The Sheltering Sky

Paul Bowles

1990, Jacket design by Thomi Wroblewski

The dust jacket is lightly wrinkled from sun exposure, and contains a few minor tears and clippings along its edges. The inside of the book, however, is in excellent condition, with little, if any, evidence of age.

Acclaimed as a contemporary classic, The Sheltering Sky is now a major film by Bernardo Bertolucci, director of The Last Emperor.

Soon after the Second World War, two young Americans embark on a journey through the Sahara, a journey which takes them to moral collapse and violent destruction.

Paul Bowles (1910-1999) was born in New York and came to Europe in 1931 to study music with Aaron Copland. In 1938 he married Jane Auer, herself a gifted writer who also achieved international fame. After the war they settled in Tangier, which remained Paul Bowles's permanent home until his death. Renowned for this his first novel, The Sheltering Sky, he has also written three other widely acclaimed novels -- Let It Come Down, The Spider's House and this one, Up Above the World -- all of which confirm his reputation as a writer of exceptional talent and distinction.