Baptism Of Solitude: A Tribute To Paul Bowles

[blewj]

He's right; once you experience it, nothing else satisfies.

[kosmischesynth]

which of his books is this from? It's fantastic!

[jhop9898]

That was really entertaining, but it was also a little silly. The man's whole outlook was based on the fact that he was a passive schizoid with no adult skills. Still, he was a very good entertainer. Thanks for posting.

[rchlboyd]

Could someone please tell me the title of this work by Bowles?

[spurcross]

That was simply amazing.

[rchlboyd]

Quality. I love how a courageously abstract account is presented so vividly and without ambiguity.

[rchlboyd]

supurb!

[dannyamosflynn]

He forgot to mention that you can always get a cake, under glass, clean of sand, even if on some days it will be a recycled cake. After they kicked the French out they must have made them leave their pastry books behind.

[cbarryslough]

Wow.

[GanEdenAustralia]

Good music by Vince Clarke.

[MissLucyDiamond]

I saw this film in Budapest! I am so happy you posted it!

[TheDoooooz]

Wow! Amazing. I've been contemplating whether to read Bowles or not. Now I know I will. Thanks. Great job! I love the visuals. Very mystical and inviting. Peace.

[faridjabba]

whos the NArrtor ?interting boice like BOrougs with COabin,

[utubolicious]

It's Paul Bowles reading his own work.

[MissLucyDiamond]

This is breath taking. Hurley is such a talent. I love Bowles.

[sisterenrodentia]

this is the best video on youtube.

[chood16]

@sisterenrodentia  what your kidding

[eweuflesu23]

XFAKTOR212,:

Two words: anger management.

Mr. Bowles is talking about transcendence.

By the way the audio is the sound part, you know, the spoken word and the background sound/music. Magic. Sorry to sound a bit condescending but . . . . nevermind.

It's all OK. I'm good with you holding your position.

--eweuflesu23

[eweuflesu23]

XFACTOR212,

I may very well be fucking crazy. At times I suspect that is true. I still don't like the video in this context. It is creative and at times even impressive. It just doesn't work for me in this situation. I really like the audio as is. Maybe we can agree to disagree. Or . . .? what?

eweuflesu23

[XFAKTOR212]

No, I don't think so.

You keep referring to the "audio." What the hell do you mean?

The prose or backing track?

If you dig the prose, which is, ya know, the whole reason we're here, then you might notice that the visuals are impeccable illustrations of the "audio."

You really ought to ashamed of yourself.

Do you think this shit is a game?!?!?!

[jhop9898]

@XFAKTOR212 Yes, posting entertainment on an internet flash video site is a game. Why wouldn't it be?

[XFAKTOR212]

@jhop9898

You fail. F.

[jhop9898]

@XFAKTOR212 Lucky for you there are people out there who do real work so you can sit at a machine you couldn't make, log onto a web server you couldn't program, and post silly nihilism on a video site.

[XFAKTOR212]

@jhop9898

You gotta get grip. Or maybe just grow up a little.

Good luck with all that.

[jhop9898]

@XFAKTOR212 You're getting mad because I'm saying you take art (entertainment) too seriously, and you believe that I'm immature? I simply made a statement which you criticized, so I tried to bring a little perspective into the conversation. Anyway, there's no point in arguing. Have a nice night.

[eweuflesu23]

The audio is amazing. The video is distracting and disturbing and mostly is a negative for me while listening. I heard this track best on a local public radio station. It stopped time in my afternoon.

[XFAKTOR212]

You must be fucking crazy.

This visuals in this piece are as stunning as the master's prose.

For a Paul Bowles fan, it doesn't get much better than this.

Maybe you should watch it again.

[firstbornactor]

my panic attacks it reminds me of

[pontxomtz]

Amazing... GREAT WORK!

[urckrecords]

unbelievable!!!

you have accomplished something incredible here!

[PolyNox]

Excellent!!!

[30secondsflat]

Does anyone know where these passages are from? If its from an essay I want to look into it...

[frankzeppelin]

It's from a short essay (?) of the same name, "Baptism of Solitude." The whole essay is about a dozen pages long. The very beginning and end are excerpted here in the video.

To tonyahurley, thanks for posting! I've been looking for this for several years since I first happened to catch it on tv.

[30secondsflat]

Thanks! I searched on Amazon. It's in his "Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue" collection. I remember being in a desert in Egypt and facing pretty much what PB describes. Seeing as I'm a big Sheltering Sky fan I figure everything he writes is now gold:)

ps this video is indeed beautiful; i love the way it makes the abstract concrete without losing and of its poetry

[blewj]

@frankzeppelin Where can this essay be found?

[frankzeppelin]

@blewj I have in a collection titled Collected Stories and Later Writings, edited by Daniel Halpern, c 2002 Definitely check it out. There are a ton of awesome, really short stories and other writings in there.

[blewj]

@frankzeppelin Thank you very much. =)

[ajackofdiamonds]

Paul Bowles truly is unique. I've never read anyone with his degree of insight, his capacity to intertwine the mundane, the exotic, the spiritual and the carnal all at once. This video is appreciated.

[ajackofdiamonds]

I first saw this on the Sundance channel at 3 in the morning almost 4 years ago now. I became obsessed with it. I looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it. I looked for the recordings on CD and could barely find them. I searched Youtube at the time, but unfortunately it wasn't to be found. But now it's here, and I'm thankful to whoever uploaded it.

[wookie72]

I have the track on, of all things, a free disc of North African music that came with a drumming magazine. The magazine is long gone, but I still have the CD... It really is transforming.

I disagree with Bowles on one thing... anyone who has seen a prairie sky knows that it is something to be treasured... maybe not as much as the Sahara, but it definitely doesn't "pale in comparison."

[johnh23]

Before you leave this Earth, do what Paul says and visit the Sahara, for it is true, .. The Absolute has no Price.

[SCLOGSE]

Thanks just letting you know it's being seen. Good old Paul, ever the outsider...

[clemmieo]

This is a very imaginative video, visually and musically. It is a fine tribute to a unique literary voice. A unique voice rising out of a combination of an original mind ,a long life lived mostly in North Africa, and a remarkable gift of description and understanding of the people around him. Ms. Hurley has finely honored Paul Bowles with this video.

[jungrobot]

Paul Bowles is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A true original and iconoclast. His unsentimental view of clash of cultures (usually modern and ancient) is so stark and haunting as to never leave the recesses of the mind once you've read those passages.

[millerboyusa]

I completely agree with the statement, it never leaves, I have recently become quite obsessive over Bowles and his images of the "absolute". Thanks for posting this video, and I have some other recordings found on my website, sacredmayan. and then click the nest page at the bottom.

[delliott145]

Beautiful video