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9780804012454 Academic Inspection Copy

The Four-Chambered Heart

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The Four-Chambered Heart, Anais Nin's 1950 novel, recounts the real-life affair she conducted with cafe guitarist Gonzalo More in 1936. Nin and More rented a house-boat on the Seine, and under the pervading influence of the boat's watchman and More's wife Helba, developed a relationship. More; named the boat Nanankepichu, meaning "not really a home." In the novel, which Nin drew from her experiences on the boat, the characters' sources are clear. 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 More, and his invalid wife is Zora. The old watchman is present as a force that, along with Zora, works against the lovers in their quest for happiness. Nin's main concern throughout the novel is the "exterior," 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. Anais 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.
Anais Nin (1903-1977) is an iconic literary figure and one of the most notable experimental writers of the twentieth century. As one of the first women to explore female erotica, Nin revealed the inner desires of her characters in a way that made her works a touchstone for later feminist writers. Swallow Press is the premier US publisher of books by and about Nin. Anita Jarczok teaches American literature and contemporary cultural theory at the University of Bielsko-Biala, Poland. Her research interests include literature, narrative, and gender and cultural studies, and she is the author of many articles and book chapters on Nin, celebrity, and sexuality.
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