Valerie Harms has solved the lack of photos of Ian Hugo! She advised us that she went to Google Images and typed in Hugh Guiler and eh voila! there are many pictures. We agree with Valerie, the first one in the list, one of Nin and Guiler is the best!

Valerie’s memory of Hugh Parker Guiler (Ian Hugo) is now up on our site. It’s listed in Memories as well as Scholarship on anaisnin.org.

Other photos of Ian Hugo can be found at roberthaller.com.

A video link to one of his films is here. Music is by Bebe Berron.

Steven Reigns, who produced the fantastically successful celebration of Anaïs@105 at the Hammer Gallery at UCLA February 23, 2008 met Bebe Barron and interviewed her for the event. A few weeks later, Barron died, and Steven was asked to speak at her memorial.

Here is the link of Nin Scholar and Poet Steven Reigns at Bebe Barron’s Memorial.

Steven’s latest book of poetry (he’s editor)with amazing portraits by Jenny Walters can be ordered on Steven’s website. This photo we have used is by Jenny Walters and is scanned from the book.

The book is breathtaking.

“I’m so proud of this collection. It is an anthology of autobiographical poetry written by gay, lesbian, and bisexual seniors. I felt honored to teach this group for over 16-weeks. The writings in the book were born out of a weekly workshop. I edited the collection, Jenny Walters took AMAZING portraits of the participants, novelist Dorothy Allison wrote the preface, and Thaddeus Root designed the book”

An on-line video of the workshop from which the collection that Reigns edits, can be found here. Apologies that we don’t yet know how to add videos to this blog so they are embedded!

Email Exchange between Donna Ippolito and Eric Lloyd Wright, shortly after Rupert Pole’s Death

May 2007
Dear Lori Flynn, (at that time Eric Lloyd Wright’s assistant)

Please let me thank you again for being in contact with the site and letting us know about Rupert Pole’s new representatives, the Wrights. We appreciated receiving the two articles, which Moira has posted on the site.

As time goes by, perhaps you will encounter other information or material that you would like to pass on or call to our attention. At present, changes to the site are only made seasonally, but we can always add information you feel might be of value to our blog, which can be edited without paying hefty maintenance charges.

As the editor of the official AnaïsNin site, I thought it would be good to follow up by filling you in a bit more. The site is a labor of love, what Moira always calls a “pro bono” site. So much of it has been done through her personal funding and/or the donation of time and creativity of many people. Its whole reason for being is to give voice to those who knew the real Anaïs. Actually, I’m one of those because I worked as an editor at The Swallow Press, back when it was in Chicago and publishing Nin’s fiction and other books about her.

I also knew Rupert, and I adored both him and Anaïs. You may be interested to know that anaisnin.org came into existence because we were dismayed by the distorted image of Anaïs in two recent biographies. Many of us knew her secrets long before they reached print, and it didn’t affect our love or respect or admiration one jot. People who knew Anaïs personally and were inspired by her greatness of spirit are still alive to affirm her impact as a muse as well as an artist. I have never known anyone more generous toward other creative people. This deserves to be recognized as much as her literary achievements, and that is our one goal and purpose. We are proud that the Nin site has become a lighthouse library of information on Nin’s life and work, all of it free of charge! There is still much that we’d like to do, but it would require an operational grant that doesn’t seem to be in the stars for us. Though I’m not available on a day-to-day basis, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or for any other reason. Moira and I would always be happy to hear from you. Also, I hope it will be OK with you if we forward any queries that come under the auspices of Nin’s estate rather than our website.

Donna Ippolito
Editor, anaisnin.org
www.dreamscoop.blogspot.com

Dear Donna,

Thank you for your email to Lori. I’m glad that you are continuing on the website for Anaïs. It is important work to keep the public aware of her contribution to our cultural way of life. There is an Anaïs Nin Trust which is managed by three members of the board – Kazuko Sugisaki, Paul Herron and myself, Eric Lloyd Wright. The literary and licensing agent for Anaïs’ work is Barbara Stuhlmann. Kazuko, who you may know, is a writer, translating Anaïs’ work into Japanese and has been very close to Anaïs and Rupert over the last 40 years. I am an architect and Rupert’s brother. I had been a close friend of Anaïs’ for 30 years. I look forward to working with you in the future to keep Anaïs’ legacy alive. Her extraordinary creative writing and life must be made available to as broad an audience as possible.

With Best Regards
Eric Lloyd Wright

Permissions, Copyrights, Publishing.

There is an Anaïs Nin Foundation and an Anaïs Nin Trust.

