The Four-Chambered Heart, Ana\u00efs Nin’s 1950 novel, recounts the real-life affair she conducted with caf\u00e9 guitarist Gonzalo Mor\u00e9 in 1936. Nin and Mor\u00e9 rented a house-boat on the Seine, and under the pervading influence of the boat’s watchman and Mor\u00e9’s wife Helba, developed a relationship. Mor\u00e9 named the boat Nanankepichu, meaning not really a home.

In the novel, which Nin drew from her experiences on the boat, the characters are clearly based. Djuna is an embodiment of Nin herself. A young dancer in search of fulfillment, she encapsulates all that the author was striving for at that time. The character of Djuna features in other novels, perhaps weaving a directly autobiographical thread into Nin’s fiction. The gypsy musician, Rango, is therefore Mor\u00e9, and his invalid wife is Zora. The old watchman is present as a force which, along with Zora, works against the lovers in their quest for happiness.

Nin’s main concern is the outside, and how it affects the interior. Water is a cleverly used theme. \u201cI have no great fear of depths,\u201d says Djuna, \u201cand a great fear of shallow living.\u201d Rango and Djuna’s relationship is, in effect, their effort to remain afloat. Often, Nin employs a stream of consciousness, especially in her flowing analyses of love, life and music, which continues the water image.

Ana\u00efs Nin’s writing is typically exquisite in its detail and texture. She describes Paris: its black lacquered cobblestones and silver filigree trees. The humid scarfs of fog on the river, and the sharp incense of roasted chestnuts reveal their source through their reality: Nin’s personal experience.