Jane Bowles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Bowles
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| Born | February 22, 1917 New York City |
| Died | May 4, 1973 (aged 56) Málaga, Spain |
| Occupation | Writer, playwright |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Paul Bowles |
Jane Bowles was an American writer and playwright. She was born Jane Sydney Auer on February 22, 1917, and passed away on May 4, 1973. She wrote novels and plays that were praised by other famous writers.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jane Bowles was born in New York City on February 22, 1917. She grew up in Woodmere, New York. As a child, she had a problem with her knee. When she was a teenager, she fell off a horse and broke it.
After surgery, she developed a type of arthritis. Her mother took her to Switzerland for treatment. There, Jane attended a boarding school. She also went to high schools in New York and Massachusetts. During these years, she became very interested in books and writing.
Personal Life and Marriage
In 1937, Jane met the composer and writer Paul Bowles. They got married in 1938. Their honeymoon trip inspired the setting for her first novel. In 1948, Jane moved to Tangier, Morocco, to join Paul.
Career as a Writer
Jane Bowles published her novel Two Serious Ladies in 1943. Her writing style was unique and well-liked by many.
She also wrote a play called In the Summer House. This play was performed on Broadway in 1953. Famous writers like Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote greatly admired her work.
About In the Summer House
In the Summer House was Jane Bowles' only full-length play. It was first shown in 1951. The play opened on Broadway in New York City in December 1953. Paul Bowles wrote the music for the play.
The story of the play focuses on how different characters interact. It compares two mothers and their daughters. One mother is very strong-willed, and her daughter is gentle. The other mother is gentle, and her daughter is more challenging. Both daughters are a bit unstable.
The play starts with a character named Ms. Gertude Eastman Cuevas. She is a widow from Southern California. She marries a rich Mexican man. The second part of the play takes place in a restaurant.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1957, when Jane was 40 years old, she had a stroke. This affected her eyesight and her ability to think clearly. Despite her health problems, she kept trying to write.
Her health slowly got worse. She received various treatments in different countries. In 1973, she passed away in a clinic in Málaga, Spain, at the age of 56.
Even though Jane Bowles did not write many books, she was highly respected. Truman Capote called her "one of the really original pure stylists." Tennessee Williams said she was "the most important writer of prose fiction in modern American letters."
Paul Bowles wrote a novel called The Sheltering Sky. The main characters in this book were based on him and Jane. This shows how important she was in his life and work.
See also
In Spanish: Jane Bowles para niños