As Paul Herron has advised our site:

Please note that Paul Herron of Sky Blue Press not Blue Sky Press is not phasing out, and has released Volume 5 of A Café In Space: The Anaïs Nin Literary Journal this year, and Vol. 6 is set for release in 2009. In addition, the 1939 version of The Winter of Artifice was also recently released. We are still distributing Volumes 1-19 of Gunther Stuhlmann’s Anaïs, An International Journal and that is not the same journal as A Café In Space: The Anaïs Nin Literary Journal nor is it a continuation thereof. Requests for permission are to be made in writing to the Anaïs Nin Trust, not the foundation.

Herron is a member of the Trust (as he notes in an earlier email to the site in January) and we presume, can forward any written permission requests in writing to the said Trust.

Rupert Pole was the President of the Anaïs Nin Foundation. On the death of Nin’s agent extraordinaire, who wrote the brilliant introductions to the Diaries, Pole wrote the site with instructions.

May 30, 2002

To: Subscribers of ANAIS: an International JournalThe Anaïs Nin Foundation announces regrettably that we are terminating future publications of ANAIS: an International Journal. This is to honor the last wish of Gunther Stuhlmann, before his death in April this year, who had been its sole editor and had heroically dedicated his time and effort bringing out nineteen volumes of the Journal.Please understand that the checks already received by the Foundation for the next issue of the Journal will not be returned to the senders because we are short of man-power at this time, but these checks will not be cashed. Also we are sorry to announce that we are no longer able to meet your requests for back issues. All activities concerning the Journal will cease from this date.We thank all the subscribers for the warm and enthusiastic support you have given to the Journal over the last two decades.

Rupert Pole

President The Anaïs Nin Foundation

When Rupert Pole died, our site’s editor Donna Ippolito (who was Anaïs Nin’s editor at Swallow Press) had a cordial email exchange with Rupert Pole’s step brother Eric Lloyd Wright. Wright had designed Nin and Rupert’s House of Light on Hildago which had been for many years the address for the Anaïs Nin Foundation. At that time he was kind enough to give us an update on the new realities. We will post portions of these emails in our next blog.

When Anaïs Nin died, her obituary in the New York Times noted that her husband was Hugh Parker Guiler also known as Ian Hugo. On the other coast the LA Times ran a similar story listing Rupert Pole as her husband. Their birthdays were three days apart. Hugo’s birthday was February 15th, Pole’s the 18th. Nin’s birthday was February 21st. In her diaries Nin writes about her interest in astrology particularly in the eccentric Conrad Moricand Moricand, who Nin referred to as the last of the Mohicans and Henry Miller as The Devil in Paradise in his book of the same name:

“… It was Anus Nin who introduced me to Conrad Moricand. She brought him to my studio in the Villa Seurat …”

Pisces Artwork by Celebrations’s artist Adele Aldridge from her Yoga Babe Cafe

A discussion of Nin’s Sun/Neptune trine which might explain the bi-coastal valentines from an astrological perspective can be found in Nick Dagon Best’s analysis: Anaïs Nin My Funny Valentine on Astrology for The Soul.

Nin was a Pisces. Her two life long Valentines were Aquarians. Other insights can be found on astrology.com’s Star Stories

Story: Author and diarist Anaïs Nin kept private record of her wild sensual double life, the one she kept secret from her husband for decades. She began writing her diary while sailing to the U.S. from Spain just prior to the outbreak of the first World War. Her most famous liaison was a love triangle with fellow author Henry Miller and his wife June.

Stars: Nin was born with natal Jupiter and the Sun conjunct in Pisces, trine Neptune retrograde in Cancer, signifying both her great love of pleasure and gift for documenting her experiences and deepest feelings with little evidence of self-censorship. Astrology demonstrates how transits involving Neptune, and its strong relationship with Jupiter and the Sun in her natal chart, had a recurring presence at key moments in her life.

We want to thank Jan Johnson for suggesting to Rochelle and I that the site have a little memory of Anaïs’s husband, Hugh Parker Guiler, known as Ian Hugo.

This photo of Ian Hugo was taken in 1983 and appears on www.roberthaller.com.

Dear Moira and Rochelle, Rochelle mentioned in a posting that she has an Ian Hugo article. Out of fairness and due respect to him, could you devote part of anaisnin.org about the banker who had the magical courage and insight to become an artist ? You know his life changed because of his love for Anaïs. Thank you / Blessings. Jan-Christine Johnson

Valerie Harms, who had met Ian Hugo was asked to write a brief memory which she just shared with the site. We regret that we have no photos of Hugo to accompany her text.

