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The White Blackbird and Other Writings/the Tale of an Old Geisha and Other Stories
Gathers surrealistic stories and essays on writing and women's role in society by the Parisian-born author
- GenresShort Stories
78 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1985
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August 3, 2011
First of all...how have I not read anything by Anaïs Nin until now? I fell in love almost immediately. Her writing is beautiful--insightful and seemingly effortless. When I picked this book up from the library I didn't realize that almost all the pieces by Nin are actually bits from talks, intros to books, and a few excerpts from her diaries. I thought it included more of her stories ("The White Blackbird" is actually the only story by Nin in this book, and it is quite short at only 2 pages). I wasn't disappointed--Nin's musings on literature and women are fascinating, and the taste of her fiction left me wanting more. Fortunately I picked up a compilation of her novels...so I'll be moving onto that next.
About 45 pages are reserved for Nin, while the other 78 or so are filled by Kanoko Okamoto's three short stories. I'd never read anything by Okamoto, either, but I loved her writing. The characters she writes about are so thoroughly invested in their emotional struggles, and those struggles (or, the expression/repression of them) is the main theme of her writing. I liked all three stories, but I think "Sushi" was my favorite. Something about the symbolic role of food and consumption has always intrigued me, so that story in particular made me think.
Overall a very nice little collection. Nin and Okamoto's writings go very well together, both in terms of style and content. I do wish there had been more of Nin's fiction presented here, but the short essays were nonetheless very interesting.
About 45 pages are reserved for Nin, while the other 78 or so are filled by Kanoko Okamoto's three short stories. I'd never read anything by Okamoto, either, but I loved her writing. The characters she writes about are so thoroughly invested in their emotional struggles, and those struggles (or, the expression/repression of them) is the main theme of her writing. I liked all three stories, but I think "Sushi" was my favorite. Something about the symbolic role of food and consumption has always intrigued me, so that story in particular made me think.
Overall a very nice little collection. Nin and Okamoto's writings go very well together, both in terms of style and content. I do wish there had been more of Nin's fiction presented here, but the short essays were nonetheless very interesting.
Displaying 1 of 1 review