Collected Stories & Later Writings

Paul Bowles always said that the writer who most influenced him was Edgar Allan Poe, and it`s true that Bowles`s violent and macabre tales push the limits of the normal, combining horror and beauty. A short-story writer from early in his life, he often wrote about the exotic locales in which he lived as an adult, and about the difficulties (sometimes extreme ones) resulting from the clash of cultures when an outsider turns up. Gore Vidal claimed that Bowles`s stories are among the best ever written by an American. This collection brings together all his short work, including the contents of A HUNDRED CAMELS IN THE COURTYARD (1962), THE TIME OF FRIENDSHIP (1967), THINGS GONE AND THINGS STILL HERE (1977), and MIDNIGHT MASS (1981). Also included are the novel UP ABOVE THE WORLD (1966) and Bowles`s very entertaining and offbeat travel book, THEIR HEADS ARE GREEN AND THEIR HANDS ARE BLUE (1963), as well as some very late stories. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.