Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies, Léonie Bischoff’s gorgeously illustrated graphic biography of Nin (1903–1977), seems to leave no personal stone unturned in an elegantly comprehensive and sometimes mystic account of her life. The book presents a long list of duplicitous affairs, sexual betrayals, secret erotic diaries, and indeed, Nin’s exploration of sexual taboos of the most provocative type. While the book captures her life in 1930s Paris with her husband Hugo, as well as notorious affairs with novelist Henry Miller, and others, Bischoff is always focused on Nin’s determination to be a writer and to find a way to “express the inexpressible.” In this 12-page excerpt we’re introduced to Nin’s family, her life with her husband, and her first meeting with Henry Miller. Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies by Léonie Bischoff, translated from the French by Jenna Allen, is out now from Fantagraphics Books.
