A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
| Products | Books, including "A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard" by Paul Bowles |
Overview
A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard is a short story collection authored by Paul Bowles and released by City Lights Books in 1962. This publication marked the first time Bowles's stories were compiled and published in the United States since his earlier volume, The Delicate Prey and Other Stories (1950).
The book includes four narratives that share common themes and plots centered around kif, a cannabis-based substance traditionally consumed by the Moghrebi people of Morocco.
The Stories
- A Friend of the World
- He of the Assembly
- The Story of Laheen and Idir
- The Wind at Beni Midar
Publishing Background
The inception of A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard can be traced back to a visit from poet Allen Ginsberg to Bowles, who was living in Tangiers during the early 1960s. Ginsberg urged Bowles to reach out to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, known for publishing Ginsberg’s Howl in 1956. Bowles then submitted four short stories, all exploring the theme of kif, a cannabis derivative. This quartet of tales was subsequently published by City Lights Books in 1962.
Bowles advised Ferlinghetti to avoid any mention of Morocco in the book’s promotional materials due to Moroccan authorities’ disapproval of kif usage. He feared potential repercussions for himself and his wife, author Jane Bowles.
Critical Reception
Biographer Allen Hibbard observed that one notable feature of this collection is how kif functions as a catalyst for expanding or distorting imagination. Additionally, these stories are unique in their absence of Western characters, which Hibbard regarded as a significant literary accomplishment.
Literary critic Robert Kirsch praised the collection as some of Bowles’s finest work, describing it as “constructed around the peculiar lexicon of drugs and hallucinations.” Similarly, George Lea, writing for the San Francisco Examiner in 1962, found the stories rich with action, intrigue, surprise, and humor, asserting that Bowles deserved recognition for this achievement.
Footnotes
References
- Bowles, Paul. 2001. Collected Stories of Paul Bowles, 1939-1976. Black Sparrow Press. Santa Rosa. 2001.ISBN 0-87685-396-3
- Hibbard, Allen. 1993. A Study of Paul Bowles' Short Fiction. Twayne Publishers. New York. ISBN 0-8057-8318-0