Photographs: I know there are some wonderful ones of Hugo doing his copper engravings. In fact, a short film shows how his method. Perhaps stills are available, I don’t know. The person who would have had these pictures is Gunther Stuhlmann, her agent. I believe on his death they were given to Rupert Pole. Another person who might have pictures is Paul Herron, whose Sky Blue Press (www.skybluepress.com) continued publishing Anaïs, An International Journal. Haste is required with him because he is phasing out, I believe. Other sources might be scholars, such as Benjamin Franklin.

NB a recent response to this italicized note from Valerie, from Paul Herron, posted on our guestbook:

Please note that Paul Herron of Sky Blue Press not Blue Sky Press is not phasing out, and has released Volume 5 of A Café In Space: The Anaïs Nin Literary Journal this year, and Vol. 6 is set for release in 2009. In addition, the 1939 version of The Winter of Artifice was also recently released. We are still distributing Volumes 1-19 of Gunther Stuhlmann’s Anaïs, An International Journal and that is not the same journal as A Café In Space: The Anaïs Nin Literary Journal nor is it a continuation thereof. Requests for permission are to be made in writing to the Anaïs Nin Trust, not the foundation

Thus if anyone wishes to volunteer to pursue these suggestions that Valerie suggested the site pursue, we’d be most grateful. for the site, we’d very much appreciate it. The lovely , elusive and evocotive snippet that Valerie penned makes us wish very much that we had the staff and money to pursue these tasks.

A loyal reader has sent these Ian Hugo photos Some Hugo images here

The loyal reader also sent on a film link! for Ian Hugo

Steven Reigns has let us know about the recent death of electronic pioneer Bebe Barron who was a part of the recent celebration at the UCLA Gallery in honor of Anaïs Nin’s 105th birthday. Reigns, the inspired producer of this event says that this is the most complete obit for Bebe. We have shamelessly lifted the photos used here from that site. So be sure and check out this link for the full story!

Anaïs Nin @ 105 is now online!!!

Thanks to the camera work and editing of Ian Mackinnon, Anaïs Nin @ 105 is viewable on youtube.

For those who missed the event on February 12, 2008 at the Hammer Museum, you can see a list of the videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheStevenReigns

You Tube limits videos to only 10 minutes. Some speakers’ presentations had to be cut into two or three segments. Below is a list of the video links in order:

Steven Reigns Introduction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1WGJmg39w

Tristine Rainer 1:
Tristine Rainer 2:

Eric Lloyd Wright 1
Eric Lloyd Wright 2

Adam Barron & Video of Bebe Barron:
Adam Barron & Video of Bebe Barron 2

Deena Metzger 1:
Deena Metzger 2:
Deena Metzger 3:

Steven Reigns Closing Remarks:

Much gratitude and thanks to: Darin Klein and James Bewley and all of the staff at the Hammer Museum, Moira Collins of AnaïsNin.org, Paul Herron of Sky Blue Press, Tristine Rainer, Eric Llyod Wright, Deena Metzger, Adam Barron, Bebe Barron, Leonard Neubauer, Alex Epps, Karina Wilson, Danelia Wild, Treasa McNamee, and Ian Mackinnon.

Talk given on 2.12.08 by Steven Reigns, organizer of Anaïs Nin @ 105. Poet, artist and educator, Reigns starts graduate school at Antioch in April.

This talk was given with a power presentation which the site is trying to figure out how to share with viewers. So picture Reigns words with wonderful images of Nin, her friends, her books!

We have photos of the speakers which we will post as soon as summaries of their biographies are available to post with their picture speaking at this sold out event in honor of Anaïs at 105.

I’m Steven Reigns and it’s been a pleasure to organize Anaïs @ 105 and bring together people who knew Nin intimately. I didn’t know her personally but when I discovered her writings as a young reader, I felt as if I did know her personally—and even intimately. Many people feel the same way. Nin was interested in personal connection and creativity. There are endless stories of how diary passages, her lectures, or a personal conversation with her altered peoples lives. Her name has inspired the name of a perfume and her affairs the first NC-17 movie, Henry & June. Who was she, really?

Anaïs Nin was born in a suburb of Paris on February 21, 1903. Her parents separated due to her father’s affairs. Nin’s mother decided to take the children to America to start a new life. On the trip to the US, at age eleven, Nin started keeping a diary as a letter to her father. The diary was a way for the young girl to document life in a new place. She was self educated after grammar school and worked as a model to help bring money into her single parent household. Her first published writing was at the age of 15 imploring the importance of owning a liberty bond. She wrote in the diary daily for the remainder of her life. There are 69 volumes of diaries. During the last thirty years of her life Nin kept writing but used file folders instead of bound notebooks. The original writings comprise of more than 35,000 pages. The diary was a confident, record keeper, secret keeper, and a lifelong artistic endeavor. In 1966, at the age of 63, Nin had the diaries commercially published. They documented her emotional journey as an intellectual woman, artist, and of those around her. The diaries were a commercial success, being published in the midst of a sexual revolution, Nin soon became in demand to speak at colleges and universities. She was the darling of the lecture circuit and received hundreds of letters from fans, all of which she answered personally.

