Paul Bowles' knowledge of Arabic: personal observations

It is generally recognised that Paul Bowles (1910–99) has been instrumental in generating a world-wide interest in Morocco and its culture both as a creative writer and translator. To paraphrase a remark made by Allen Hibbard (2004), Bowles is so closely linked to Morocco, his adopted home, that his name, for many in the West or elsewhere, cannot be invoked without thinking of Morocco. Bowles is specifically credited for his pioneering effort to promote numerous Moroccan works he translated or adapted from Arabic and the Moroccan vernacular or ‘Moghrebi’ as he called it. What is unique about his role is the fact that he had no knowledge of Arabic and the fact that his command of Moroccan Arabic was questionable or less than adequate for him to undertake his translation projects without the use of an intermediary language. This essay will address both issues mainly on the basis of personal conversations I had with Mr Bowles in Tangier and a review of the Arabic words or phrases he used in his works. It will show that because of his lack of knowledge of Arabic, Bowles was led to maintain distorted views of the Arabic language and its literary and cultural heritage. That's why his extensive non-fictional writings exhibit a glaring omission of substantive references to Arab/Muslim culture in general.