The Early Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1923–1927

Long before she ever met Antonin Artaud, or even knew of his existence, he had acutely expressed this febrile state of mind in a line of his poem “Extase”: “Recherche épuisante du moi” (exhausting search for self).
Anaïs was compelled to write because she suffered and because the joy of writing was “so intense, so pure, so all-absorbing and free and all-encompassing, flooding the soul in mystical ecstasy, elevating and sanctifying, infusing beauty in the humblest subjects and a purpose in the most wayward life.” And yet she had little confidence in herself as a writer, apart from her diaries, which she regarded as the most intimate, if not the most complete, of the reflections of her changing self. She reread them, made copies, evaluated their accuracy, and defended them from the