The Portable Anaïs Nin
by Anaïs Nin
The modern one-volume Nin: thirty-eight selections in chronological order, with the whole posthumous shelf finally in the pool.
- 2011
About Anaïs Nin
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeThe current standard sampler: thirty-eight pieces spanning the diaries in both tellings, the fiction, the erotica, the criticism, and the interviews, compiled, introduced, and annotated by the Nin scholar Benjamin Franklin V, with a preface by Paul Herron. Published in 2011, it does what the 1973 Reader could not — select from the complete shelf, unexpurgated diaries and posthumous erotica included — and arranges the results chronologically, so the sampler doubles as a life. We shelve it as an anthology: her words, an editor's architecture. (Selections — nothing to spoil.)
The story, in more detail
Between the Reader and this volume lie the decades that changed the shelf: Nin's death, the erotica's bestselling arrival, the early diaries, and the unexpurgated project's revelations. Franklin — among the longest-serving Nin scholars and her bibliographer — built the new selection from that complete record, and the chronological arrangement is the editorial argument: read in order, the thirty-eight pieces trace the arc from the childhood diary to the late fame in Nin's own prose.
The apparatus earns the 'annotated' in its credit — headnotes place each selection, and the introduction frames the career for readers arriving fresh. For our purposes it is the recommended front door to the shelf: one volume, every register, honestly labeled as a selection.
What's inside
Thirty-eight selections in chronological order, with headnotes: the early diary and the famous Diary; the unexpurgated volumes' restored material; House of Incest and the continuous novel; the Delta of Venus erotica; the criticism from the Lawrence study to The Novel of the Future; and the late lectures and interviews — compiled, introduced, and annotated by Benjamin Franklin V, with a preface by Paul Herron.
Themes and analysis
Autumn in Central Park
In the anthology's 1915 diary selection, changing weather breaks apart a dream of family reunion. Leaves scatter as the child's explanation for her father's absence becomes harder to sustain. The later Central Park entry makes winter's early arrival a figure for knowledge arriving before she feels ready for it. Yet the writing does not move cleanly from illusion to certainty: questions, hopes and self-blame continue after the apparent discovery. The landscape gives this unsettled thinking a visible rhythm, while the diary preserves the effort to understand rather than a finished explanation.
An encouraging telephone call
The telephone exchange turns a reading notebook into a test of being understood. Hugh first praises its contents generally; Nin then asks specifically about her own criticism, distinguishing her judgments from the passages she has copied. His answer recognizes her as more than a collector of other writers' words. Within the entry's idealizing portrait of him, this small exchange gives intellectual companionship a concrete form. Admiration runs in both directions: she imagines the qualities of an ideal partner, while his response appears to confirm the value of her developing voice.
Why we recommend it
The recommended front door
Every register of the shelf, one volume, expertly framed.
The arc, self-told
Chronological arrangement turns thirty-eight excerpts into a compact autobiography.
Scholar's apparatus
Headnotes and annotation from the bibliographer of record.
What this book explores
Timeline
1973
The Anaïs Nin Reader makes the first one-volume attempt.
2011
The Portable Anaïs Nin redoes the job from the complete shelf and becomes the standard sampler.
2025
Sky Blue Press releases an expanded edition of The Portable Anaïs Nin.
Book editions
Paperback
- Paperback
- Sky Blue Press
- 2011
Reader reviews
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The Portable Anaïs Nin: frequently asked questions
What is The Portable Anaïs Nin?
A 2011 anthology of thirty-eight selections spanning Nin's diaries, fiction, erotica, criticism, and interviews — compiled, introduced, and annotated by Benjamin Franklin V, with a preface by Paul Herron.
Is it a good place to start with Nin?
Yes — it is our recommended one-volume introduction: every register of the shelf, chronologically arranged and honestly annotated.
How does it differ from The Anaïs Nin Reader?
Nearly four decades of shelf. The 1973 Reader predates her death; the Portable selects from the complete record, unexpurgated diaries and erotica included.
Did Nin write it?
The selections are her writing; the book is an editor's anthology, and we classify it as such.
Who compiled it?
Benjamin Franklin V, Nin's longtime bibliographer and scholar, who also supplied the introduction and annotations.
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References
References
The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document The Portable Anaïs Nin, its publication, and its place in literary history.
1The Portable Anaïs Nin
NovelAnaïs Nin, 2011Used forThe primary text represented by this page, used for descriptions of the work’s contents and for any quoted passages shown here.
2Anaïs Nin — biography
WebsiteThe Anaïs Nin FoundationUsed forUsed to verify The Portable Anaïs Nin's bibliographic context and its place within Anaïs Nin's published work.
3Anaïs Nin Papers — diary, March–September 1938
ArchiveUCLA Library Special CollectionsUsed forUsed for independent archival, institutional, or historical context surrounding Anaïs Nin and The Portable Anaïs Nin.
4Anaïs Nin: A Biography
BiographyG. P. Putnam's Sons, 1995Used forUsed to cross-check chronology, publication history, and the circumstances in which The Portable Anaïs Nin appeared.
5Anaïs: The Erotic Life of Anaïs Nin
BiographyLittle, Brown, 1993Used forUsed for an additional scholarly or biographical perspective on The Portable Anaïs Nin and Anaïs Nin's wider career.
6The Portable Anaïs Nin — expanded edition publisher preview
WebsiteUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the The Portable Anaïs Nin page.
7The Portable Anaïs Nin — 2011 public publisher preview
WebsiteSky Blue Press / Everand, 2011Used forPublic Sky Blue Press preview of the 2011 anthology, compiled by Benjamin Franklin V. The full displayed 1915 Linotte and July 17, 1921 Early Diary 2 selections and their source notes were checked; no full anthology or diary-manuscript collation is claimed. This is distinct from the existing expanded-edition reference.
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Why these sources are here
The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.
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