A Spy in the House of Love is a 1954 novel by Anaïs Nin. Alongside her other novels, Ladders to Fire, Children of the Albatross, The Four-Chambered Heart and Seduction of the Minotaur, it was gathered into a collection known as Cities of the Interior. The novel follows the character of Sabina, a woman who enjoys the sexual licence typically associated with men. Sabina wears extravagant outfits and deliberately avoids romantic commitments. She pursues sexual pleasure in isolation of any other romantic attachment.[1]
 First edition (1954) | |
| Author | Anaïs Nin |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | avant-garde |
| Publisher | Swallow Press (1954) |
Publication date | 1954 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 136 pp (first edition) |
| Followed by | Seduction of the Minotaur |
Plot summary
editIn 1950s New York, protagonist Sabina pursues her sexual desires. She calls a random number from a bar in the middle of the night, seeking to confess or find solace in the voice of a stranger. The stranger happens to be a lie detector who proceeds to follow Sabina in her activities throughout the novel. Her various love interests and her relationship with her husband, Alan, without whom she feels she cannot live, make her life more and more complex. The level of deceit her hedonistic lifestyle forces her to maintain leads her to regard herself as "an international spy in the house of love".
Reception
editIn a brief review, John L. Bradley referred to the novel as "Tentative, experimental, complex [...] a commendable effort to explore new frontiers of the modern novel."[2]
Cultural references
edit- The British band The House of Love is named after the novel and later named a compilation album after it.[3]
- In The Simpsons episode "Half-Decent Proposal", Moe Szyslak refers to Artie Ziff by saying, "He's like a spy in the house of Moe."
- The TV series Dollhouse uses the phrase as the title of its ninth episode.
- French fashion designer Olympia Le-Tan creates clutches using covers of classical literature and used A Spy in the House of Love for her latest collection.
- Just Shoot Me episode "A Spy in the House of Me" references the title of the book.
- Songs
- Steve Winwood recorded a song called "Spy in the House of Love" in his 1997 album Junction Seven.
- The American band The dB's recorded a song titled "A Spy in the House of Love" on their album Like This.
- The phrase was used as a lyric in The Doors' song "The Spy" on the album Morrison Hotel.
- "Spy in the House of Love" is the title of a song by the band Was (Not Was) released in 1987.
- The band Animal Logic released a single entitled "There's A Spy (in the House of Love)."
- The phrase was used as a lyric in Anaïs Mitchell's song "Namesake" on the album The Brightness.
- Carly Simon quotes a line from the book "I am an international spy in the House of Love", in her 1979 album Spy.
- Ruby Throat reference the title of the book in their song "A Spy in the House of Thieves" on their album The Ventriloquist.
- Lush song "Covert", written by Miki Berenyi, was inspired by the book and ends with the line "I am the spy".
Adaptation
editA television series adaptation is in development from Amazon MGM Studios and Legendary Television, with Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-creator Francesca Sloane serving as executive producer.[4]
References
edit- ^ Nin, Anaïs Nin (2001). A Spy in the House of Love. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-118371-8.
- ^ Bradley, John L. (Summer 1955). "Reviewed Work: A Spy in the House of Love by Anaïs Nin". Books Abroad. 29 (3): 1. doi:10.2307/40094666. JSTOR 40094666.
- ^ Sturges, Fiona (14 April 2005). "The House of Love: Bless this house". The Independent. London.
- ^ Petski, Denise (2020-09-23). "Writer-Producer Francesca Sloane Inks Overall Deal With Amazon Studios; Sets First Project With Legendary Based On Works Of Anaïs Nin". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
