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The Sheltering Sky (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

by Paul Bowles (Author), Paul Theroux (Introduction) "He awoke, opened his eyes ..." (more)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; Re-issue edition (3 Dec 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141187778
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141187778
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 93,066 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #4 in  Books > Fiction > Cult Authors > Bowles, Paul
    #8 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > T > Theroux, Paul

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Product Description

Product Description

'The Sheltering Sky is a book about people on the edge of an alien space; somewhere where, curiously, they are never alone' Michael Hoffman. Port and Kit Moresbury, a sophisticated American couple, are finding it more than a little difficult to live with each other. Endeavouring to escape this predicament, they set off for North Africa intending to travel through Algeria – uncertain of exactly where they are heading, but determined to leave the modern world behind. The results of this casually taken decision are both tragic and compelling.

About the Author

Born in New York in 1910, Paul Bowles is considered one of the most remarkable American authors of the twentieth century. He studied music with composer Aaron Copland before moving to Tangier, Morocco, with his wife, Jane. His first novel, The Sheltering Sky, was a bestseller in the 1950s and was made into a film by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1990. Bowles's prolific career included many musical compositions, novels, collections of short stories, and books of travel, poetry, and translations. His other novels include The Spider's Nest, Up Above The World, and Let It Come Down.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
He awoke, opened his eyes. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great novels of the post-war era., 18 May 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sheltering Sky (Flamingo modern classics) (Hardcover)
Port Moresby (probably the only fictional character to be named after a city in Papua New Guinea) and his wife Kit head off on a journey across North Africa in search of...actually they haven't a clue what they're looking for. All they find is heat, desert and a growing realisation that their marriage is collapsing within an environment that they are increasingly unable to cope with. Matters are complicated by the presence of Kit's clandestine lover and a boorish English mother and son combination who do little but encroach upon the Moresby's aimless quest. Nothing goes according to plan and as Port's health deteriorates, Kit finds that her terrible omens are about to be fulfilled.

This extraordinary novel envelops the reader with shimmering images and deft characterisation. Amongst all this, there is a message about the hollowness of the American post-war experience. The protagonists feel compelled to explore alien territory but their search for discovery is engulfed by the vastness of the desert. The way the plot unfolds is totally unexpected but conventional narrative wouldn't make sense here. North Africa is different and in this book Bowles lucidly demonstrates why this is the case.

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars 'Heart of Darkness' for the twentieth century, 28 Dec 2004
By Depressaholic (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
'TSS' by Paul Bowles is the story of Kit and Port Moresby, who are travelling around North Africa in the years preceding World War II, accompanied by their friend Tunner. Kit and Port are married but estranged, a couple who are as close to perfection for the other as their personalities allow, but who share a love of isolation and secrecy that means that there will always be a chasm between them. Tunner is a fly in the ointment, a sexual rival for Port, an irritant for Kit. On their travels they stay in increasingly hellish places, each more alien than the last, and encounter the nightmarish inhabitants, both European and African, of that remote landscape.
This book has been described as 'African Gothic', and this seems as good a label as any. A dark, brooding atmosphere persists throughout, although there is no horror in the traditional sense. Port and Kit are travelling through their own personal heart of darkness, weighed down by the metaphorical baggage the carry with them, and by each other. They attempt to escape this ever-decreasing circle by sexual liaisons that are both erotic and grotesque in equal measure, and by running as far from westerners and the western way of life as possible. However, their fear of the new, frightening, world they encounter, and their inability to rid themselves of the influences of their past lives lead them ever closer to their own personal hell.
'TSS' is brilliantly written, conjuring strong visual images of the world the Moresby's find themselves plunging into. The powerful writing style reminded me of Malcolm Lowry, and I recommend that fans of one try the other. Bowles' writing is less well structured, but just as successful at bringing the nightmare to life. It isn't an especially easy read, both because of Bowles' occasionally meandering prose and the grimness of the events being recounted. I was also a little bemused by the finale, which seemed to take Kit's African horror a little too far. Despite this, it was still an excellent book to have read, and one I can recommend to anyone interested in great writing.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A strange journey, 23 Oct 2001
By J. Bowman (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Sheltering Sky (Paperback)
Port Moresby (probably the only fictional character to be named after a city in Papua New Guinea) and his wife Kit head off on a journey across North Africa in search of...actually they haven't a clue what they're looking for. All they find is heat, desert and a growing realisation that their marriage is collapsing within an environment that they are increasingly unable to cope with. Matters are complicated by the presence of Kit's clandestine lover and a boorish English mother and son combination who do little but encroach upon the Moresby's aimless quest. Nothing goes according to plan and as Port's health deteriorates, Kit finds that her terrible omens are about to be fulfilled.

This extraordinary novel envelops the reader with shimmering images and deft characterisation. Amongst all this, there is a message about the hollowness of the American post-war experience. The protagonists feel compelled to explore alien territory but their search for discovery is engulfed by the vastness of the desert. The way the plot unfolds is totally unexpected but conventional narrative wouldn't make sense here. North Africa is different and Bowles is probably the writer best equipped to help you understand why.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars music of the sands
Paul Bowles was originally a composer and his ear for the cadence and rhythms of language is evident in this, the best known of his four novels. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dr. Cath L. Murphy

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I had high hopes for this book but found the characters two-dimensional and lacking in any attributes that resembled genuine human emotions. Read more
Published 3 months ago by B. WARD

4.0 out of 5 stars Scorching
Kit and her husband Port Moresby (sic) have turned their backs on the futility of an idle New York life to embark on a journey without an end in North Africa, still French-owned... Read more
Published 6 months ago by reader 451

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Third
This very original and dynamically written novel should be read for its final third.

Starting (and continuing) as a rather pedestrian travelogue, it eventually... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Edward Barry

2.0 out of 5 stars Loses the plot badly
Four fifths of this book are excellent, if a little ponderous and slow-moving. The characters are well drawn and we feel gradually drawn in to a web of intrigue and decay. Read more
Published 16 months ago by daisyrock

4.0 out of 5 stars Splendid pictures of people and places
The three main characters in this story are nicely drawn in the first few pages and we stay with them throughout their journey across a part of Africa. Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. W. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Character is Destiny
Initially, Kit and Port, the preppy primary characters in THE SHELTERING SKY, seem more like attitudes than people. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ethan Cooper

3.0 out of 5 stars well-worth reading
I really enjoyed this book.It gripped me from the start but i am not really sure why?It is a page turner and at the end of each chapter i wanted to read on but i wanted more to... Read more
Published 23 months ago by vic

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Novel of the Twentieth Century
Having picked this book up in my mid twenties after an initial fascination with the beat writers (and thus coming to Paul Bowles in relation to them) I quickly became absorbed in... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2008 by A. J. O. Donnell

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful snapshot of 1940's travellers.
On my first attempt at reading this book, I will admit I became quickly bored and gave up. I perservered more diligently on my second attempt, although mainly through a lack of... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2004 by berkanafairy

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