A modern writer I have enjoyed reading is Colette, sometimes dubbed "the most beloved French writer of all time." Maybe it's because of her wit and that she loved cats and gardening and keeping fit. Or, maybe it's because she writes about people in

Nin was born in the affluent Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine  in 1903. She died in Los Angeles in 1977. Why do so many creative people end up in Los Angeles? Anyway, she lived in house with partner Rupert Pole in a "glass house" that overlooked Silver Lake reservoir

Also see: Louveciennes and Le Vésinet

Also see: The Noctambule

From Genesis to Nabokov, incest is inherently appealing to artists for its shock value. Sophocles and Freud, for example, exaggerated the Oedipus legend’s inherent risqué and tragic qualities for dramatic effect. But the heyday for incest as a literary theme came with 19th century Romantics, where it fitted right

Under a Glass Bell was originally was published in 1944 and in the following years it gained the attention of literary critics and the public. It was her breakthrough work. Later editions were all different, as some stories were dropped and others added but, in total, the book is a

The use of incest in the title is metaphorical. The actual story is a study of narcissism.

According to Freud, a girl child identifies early on with the father but around age five she realizes she doesn’t have a penis, which creates a “castration complex.” So she is forced to identify herself with her mother and, symbolically speaking, attempts to seduce her father. The castration complex

* 1903 Anaïs Nin is born in affluent Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris * 1914 Nin's mother, and Anaïs, and her two brothers emigrate to the United States as World War I explodes around them * 1923 Marries Hugh Guiler in Havana. She is 20 years old. They move to Paris the following year.

The "Lost Generation" was really all over by the time Anaïs Nin finally managed to get something going in the early 1930's... But were they really lost? It's a vanity expression really. The expression derives from Hemingway, shown above, who attributed it to Gertrude

It may only be 16 minutes long but it's better entertainment than most films these days. It was Luis Buñuel's first film and he shot it in collaboration with Salvador Dalí, with each subsequently claiming credit for the best parts. Released in 1929 in Paris, it