The Four-Chambered Heart, Ana?s Nin’s 1950 novel, recounts the real-life affair she conducted with caf? guitarist Gonzalo Mor? in 1936. Nin and Mor? rented a house-boat on the Seine, and under the pervading influence of the boat’s watchman and Mor?’s wife Helba, developed a relationship. Mor?; 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 Mor?, 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.
Ana?s 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.
Author: Anaïs Nin
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Swallow Press
Published: 08/08/2023
Pages: 196
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.43h x 5.43w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9780804012454
Language: English
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