The Paris AtlasCharting the artists, works, and places worth returning to.
Cover of Let It Come Down by Paul Bowles

Let It Come Down

by Paul Bowles

An American newcomer in Tangier mistakes dislocation for freedom and drifts toward disaster.

Published
1952
Shelf rating
4.4

The story, briefly

Spoiler-free

Nelson Dyar arrives in Tangier hoping for a different life and becomes entangled in drugs, money, sex, crime, and people he does not understand.

Why we recommend it

  1. Another outsider in North Africa

    Bowles returns to the distance, fatalism, and cultural disorientation of The Sheltering Sky.

What this book explores

Book editions

Paperback edition cover
Paperback
ISBN-13
9780061137396

Reader reviews

Loading reviews…

Recommended alongside The Delicate Prey and Other Stories and The Spider’s House.

Also recommended in books like The Sheltering Sky.

If you like Paul Bowles

Explore authors with a similar voice, perspective, and influence.

  • Illustrated portrait of Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    The doctor of the Paris slums who wrote the century's blackest, funniest novel — and changed the sound of French prose.

    View author
  • Illustrated portrait of Albert Camus

    Albert Camus

    French Algerian novelist, essayist, journalist and playwright who used the absurd and revolt to ask how people should live without false consolation.

    View author
  • Illustrated portrait of Henry Miller

    Henry Miller

    The Brooklyn dropout who arrived in Paris broke at thirty-eight and wrote the exuberant, banned books that ended American censorship.

    View author
References

References

The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document Let It Come Down, its publication, and its place in literary history.

  1. 1Let It Come Down — Open Library ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Open Library, Internet Archive
    Used for

    Open Library ISBN catalogue used to verify the title, ISBN, and publication metadata.

    View source
  2. 2Let It Come Down — Google Books edition record

    Official record
    Google Books
    Used for

    Google Books catalogue record used to cross-check the title and edition metadata.

    View source
  1. 3Let It Come Down — Internet Archive ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Internet Archive
    Used for

    Internet Archive ISBN catalogue used to cross-check the edition and its availability in library holdings.

    View source
  2. 4Let It Come Down — Library of Congress books catalogue

    Official record
    Library of Congress
    Used for

    Library of Congress books catalogue used to cross-check the bibliographic record by ISBN.

    View source
i
Why these sources are here

The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.

Explore more resources