Pol Bowls American writer and composer, recognized classic of American literature of the 20th century. Date of Birth: 30.10.1920 Country: USA

Biography of Paul Bowles

Paul Frederick Bowles was an American writer and composer, recognized as a classic of 20th-century American literature. He was born on December 30, 1910, in New York City, USA, into a family with fairly conservative views. Bowles was the only child in the family.

In early 1928, Bowles made his literary debut with the story "Waterfall," published in a school literary newspaper. In March of the same year, his first poem appeared in the respected Parisian magazine "transition." At the age of eighteen, Bowles left America, traveling through Europe, North Africa, Mexico, and Central America. Upon returning home, he began studying music. In 1931, he first traveled to Tangier, in northern Morocco. The city and its people made an indelible impression on the writer.

Bowles returned to America and composed musical works for theaters and chamber orchestras. He also published critical articles about theatrical productions. In 1937, he met Jane Auer, a 20-year-old aspiring writer. They married the following year, despite Jane openly declaring her homosexuality and Paul asserting his bisexuality. Their marriage was short-lived, but they remained friends and continued to work together.

In 1943, Jane published her first novel, which received mixed reviews. After World War II, she worked on her second novel, while Paul went to Tangier in 1947. In 1948, Jane joined her husband in Tangier, where they socialized with renowned writers such as Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and Gore Vidal. Here, Paul created his most famous work, the novel "The Sheltering Sky" (1949), which was later adapted into a film by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci in 1990. The book was named one of the hundred best novels of the 20th century by experts at Time magazine.

In 1957, Jane fell seriously ill. She suffered from alcohol addiction and became dependent on pills, occasionally experiencing epileptic seizures. Paul took care of her, but she passed away in Malaga in 1973. During this time, Paul wrote a series of stories and novels, including "The Spider's House" (1955) and "Midnight Mass." He supported Moroccan writers, such as Mohamed Choukri, and later translated his biography, "For Bread Alone" (1973), into English. He also translated the works of Swiss writer Isabelle Eberhardt into English.

Paul Bowles passed away on November 18, 1999, at the age of 88, in Tangier. He was buried in New York City.