Nin married banker Hugo Guiler at the age of 20. Hugo’s job relocated the young couple to France. Before publishing the diaries was even a consideration, Nin published, at the age of 28, the non-fiction book, DH Lawrence: An Unprofessional Study. The book’s reception disappointed Anaïs and she divided her attention briefly between writing and pursuing a career as a dancer. During this time she met Henry Miller, wrote fiction, and sought out analysis. In 1934, Nin returned to the US and briefly started a psychoanalysis practice.
Nin was a well-read writer with an incredible work ethic. Nin’s writings progressed as she published 15 books during her lifetime, not including the 7 published diaries, and a book of interviews. Most of her books were avant-garde novels of the French surrealistic style. In the 30’s, when there was little interest in her writings, Nin purchased a printing press and printed her own books, sometimes spending 12 to 14 hour days standing at the foot operated press. At one point, needing money, Nin wrote erotica for $1.00 a page to an unknown collector—these writings were to be published posthumously as the best sellers Delta of Venus and Little Birds. These erotic stories brought more attention and acclaim than even the Diaries.

Nin’s artistic achievements were great but her sensational private life has seemed to eclipse it in the public eye. Many details of her complicated life were omitted from the published diaries, only to be revealed after the death of her husband Hugo in 1985. Details of Anaïs Nin’s full life have been published in the unexpurgated diary series A Journal of Love. One of the biggest details omitted was the presence of a husband, giving readers the impression that Anaïs was self sufficient and self-sustaining. Then there were the affairs: she had a long affair with Henry Miller—even financially supporting him at times, had an affair with the political revolutionary Gonzalo More, book reviewer Edmund Wilson—which was actually after he reviewed her book, had relations with two of her therapists: Rene Allendy and Otto Rank—a highly unethical practice due for men in their situation. Aside from her affairs, there was also casual sex with many men, and sometimes women. There was drug experimentation and an abortion. In 1947, Nin met Rupert Pole in New York and proceeded to have a lifelong, intimate relationship with him. She even marred Rupert while still married to Hugo. Neither man knew about the other and Nin divided her time for over twenty years in 6-week increments between NYC with Hugo and in LA with Rupert. Her bi-coastal life, love affairs, and lies to cover them up were kept in a recipe box she labeled the “Lie Box.”

In this unconventional life, one situation is highly debated—a paternal incestual affair when Nin was 33 and her father 55. Nin’s writings of this time, in diary books numbered 37 through 46, have been scrutinized. We’re left wondering if she was trying through sex to recapture the attention of a father absent for 20 years, or if she used sex a means for revenge, or if the writings were simply a psychological exercise as she worked through her childhood abandonment.

This month Nin would have been 105. She spent the later part of her life living in Silverlake. During this time she befriended many young women who saw her as a mentor and friend. I’m pleased two of them are here with us. We will also hear recollections from someone who knew Nin for over 40 years, and hear from a family member and now the executor of the estate.

Nin was a pioneer, believing her emotional experience was worthy of daily documentation, that love affairs were to be recorded and examined, she believed in her writings enough to purchase a printing press and print books herself. Even though there were glaring omissions in the diaries published during her lifetime, it was still a bold act to reveal oneself so intimate on the page.
Tonight’s program does not seek out to unify a profile of Anaïs Nin, its aim is to give a clearer picture of the complex woman and writer.

Closing Remarks:
Thank you for attending tonight’s event. The Hammer is a perfect venue for an event honoring Nin. Her original diaries are kept at UCLA a few blocks away. I want to give an extended thanks to Moira Collins of Anaïsnin.org, Paul Herron, Ian McKinnon, Darin Klein and all of the Hammer staff and especially tonight’s speakers.

Some of the speakers will be signing their books in the lobby; Sky Blue press is also selling the original, uncensored version of The Winter of Artifice, as well as A Café in Space: the Anaïs Nin Literary Journal, which is filled with information about Anaïs and her writings. Be sure to investigate those before leaving tonight.

Video of Bebe Barron on YouTube can be viewed here.

“This is a short interview with electronic music innovator Bebe Barron about her friend and mentor Anaïs Nin by Ian MacKinnon and Steven Reigns for the ANAIS at 105 event at The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles”.

Also check out NPR’s March 8th piece on The Berrons: The Forgotten Pioneers of Electronic Music by Susan Stone.

Photo above by Bebe Miller and taken from the NPR site.