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Bowles (Paul) Papers
mssBowles
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Paul Bowles papers
Creator:
Bowles, Paul, 1910-1999
Identifier/Call Number: mssBowles
Physical Description:
2.20 Linear Feet
(1 box, 1 folder)
Date (inclusive): 1933-2008
Date (bulk): 1967-1985
Abstract: Correspondence and manuscripts of Paul
Bowles, American author and composer of operas, film and stage scores, ballets, songs and
chamber music.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
NOT AVAILABLE. DVD in box 1 is not available for paging until reformatted. Please contact
Reader Services for more information.
[Identification of item]. Paul Bowles papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Lonnie Burr, April 1985 and April 2010.
Paul Bowles (1910-1999) was an American author and composer of operas, film and stage
scores, ballets, songs and chamber music. Bowles studied music with Aaron Copland and Virgil
Thomson and began to write at the encouragement of Gertrude Stein. Although born in New
York, Bowles spent much of his adult life in his adopted home of Morocco. Many of his novels
and short stories focus on life in Morocco from the perspective of both natives and
foreigners. Bowles also worked as a translator, working on English versions of French,
Spanish, Italian and Moroccan originals. He earned numerous grants, awards and fellowships
throughout his lifetime, including an American Book Award nomination. Bowles was married to
the playwright Jane Auer Bowles (1917-1973). He died in November 1999, in Morocco.
Lonnie Burr (born 1943) is an American actor, entertainer, and writer. Burr met and became
friends with Paul Bowles in 1968 as a student in a class taught by Bowles.
The collection contains three manuscripts by Bowles (two short stories and one musical
score) as well as a series of letters between him and his friend and fellow author, Lonnie
Burr. The majority of the correspondence is authored by Bowles and includes several picture
postcards from Morocco and other foreign locations. Also included in the collection are two
letters Bowles wrote to the William Morris Agency. Issues addressed within the collection
include the political situation in Morocco and the United States, descriptions of Morocco's
Tangier peninsula, discussions of contemporary writers and their work and the personal lives
of both Bowles and Burr. The addendum is comprised of three folders containing original and
photocopies of Bowles' correspondence, 1967-1994; Lonnie Burr's writings about Bowles,
1968-1999; and the DVD "The Many Faces of Lonnie Burr, 1950 to 2008," 2008.
Processed by library staff in July 1989. Charla M. DelaCuadra created a finding aid derived
from a legacy summary report in July 2020. In February 2023, Maggie Hughes processed the
addendum.
Arranged in loose chronological order.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHM 53279-53314, mssFAC
1170-1178.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Americans -- Morocco -- Correspondence
Authors -- 20th century
Authors, American -- 20th century -- Correspondence
Morocco -- Politics and Government --
20th century
United States -- Politics and Government -- 20th century
Morocco -- Fiction
Tangier Peninsula (Morocco) -- Description and travel
Letters (correspondence) -- Morocco
Manuscripts -- Morocco
Musical compositions
Picture postcards -- Morocco
Bowles, Jane, 1917-1973
Burr, Lonnie
William Morris
Agency