Bowles Books

Paul Bowles tape recorded Mrabet and other Moroccan storytellers back in the 50s, then edited and translated the tales to give to the Western reading public. The result is a large body of Arabic literature that would have pased into the void had it not been for his efforts.

These stories alone would suffice to merit the eternal gratitude of literature and story lovers everywhere. It's impossible to fathom how an illiterate (Mrabet) could smoke a few bowls of kif and effortlessly spin forth such highly structured, intricate yarns "off the top of his head," yet he and several other of his Moroccan compatriots could do just that. Luckily for posterity, a genius such as Bowles was there to act as amaneunsis.

The title story alone is enough to warrant a purchase. It's an unforgettable account of a young Arab boy who falls victim to a band of vicious marauders. The revenge he exacts is truly diabolical.

Readers who enjoy this collection will NO doubt want to investigate Bowles' collection of indiginous, Moroccan, kif-smoking, oral storytellers, HUNDRED CAMELS IN THE COURTYARD. It, too, is unforgettable. Just another piece of the fabric that went into the tapestry of genius that is Paul Bowles.

I have some copies of this book which, if I can find them, I'd be glad to send to anyone looking for it.

Daniel.Eisenberg@bigfoot.com

a fabulous recounting of a scintilating relationship consumated by mail alone! whosoever could claim such today? i was deeply moved. hats off elysium!

Una novela intrigante, original, divertida y feminista. Super recomendable y también diría imprescindible. Por momentos uno parece moverse en un mundo desconcertante. Los personajes son deliciosos. Y la manera de mirar el mundo de Jane Bowles es realmente particular, de vanguardia. El relato es hiper femenino, y puede servir a las mujeres para reconciliarse con esta palabra en la literatura y en la vida.

A collection of five Moroccan men's-- Abdeslam Bouliach, Mohammed Mrabet, Larbi Layachi [AKA Driss Ben Hamed Charhadi], Mohamed Choukri, and Ahmed Yacoubi-- improvised stories for Paul Bowles, the famous American expatriate writer and composer, in the '60s and '70s. He taped these flutterings of imagination, often in unwritten dialects and sometimes by illiterate speakers, transcribed them, and translated them. Translations occupied the latter decades of Bowles' life, despite plenty of other things to be done. This volume is proof positive that he was not wasting his precious time.

It is wrong to label these "folk-tales," even though that is the closest I can get to categorizing them. They don't generally take place in some mythical medeival remove like fairy-tales or most folk-tales; they're modern tales, often urban, and feel very, very immediate. They are blunt instruments. They have the weight of strong implicit morals (as opposed to flimsy, explicit morals) unlike so many other folk-tales. They never follow an obvious trajectory plot-wise; you never know where the next paragraph will lead. Abdeslam Boulaich's "Omar the Truckdriver" is my favorite example. Deceptively simple, dead-pan all the way, very controlled, and strange and horribly sad. And to think that it was made up on the spot!

I'd even go so far as to say these tales are monuments to the power of pre-literate people's intelligence and sophistication. Also, to all that has been lost forever in our highly literate, highly educated, dumb-as-dirt culture.

I highly recommend the work of the translator and all contributors (shouldn't it be called TEN EYES?) save Boulaich, because this was the only thing he ever published as far as I can tell.

This book is the sequel to Dr. Bloodworth's classic text, Key to Yourself. It contains a brief biography, introductory notes and 11 lessons, called Letters on Self Realization. From the book's introduction:

"As demand for her teaching increased, Dr Bloodworth prepared a series of lessons for insruction by correspondence to ease her crowded schedule. This useful idea now becomes a welcome answer to those who are asking to see more of her writing. These lessons, which were intended to fill a definite need for those who wished to be included in her classes, are now available to meet a present demand.

In explaining the value of applied metaphysics as presented in her teaching, Venice Bloodworth has written: 'As the term implies, Metaphysics is that science which is higher - above the physical. It deals with universal of spiritual laws, and while it is necessarily spiritual, an Absolute and Divine Science, it is nevertheless, practical and non-sectarian. This course of lessons tries to answer the questions of who is God, and where is he. Why am I here? They also set forth clearly the various phrases, degrees and laws of achievement through Idealization, Visualization, Realization, and Demonstration. The student is taught that thoughts are tangible things; that without the thought and word nothing is made or brought forth into expression. Moreover the student is taught how to relate himself to God, to understand the Divine attributes within himself, and how to connect or unite himself with the Universal Energy. Through the study and application of Metaphysics man learns to know himself. He understands the purpose of life - his own individual life. He awakens to his own soul's latent power, his own possibilities, and comes into the realization of "The Father and I are One."'"

This is one of the best and most comprehensive text books in American politics. It is informative and clear. A must for any student of American politics.

Big Bucks! is the third in the series that started with Raving Fans and proceeded on to Gung Ho. Although you can certainly read Big Bucks! as a standalone, I recommend that you read the other two fine books first.

The subject is pretty simple: How to earn, keep, and enjoy substantial wealth. That description will probably sound like any of several hundred thousand self-help books written in recent years. In true Ken Blanchard style, Big Bucks! manages a refreshing new take on an old subject.

Len, our future multimillionaire, meets three spiritual leaders in a card game, who introduce him to three role models who teach him the three initial, and four eventual, rules of of getting, keeping and enjoying his Big Bucks!

Simple messages are powerful, because we can remember them. I subscribe to the themes in this book, and enjoyed reading how they were articulated.

Big Bucks! makes the pursuit of wealth seem downright spiritual, which of course it can be. In practice, the book is at its best in encouraging you to eventually have your own business. The perspective is certainly more that of an owner/manager than an employee. But the latter is addressed.

Those who do not like The One Minute Manager format will really hate this book, because it takes that format even further into simple stories and humor than usual. As such, the format is almost a satire on itself.

On the other hand, I greatly appreciate authors who can boil down important information into the gist of what needs to be done. Having considered those I know who have lived the Big Bucks! ideal, it is clear that they followed these principles unconsciously, if not consciously. I think Blanchard and Bowles have really put their finger on the pulse of the positive pursuit of wealth.

This book would be a wonderful gift for a young person starting on a career, an older person thinking about starting a business, or anyone who seems serious about acquiring wealth.

Even if you are not interested in having Big Bucks! for yourself, I think you will enjoy reading the book. And you never know. You just may decide that you are interested in Big Bucks! after all.

The back cover describes this as "a wholly unprecedented form of novelistic photojournalism."

It's unprecedented, alright. I've never seen anything like it. If you appreciate photography, and/or you're fascinated with psychology, and you have the intellectual curiosity to enjoy a new kind of documentary, buy this book.

The last time a book had this strong an effect on me was when I read Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun" in high school. Since then I've read many hundreds, perhaps thousands of books. I read an average of 4 books a week. I haven't seen anything really fresh for a very long time.

This is a very sophisticated analysis of the workings of modern capitalism. The language is clear and the critical analysis is elegant, logically powerful and in the final analysis cogent. The same issues are covered, and more, as are dealt with in an intro to micro- and macro-economics, but the power of the authors' account of capitalism's dynamics is far superior. It's a pity that this book is no longer in print.