have any idea where this would take you?
AN: No. I was a child. I simply wrote my impressions, descriptions, experiences and feelings. I felt compelled to continue. The time was such that my work was considered to be shocking. Now, in this day and age [smiles] I feel blessed that many still find my work to be compelling.
AFW: What writers influenced you?
AN: D. H. Lawrence, Marcel Proust, Sherwood Anderson, Djuna Barnes, Colette, Lou Andreas Salome, Henry Miller . . .
AFW: Is it true that you shared your actual childhood diary with author and friend Henry Miller?
AN: It's true. I did. It was a very special moment. Henry was quite touched by it. He almost wept. He could be quite emotional you know [dreamily smiles].
AFW: Who do you consider to be your muse?
AN: Well, I've had many. But I was especially drawn to Henry. We had a natural chemistry and inspired one another. The relationship was stormy and passionate, it wasn’t all hearts and flowers in Louveciennes . . . it was two writers working and raging in a roach-infested Paris flat.
AFW: You must have fascinating anecdotes of the nineteen-thirties’ Parisian literary scene.
AN: Yes. I do. Read my books. [smiles]
AFW: What did you think of the film adaptation of your book Henry And June?
AN: I thought that it was well done, somewhat romanticized, and not completely accurate. The screenplay and casting were good. The locations were very evocative. Now, in the afterlife, Henry and I occasionally watch the film together.
AFW: How does it feel to be such an honored writer - and a woman who brought a new honesty and a mystical eloquence to the expression of female sexuality?
AN: It feels wonderful. Of course. But the early days were not easy. Publication? As you know, many writers at that time published their own works. It was necessary for me to establish Siana Editions in Paris in 1935 in order to showcase my work. Cyberspace? The internet? Electronic publishing? You modern writers have it so easy! [smiles] And you know, there's nothing like the magic of a traditional hardcover book.
AFW: Anais, this piece is to be seen by readers and writers of erotica . .
AN: Yes?
AFW: My quandary is . . .
AN: Yes?
AFW: We need more sexual content. They're sticklers for that [smiles] Could you help me out?
AN: Electric flesh-arrows . . . traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. It is the gong of the orgasm.
AFW: Wonderful, Anais. Let them critique THAT! [smiles] And thank you for being here with us today. It was a pleasure.
AN: You're welcome. The pleasure was mine.
Nin passage from: The Diary of Anaïs Nin, vol. 2 (Copyright 1967), entry for Oct. 1937.
