Vénus Erotica

This collection of erotic short stories was written by Anaïs Nin in the 1940s for a private client who paid a dollar a page, and it was published after her death. The pieces, set in Paris, Peru, Hungary and elsewhere, follow artists, wives, courtesans and a Hungarian baron, with desire as their subject. Nin said she tried to write from a woman's point of view, with poetic language and an interest in psychology instead of mechanical description. The collection includes titles like "The Hungarian Adventurer" and "Mathilde."

Readers curious about literary erotica, and about Nin's work outside her diaries, will find a distinctive, sensual style. It is explicit and intended for adult readers.

Inward-looking; a moderate read.

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