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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Significant violence in numerous stories, including mutilation, murder, and cultural brutality; "A Distant Episode" is among the most violent stories in the American canon
Language
Barely any
Minimal profanity; Bowles's prose is spare and clean
Sexual Content
Some
Some sexual content in various stories; not the primary focus
Substance Use
Some
Drug use in various stories, particularly kif and other substances
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Existential horror, cultural annihilation, and the destruction of the self are pervasive themes; some stories are designed to leave the reader disturbed
What this book is about
This comprehensive collection gathers Paul Bowles's short fiction across five decades — from the famous "A Distant Episode" (an American linguist whose tongue is cut out by nomads) to gentler tales of expatriate life in Morocco, Sri Lanka, and South America. Bowles's stories typically feature Westerners who encounter alien cultures that unmake them, sometimes violently. His prose is cool, precise, and deeply unsettling.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Mutilation in several stories
Violence and death in many stories
Psychological horror throughout
Cultural horror and Western vulnerability
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