A Spy in the House of Love (novel)
Encyclopedia
A Spy in the House of Love is a 1954 novel by Anaïs Nin
, part of her Cities of the Interior
sequence, published by Swallow Press and British Book Centre, Paris and New York. It was published in the UK by Peter Owen, London, 1971, and in paperback by Penguin Books
, Harmondsworth, 1973 (Penguin book 3600).
The book is a journey into the mind of Sabina, who is assumed by many to be a fictionalized version of author Anaïs Nin herself. The book portrays an adulterous woman working with a therapist to try to come to terms with her dishonest ways. Anaïs Nin wrote the book at a time that she was having many affairs.
The genre is best described as erotic fiction. The story is a character study of a woman in torment.
Fans of the book speak of Sabina as not only special, but as endowed with a touching need. Initially, Nin meant Sabina to be based on her friend June Miller
, and wrote House of Incest with Sabina standing in for June. However, as Nin seems to have held June as a role model and deliberately imitated her, the character borrowed traits from both women. Nin said that of all her novels, this was the one she worked on most diligently. Many readers and critics speak of the lie detector as one of her best characters.
Songs
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
, part of her Cities of the Interior
Cities of the Interior
Cities of the Interior is a novel sequence published in one volume containing the five books of Anaïs Nin's "continuous novel": Ladders to Fire, Children of the Albatross, The Four-Chambered Heart, A Spy in the House of Love and Seduction of the Minotaur. This combined volume was first published,...
sequence, published by Swallow Press and British Book Centre, Paris and New York. It was published in the UK by Peter Owen, London, 1971, and in paperback by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, Harmondsworth, 1973 (Penguin book 3600).
The book is a journey into the mind of Sabina, who is assumed by many to be a fictionalized version of author Anaïs Nin herself. The book portrays an adulterous woman working with a therapist to try to come to terms with her dishonest ways. Anaïs Nin wrote the book at a time that she was having many affairs.
The genre is best described as erotic fiction. The story is a character study of a woman in torment.
Plot summary
The leading character of the novel, Sabina, is a beautiful lying wife who desires to seduce every attractive man she can. She regards herself as an international spy in the house of love. All the while she is living a double life with staid Alan, her unsuspecting husband. She tells Alan that she's an actress in a play and she must leave for weeks at a time. She hides herself under makeup and clothing to disguise her flaws as she goes in search of someone who can save her from herself. At the same time, she's telling her story to a "lie detector", whom she dials at random in order to hear an unfamiliar voice on the other line. The lie detector is something like a detective and somewhat of a professional psychologist, listening to others and separating truth from lies. He traces her call and continues to follow Sabina, revealing in the end the folly of her ways.Fans of the book speak of Sabina as not only special, but as endowed with a touching need. Initially, Nin meant Sabina to be based on her friend June Miller
June Miller
June Mansfield Miller was the much-written-about and discussed second wife of Henry Miller.- Early life :...
, and wrote House of Incest with Sabina standing in for June. However, as Nin seems to have held June as a role model and deliberately imitated her, the character borrowed traits from both women. Nin said that of all her novels, this was the one she worked on most diligently. Many readers and critics speak of the lie detector as one of her best characters.
Cultural references
- The British band The House of LoveThe House of LoveThe House of Love is an English alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, the band rose to prominence in the UK as a leading indie rock band in 1988 and split up in 1993, eventually reforming a decade later in 2003. The band is best known for its detailed psychedelic guitar sound and for the...
is named after the novel. - In The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "The Ziff Who Came to DinnerThe Ziff Who Came to Dinner"The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, and the third of four episodes written by Simpsons voice actor Dan Castellaneta and his wife, Deb Lacusta...
", Moe SzyslakMoe SzyslakMomar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
refers to Artie Ziff by saying, "He's like a spy in the house of Moe." - The TV series DollhouseDollhouse (TV series)Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010...
uses the phrase as the title of its ninth episode.
Songs
- Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
recorded a song called "Spy in the House of Love". - The American band The dB'sThe dB'sThe dB's are a jangle pop/power pop group who came into prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s. The bandmembers were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder, all of whom were from Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
also recorded a song titled "A Spy in the House of Love" on their album Like ThisLike This (album)-Track listing:# Love Is for Lovers# She Got Soul# Spitting in the Wind# Lonely Is # Not Cool# Amplifier# A Spy in the House of Love# Rendezvous# New Gun in Town# On the Battlefront# White Train...
. - The phrase was used as a lyric in The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' song "The Spy" on the album Morrison HotelMorrison HotelMorrison Hotel is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots...
. - "Spy in the House of Love" is also the title of a song by the band Was (Not Was)Was (Not Was)-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Contributions:* A Christmas Record - "Christmas Time In The Motor City"* That's The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk - "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are"...
released in 1987. - The band Animal LogicAnimal Logic (band)Animal Logic is the name of a band formed in 1987 by ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland, virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke, and singer-songwriter Deborah Holland...
also released a singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
entitled "There's A Spy (in the House of Love)." - The phrase was used as a lyric in Anaïs MitchellAnais MitchellAnaïs Mitchell is an American singer-songwriter.-Early life:Anaïs Mitchell grew up on a farm in Addison County, Vermont and attended Middlebury College. Her father is a novelist and a retired college professor....
's song "Namesake" on the album The BrightnessThe BrightnessThe Brightness is the third album by American folksinger Anais Mitchell, released February 13, 2007 on Righteous Babe Records. It was recorded at The Bristmill in Bristol, Vermont and produced by Michael Chorney.- Track listing :# Your Fonder Heart...
. - Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
quotes a line from the book "I am an international spy in the House of Love", in her 1979 album Spy.