4. Delta Of Venus - Anaïs Nin
A collection of 15 stories published posthumously after Nin's death, Delta of Venus was originally written in the 1940s for a private collector of erotica. The tales feature recurrent characters and although they are separate stories, their language and style ties them together. Nin examines the world of paedophilia, incest, infidelity, homosexuality and voyeurism. Apparently she was told by the collector that he wanted graphic sex scenes. Anaïs Nin not only provided the goods but also managed to do it in a literary way. Delta of Venus is both a towering achievement of erotica and one of Nin's finest literary feats. It is remarkable to find erotica that is as well written as Nin's - she inserts ideas and motifs into the prose that not only makes it a good book but also highly arousing. Nin often scorned her pornographic writings. Little did she know that they would become classic erotica.