Africa as an arena for Horror.

[The Silent One]

I am definitely quite late in coming to this conversation, but I would like to reiterate the prior recommendations of Paul Bowles to anyone interested in tales of horror within an African milieu. Setting aside Bowles' extensive firsthand knowledge of Morocco, his prose is absolutely beautiful, and while rarely overtly supernatural, there is a distinct aura of cosmic pessimism and misanthropy that should be quite familiar to aficionados of the Weird that runs through even his most "realistic" stories—although given the dreamlike atmospheres he often creates, that may not be the best adjective.

For his most potent and abysmal tales of the evil that men do, I think that I can make no better suggestion than "A Distant Episode". The appalled New York Times reviewer that had to review the collection which it ended refused to describe it, which is just as well; it is not particularly graphic, but giving away the details denies the tale some cumulative potency. On the lighter side (relatively speaking), his children's tale "Kitty" is sad and lovely (although quite far from Tangiers in set and setting).

P.S. "He of the Assembly" is one of the most effectively disconcerting depictions of the psychedelic experience that I have yet encountered, in prose or otherwise. The bizarre leaps in (dream) logic, claustrophobic tone and continuous mounting sensations of unease and confusion all serve wonderfully to put the reader into the minds of two frantic kif smokers in the grips of overlapping fits of paranoia. It is a bit difficult to parse if one is not in the right mindset, but I think that only adds to the verisimilitude.

[Murony_Pyre]

Quote Originally Posted by The Silent One

I am definitely quite late in coming to this conversation, but I would like to reiterate the prior recommendations of Paul Bowles to anyone interested in tales of horror within an African milieu. Setting aside Bowles' extensive firsthand knowledge of Morocco, his prose is absolutely beautiful, and while rarely overtly supernatural, there is a distinct aura of cosmic pessimism and misanthropy that should be quite familiar to aficionados of the Weird that runs through even his most "realistic" stories—although given the dreamlike atmospheres he often creates, that may not be the best adjective. For his most potent and abysmal tales of the evil that men do, I think that I can make no better suggestion than "A Distant Episode". The appalled New York Times reviewer that had to review the collection which it ended refused to describe it, which is just as well; it is not particularly graphic, but giving away the details denies the tale some cumulative potency. On the lighter side (relatively speaking), his children's tale "Kitty" is sad and lovely (although quite far from Tangiers in set and setting). P.S. "He of the Assembly" is one of the most effectively disconcerting depictions of the psychedelic experience that I have yet encountered, in prose or otherwise. The bizarre leaps in (dream) logic, claustrophobic tone and continuous mounting sensations of unease and confusion all serve wonderfully to put the reader into the minds of two frantic kif smokers in the grips of overlapping fits of paranoia. It is a bit difficult to parse if one is not in the right mindset, but I think that only adds to the verisimilitude.

"He of the Assembly" is great; I had similar thoughts as yours regarding it when I first read it years ago-- glad you mentioned it. "By the Water" is overtly supernatural and has a fantastically grotesque atmosphere like a lost Arabian Night's tale.