LITTLE BIRDS:Erotica

Focussing wholly on the sexual life is not natural."" It's also dull--and these 13 little squiggles of pseudo-continental porn are dull indeed: inferior in all ways to Nin's more substantial Delta of Venus collection, less feminist in orientation, and unlikely to repeat that curious commercial success, despite the continued appeal to porn-seekers who wouldn't be caught dead buying a back-of-the-store paperback. The title anecdote offers an exhibitionist who dotes on little girls; other tales venture into oral sex, threesomes, lesbians, a mechanical device or two, an artist who'd rather get it on with the carved statue than the model, and a deep-South husband who can only be stimulated by black women. Only two stories--both about virgins--have even vague narrative interest: ""A Model"" who goes from one painter to another, allowing herself to be brought closer and closer to sexual initiation; and a ""Runaway"" teenager who, deflowered by a young swinger, proceeds to wear out both him and his roommate. Nin never pretended that this was anything but the quickest route to reader arousal and author profit--and that's still all it is.