When The Sheltering Sky was first published in 1949, it established Paul Bowles as one of the most singular and promising writers of the postwar generation. Its startlingly original vision has withstood the test of time and confirmed Tennessee Williams's early estimation: "The Sheltering Sky alone of the books that I have . . . read by American authors appears to bear the spiritual imprint of recent history in the western world." In this classic work of psychological terror, Bowles examines the ways in which Americans apprehend an alien culture and the ways in which their incomprehension destroys them.</P>

The story of three worldly young travelers Port Moresby, his wife, Kit, and their friend, Tunner--adrift in the cities and deserts of North Africa after World War II, The Sheltering Sky is merciless in its evocation of the emotional dislocation induced by a foreign setting. As the Americans embark on an ill-fated journey through desolate terrain, they are pushed to the limits of human reason and intelligence by the unfathomable emptiness and impassive cruelty of the desert. Along the way, they encounter a host of enigmatic characters whose inarticulate strangeness seals the travelers off even more completely from the culture in which they are traveling, causing their fierce attachments to one another to unravel.</P>

This special fiftieth anniversary commemorative edition of Bowles's unforgettable first novel includes the original New York Times review by Tennessee Williams and a preface the author wrote for his first novel before he died in 1999.</P>

保罗•鲍尔斯（Paul Bowles，1910—1999）

美国传奇作家、翻译家、作曲家。一生只创作过四部长篇小说，却被视为20世纪美国极具代表性的作家，《时代周刊》称他是那个年代独一无二的作家。2002年，其作品由美国著名非营利性出版机构美国文库收录出版，成为传世经典。

◆鲍尔斯深受存在主义文学影响，曾翻译过萨特、博尔赫斯等作家的作品，美国评论界称：“没有哪位作家能像鲍尔斯那样对存在主义哲学作出这样全面的阐释。”

◆鲍尔斯与艾伦•金斯堡、威廉•巴勒斯等垮掉的一代作家相交甚笃，评论界也将他视为垮掉的一代，但他本人却否认。

◆1929年，鲍尔斯辍学前往巴黎学习音乐创作，随后为田纳西‧威廉斯、奥森‧威尔斯等著名剧作家、导演作曲，迅速成为美国当代著名作曲家之一。

◆1947年，鲍尔斯移居摩洛哥丹吉尔，并在此居住了52年，一直到去世。丹吉尔也因为鲍尔斯，吸引众多艺术家前往，成为文学圣地。

◆《遮蔽的天空》是鲍尔斯的长篇小说处女作，出版后即连续10周登上《纽约时报》畅销榜，在美国平装版首印就多达20万册，两个月内加印三次。

◆1990年，《遮蔽的天空》由贝托鲁奇改编成同名电影，获金球奖、英国电影学院奖等多项大奖。鲍尔斯本人亦有出色演出。

◆2017年，坂本龙一因为太爱这本书，甚至将鲍尔斯在电影中朗读书中精彩段落的原声编进了自己新专辑中的一首歌曲《Fullmoon》。