Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Four-Chambered Heart: V3 in Nin's Continuous Novel

The Four-Chambered Heart: V3 in Nin's Continuous Novel

Nin, Anaïs

Paperback

Literary Fiction

ISBN10: 0804001219
ISBN13: 9780804001212
Publisher: Swallow Press
Published: Jan 1 1959
Pages: 182
Weight: 0.61
Height: 0.55 Width: 5.49 Depth: 8.51
Language: English

The Four-Chambered Heart, Anaïs Nin's 1950 novel, recounts the real-life affair she conducted with café guitarist Gonzalo Moré in 1936. Nin and Moré rented a house-boat on the Seine, and under the pervading influence of the boat's watchman and Moré's wife Helba, developed a relationship. Moré; named the boat Nanankepichu, meaning not really a home.

In the novel, which Nin drew from her experiences on the boat, the characters are clearly based. Djuna is an embodiment of Nin herself. A young dancer in search of fulfillment, she encapsulates all that the author was striving for at that time. The character of Djuna features in other novels, perhaps weaving a directly autobiographical thread into Nin's fiction. The gypsy musician, Rango, is therefore Moré, and his invalid wife is Zora. The old watchman is present as a force which, along with Zora, works against the lovers in their quest for happiness.

Nin's main concern is the outside, and how it affects the interior. Water is a cleverly used theme. I have no great fear of depths, says Djuna, and a great fear of shallow living. Rango and Djuna's relationship is, in effect, their effort to remain afloat. Often, Nin employs a stream of consciousness, especially in her flowing analyses of love, life and music, which continues the water image.

Anaïs Nin's writing is typically exquisite in its detail and texture. She describes Paris: its black lacquered cobblestones and silver filigree trees. The humid scarfs of fog on the river, and the sharp incense of roasted chestnuts reveal their source through their reality: Nin's personal experience.

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