Paul Bowles Overview

Paul Bowles' novels are often set in Northern Africa where he settled with his wife, Jane, in the late 1940s. They investigate the sometimes tragic consequences of dislocation from one's own cultural context; in "The Sheltering Sky", for example, a husband/wife/friend... [more]

Paul Bowles' novels are often set in Northern Africa where he settled with his wife, Jane, in the late 1940s. They investigate the sometimes tragic consequences of dislocation from one's own cultural context; in "The Sheltering Sky", for example, a husband/wife/friend trio set out on a journey through sub-Saharan Africa whose objective is undefined. The husband, Kit, becomes ill and is laid up in hospital. The three are so far removed from Western culture that they are unable to recognize signs of impending danger, with unfortunate consequences. Bowles' personal life makes for interesting reading itself. Married to Jane Bowles, a bisexual, the couple settled in Morrocco in 1947 and became the center of the Tangier ex-pat community that included William S. Burroughs, Tennessee Williams and others. [show less]