Green, Michelle (Bowles, Paul)

The Dream at the End of the World: Paul Bowles and the Literary Renegades in Tangier

ISBN: 0060165715
New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991. First Edition. Hardcover. "In The Dream at the End of the World...Michelle Green presents a richly detailed portrait of one of the most extraordinary groups of individuals ever to have congregated in a single location. Writers and heiresses, drug addicts and pederasts, artists and con men- all were lured by a raffish city that promised a full range of unconventional pleasures. At the center of the extravagant community were Paul Bowles and Jane Bowles, the most seductive couple of their age. A critically acclaimed writer and composer, the charismatic Paul found Morocco the perfect setting for his perverse, visionary fiction, and for the quotidian intrigue that he loved. For Jane- a brilliant playwright plagued by anxiety and terrified of her own talent- Tangier was as sinister as it was tantalizing." (from front flap) An historical- biographical narrative of Tangier when it was an "International Zone" and became the world headquarters of expatriate creativity & eccentricity during the mid-twentieth century, by the respected journalist Michelle Green. At the center of this group were Paul Bowles (1910-1999) & his wife Jane (1917-1973), & attracted to them like a flame were many of their colleagues & protégés, among the greatest literary, artistic & cultural figures of the Beat Generation & beyond: William S. Burroughs, Truman Capote, Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, Jack Kerouac among the more legendary; & many others who have nearly been lost to history but come to life in this fascinating & wonderfully written volume, including Alfred Chester, brilliant but so bedeviled & eccentric that he stood out even in this crowd. With a section of photographs depicting the dramatis personae of this real-life stranger-than-fiction time & place. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition as stated on copyright page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. A most highly recommended, collectible chronicle of Paul Bowles & co. in Tangier. Book in very fine condition, substantially mint inside & out. Dust jacket very fine with only the slightest rubbing & scratching to front, back covers & spine; very light wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same & flaps. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #4054]

Price: $40.00