"If I read Anais Nin’s Little Birds some years ago or if I didn’t read so much fanfiction throughout my life, I believe I could be more affected by these short stories. I liked the way they were boldly erotic and that was their main purpose, as indicated in in the preface to my edition. It was my first encounter with Nin’s prose and I won’t risk any statements but I felt lots of honesty in the stories, I believe that the author truly enjoyed writing them, that she herself believed them to be exciting. Still, as Nin clearly put they were meant to bring her money she desperately needed, and despite the honesty I mentioned, I couldn’t shake off the feeling there was something calculated in them, to create the biggest effect in the shortest time, the artistic value be damned. And to put it just as bluntly: you can feel it. Well, my friends write much better erotica for fun.

The stories were published in late 70s but to be honest I was sure that they were written earlier when I read them. To be honest, I truly enjoyed only one of them and despite rather morbid ending it was the only one that made me flustered � The Woman on the Dunes. It was full of positive sexuality, wanted and happy for both sides, like an erotic dream with quite an interesting if bothering punch, there was simply something more to it. Others varied from rather tiring to bland, with too quick ending as if the writer had to go out and insisted on finishing the story in five minutes.

I was surprised (but maybe I shouldn’t be) by how much violence there was or at least aggression, how women were constantly “taken� and that was supposed to be most exciting � to be dominated, conquered, defeated. Sexually active and pursuing women are punished, “whores�, “savages� and generally are described so animal-like that it left a bad taste in my mouth. As did ever present racism, obsession with young, child-like women and so on� You may argue that this is just the matter of preference (with expressing sexuality, not with racism) but when you read the whole book of these stories there is a vivid image of women sexuality that emerges and that I don’t buy.

I have Delta of Venus by Nin as well and I will read it one day, I heard it is better� Let’s see one day.
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