Points in Time: Tales from Morocco

Fairly well titled, the book collects small stories and parts of history to form a Polaroid like impression on the relationship between western European Christians and north African Muslims in a Moroccan landscape. One of the many charms of Points in Time is exactly the lack of a frame, of a recognizable structure. Even handling with concrete and logical situations, the narrative of non connected events in similar backgrounds has onirical qualities and resembles Bowles experiments with non-conscious writing seen in A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard. For those unfamiliar with Bowles it is perhaps not the best book to begin with; it would be like starting a seven course meal by the desserts.

At first glance, "Points In Time" looks like another Bowlesian short story collection or experimental novel. Everything present in his work manifests itself here: lush, vivid descriptions, misunderstandings that lead to horrible deaths, and Moroccan culture. Nonetheless, the format diverges slightly from Bowles' other work. Here, 11 sections ranging from single paragraphs to short stories relate a seemingly disconnected narrative. Those not familiar with Moroccan history will nonetheless see a theme emerge. Those familiar with it will know that "Points in Time" represents more than a collection of random tales: it tells the story of Morocco in the form of experimental fiction. Is this book "historical fiction?" In some ways. But regardless of how one categorizes this tiny work, it fits in perfectly with the rest of Bowles' writings. The key to the book's structure appears in the "notes and sources" section. Hanno the Carthaginian (or "the Navigator") appears in the first note. His "Periplus" contains 4th century accounts of sites in northern Africa. The elliptical first section of "Points in Time" was apparently inspired by this ancient source. According to the notes and subsequent interviews, the stories within originate with actual historical accounts. Bowles apparently made nothing up, but he rewrote the tales in his own style. This gives some of the stories a more sinister and grisly aura. Section II tells the curious story of Fra Andrea, who studies the scriptures a little too well. He pays a rather painful price for his "freethinking." Section VI relates a Romeo and Juliet-esque story of a beautiful young Jewish woman's elopement with a Muslim. She meets a tragic end similar to Fra Andrea's. The Spanish enter the story, via an intriguing tale involving a stag that attacks a bridegroom, and the French inevitably follow. Gradually the stories suggest that no entity that ruled or conquered Morocco possessed a monopoly on brutality. Section VIII contains amusing 1950s Moroccan pop song lyrics. They express, probably better than any prose could, some of the cultural conflicts that resulted when Americans arrived in droves. The final section, XI, consists of a single descriptive paragraph, which stylistically echoes section I. Throughout, the writing remains riveting. "Points in Time" appeared in 1982. Bowles would write only one more collection of stories, "Unwelcome Words," and a 1991 novella, "Too Far From Home," before passing away in 1999. His work stands on the brink of two cultures now in conflict. Many have suggested that westerners could learn from Bowles' observations of Moroccan and Islamic society. Nonetheless, his work seems strangely forgotten in such contexts. But whatever political merit Bowles' work contains - he likely would have said it has none - the experience of reading Bowles' best work remains a unique experience, particularly amongst American writers. Readers looking for a good introduction to this expatriate writer wil

A short novel of stunning concision -- liberating his work from the millstone of fixed character POV or time, Bowles jumps between vastly different ages (while maintaining his chosen setting: North Africa) with breathtaking fluency and a near- total disregard for realist conventions. This short novel, acclaimed by many as a masterpiece, ought to have inspired a revolution in storytelling: it is as explosive, in its own way, as Breton's *Nadja*. Instead, it simply sank from view. Some of the sections are only as long as a paragraph; others are bona fide short stories. But what endures in the mind is the way that Bowles' writing shifts, as if by magic, into the most voluptuous shapes.