Paul Bowles at the Cultural Crossroads

Abstract: This essay seeks to understand and unravel the reasons behind the expatriate American writers-Paul Bowles is my concern here- disaffection with their civilization and their headlong flight from homeland realities in search of the exotic lure of foreign experiences. Bowles is considered by many critics as an American writer who, through his strangeness, throwness and lostness, strives to make a name for himself within the literary circle of great American writers by offering a contribution to the world of letters worthy of the acclaim usually ascribed to his contemporaries. His contribution, some critics believe, is one which runs counter to what most avant-garde writers of his time seem to have added to the literature. In a nutshell, Bowles found it quintessential to delve deep into the North African exotic culture in a bid to come up with a new streak of writing that borrows material from a culture dissimilar to his own American culture. What does all this close and intimate relationship to the Moroccan culture make out of the author Some reviewers of his work talk even of Bowless Moroccaness. This paper will then explore the authors presumed engagement with the Moroccan culture, and ultimately either substantiate his claim for an accurate portrayal of it or refute it for reasons to do mainly with myopic and superficial representation of the other.

Keywords: avant-guard, expatriate writers, estrangement, throwness, lostness, Moroccaness

Edition: Volume 4 Issue 12, December 2015,

Pages: 142 - 155