Short Stories Of Paul Bowles

[E.A Rumfield]

There is something very mysterious and totally original about his writing. Shocking and strangely dream like his stories rarely take an expected turn. I don't know if anyone is familiar with his writing but if you enjoy short stories take a look at Bowles.

[billl]

I had the complete collection, and it was really, really great. I went on a Paul Bowles kick around then (early '90s I think), and I really enjoyed his novels, as well. There was an autobiography (I think it was...) that I never read, but I think I read pretty much everything else.

It's difficult to remember and discuss in detail, but I think you're right about the stories not being predictable. That's not to say that they're full of neck-breaking surprises and thrills, but that's maybe where the "dream-like" angle comes in. No surprise he was smoking a lot of khat or whatever it was called kief. Mood and atmosphere are major features, I think. And perhaps "epiphany" isn't the best description, but I at least remember certain moments where a new perspective or experience is delivered to the reader in that same sort of way. A different time, and a different culture--a different path from the norm. (I don't mean to say I'm a particular admirer of the guy, but he is interesting.) And, yes, I have a feeling people who are into short stories might really like his work.

[E.A Rumfield]

Yea his stories are really bugged out. The last story I read was called You Are Not I and the narrator was a schizophrenic escaped from a "Home". Very little is clear after finishing a story and the reader is left wondering what just happened. I have his novel Spider House which I'll probably read after I finish this very large collection of stories. I'm not surprised he was smoking some tea leaves.

[billl]

We could easily give the wrong impression though--his stories aren't at all freak-out, gimmicky, druggy-babblings. Far from it. I remember the writing to be really good, I enjoyed all the stories, and he's a generally respected 20th-Century author as far as I can tell. Wikipedia has Gore Vidal praising his short stories quite highly, and he has a volume published by the Library Of America. People who like "masterful prose" might like him a lot, I think.

[E.A Rumfield]

I didn't mean that his stories were gimmicky I'm just not surprised he got high. He has perhaps the most unique style I've encountered.

[RetsixArp]

...I don't know if anyone is familiar with his writing but if you enjoy short stories take a look at Bowles.I first heard of Bowles (that I recall) in the late 80s, when NPR had a feature on him: mainly about the disparity betw. his stories & novels & his music (Google "Bennett Lerner," who recorded some of Bowles's piano pieces).

My favorite story is "Allal," w/ some very erotic passages (betw. a boy & a snake) & a shocking, violent ending. "A Distant Episode" is also frightening. Bowles told NPR that he imagined the ending of his novel "The Sheltering Sky" during a kief (he called it may-joon) hallucination but was too numb @the time to write it: he remembered clearly the next morning.

[E.A Rumfield]

A Distant Episode was great. The ending when he rides off on the camel screaming and waving his arms like a maniac is actually quite humorous.

[mal4mac]

Gore Vidal has a lot to say about Bowles, and his equally interesting wife, in "Point To Point Navigation: A Memoir" (also some good photos of them...) I certainly found "The Sheltering Sky" shocking and dream-like, thanks for reminding me of his short stories, I must read them.

[Heteronym]

I read Paul Bowles' big book of collected short-stories after reading the praise Gore Vidal gave it. For me it's an uneven book, with many forgettable and dull stories, but it also has many treasures and pleasant surprises. I think as he grew older, his stories got stranger and more interesting.

[E.A Rumfield]

I first heard of Bowles (that I recall) in the late 80s, when NPR had a feature on him: mainly about the disparity betw. his stories & novels & his music (Google "Bennett Lerner," who recorded some of Bowles's piano pieces).

My favorite story is "Allal," w/ some very erotic passages (betw. a boy & a snake) & a shocking, violent ending. "A Distant Episode" is also frightening. Bowles told NPR that he imagined the ending of his novel "The Sheltering Sky" during a kief (he called it may-joon) hallucination but was too numb @the time to write it: he remembered clearly the next morning.

I just read Allal and I'm not sure what your definition of erotic is but if it is the same as mine I'm not sure what you mean. My favorite story so far is probably "A Circular Valley" it's about a spirit who takes to inhabiting people. I just read a story Senor Ong and Senor Ha. It is about a boy who finds his aunts boyfriends cocaine stash. He starts selling it to townspeople without knowing what he is doing. The man is arrested and another man moves in with aunt and has the boy deliver the drugs, and the boy continues to take small amounts and sell it on the side, saving up money to buy his little girlfriend things. I think he's a great writer. Each story is written in a different style and presents a unique and worth while perspective.

[Scheherazade]

... I certainly found "The Sheltering Sky" shocking and dream-like, ...Read Sheltering Sky a few months ago and I was less than impressed. His writing style is, no doubt, good but his characters and the story he chose to tell did not interest me at all.

[E.A Rumfield]

Read Sheltering Sky a few months ago and I was less than impressed. His writing style is, no doubt, good but his characters and the story he chose to tell did not interest me at all.

I am reading his collection of short stories and while some of them are mundane most stories are captivating. He is a great story teller. I have his novel Spiders House I have yet to read.