The Time of Friendship

by Paul Bowles

Bowles, Paul, Santoro, Vittorio

Genres: Short Stories

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Paul Frederic Bowles grew up in New York, and attended college at the University of Virginia before traveling to Paris, where became a part of Gertrude Stein's literary and artistic circle. Following her advice, he took his first trip to Tangiers in 1931 with his friend, composer Aaron Copeland.

In 1938 he married author and playwright Jane Auer (see: Jane Bowles). He moved to Tangiers permanently in 1947, with Auer following him there in 1948. There they became fixtures of the American and European expatriate scene, their visitors including Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams and Gore Vidal. Bowles continued to live in Tangiers after the death of his wife in 1973.

Bowles died of heart failure in Tangier on November 18, 1999. His ashes were interred near the graves of his parents and grandparents in Lakemont, New York.

Reviews

[Corto Maltese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ιστορίες-Διηγήματα (από την συλλογή collected stories 1939-1976) από ένα λευκό συγγραφέα που είναι σπόρος, αποπαίδι του Juan Rulfo & του Horacio Quiroga. Στα περισσότερα διηγήματα του, με φόντο εξωτικές περιοχές της Αφρικής είτε της Νότιας Αμερικής, κεντρικός άξονας είναι η σύγκρουση ανάμεσα στον "πολιτισμένο" Δυτικό και τις κοινωνίες που επισκέπτεται, τις οποίες δεν θα μπορέσει ποτέ του να καταλάβει, κάποια από αυτά σου μένουν αλησμόνητα...όπως αναφέρει "Πάντα ήθελα να πάω όσο πιο μακριά μπορούσα από τον τόπο όπου γεννήθηκα", δεν ξέρω εάν τελικά τα κατάφερε να πάει σε όλα τα μέρη που περιγράφει, αλλά τον αναγνώστη σίγουρα καταφέρνει να τον ταξιδέψει σε τόπους μακρινούς, αφιλόξενους, όπου παράδοξο & το μακάβριο κυριαρχεί...

[MD · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story, Time of Friendship is very good. Bowles at his best.
None of the other stories caught my interest.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific collection of stories. Bowles was clearly at the height of his writing talent here. The title story with its moral dilemma is wonderfully realized and gripping. My other favorite story from the collection is "The Frozen Fields," which is set in an early-twentieth century America but is as complex and deals with several moral issues like all of Bowles's best fiction.

[Sylvia Estrada · Rating 4 out of 5]

La mayoría de los cuentos tiene un toque árabe, ya sea por los personajes, las situaciones o el sitio geográfico en el que se desarrollan. Paul Bowles es un estupendo narrador que logra que el lector se adentre en estos relatos con expectacion y buena dosis de suspenso.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it, keep reading and rereading. Bowles is an exquisite writer with the ability to portray people, places and relationships with sensitivity and reality.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although The Time of Friendship is an excellent short story, overall, the stories in Bowles' short story collection The Delicate Prey are, I think, superior.

[Steve Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and imaginative stories!