Written when Anaïs Nin was in her twenties and living in Louveciennes, France, these stories contain many elements that will delight her readers: details remembered from childhood, of life in
Paris, the cafés, theatres; characters including dancers, artists, writers, women who devote themselves to their work and visions as well as romance, strangers met in the night; themes such as
the scruples of lovers, the search for brilliant, imaginative living; the writer’s experimentation with exotic words like "sybaritic" and "violaceous". In the craft of these stories readers are
treated to a deft sense of humor, ironic wit, much conversation as well as ecstatic prose, and surprise endings. Throughout all, the Nin personality shines, a wonderful mixture of feeling and
rationality, of vulnerability and strength.
