The Sheltering Sky
Expatriate dislocation, a failing marriage, and disaster without moral meaning.
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The Woman in the Dunes
by Kōbō Abe
A visitor becomes trapped in a sand pit where the landscape steadily defeats every plan of escape.
- 1962
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeA man visiting a remote coastal region is trapped in a house at the bottom of a sand pit with a woman who spends her life shoveling back the dunes.
Why we recommend it
The landscape becomes the trap
Heat, sand, isolation, sex, and physical vulnerability make the setting feel as indifferent as Bowles’s desert.
What this book explores
Book editions
- Paperback
- 9780679733782
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References
References
The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document The Woman in the Dunes, its publication, and its place in literary history.
1The Woman in the Dunes — Open Library ISBN catalogue
Official recordOpen Library, Internet ArchiveUsed forOpen Library ISBN catalogue used to verify the title, ISBN, and publication metadata.
2The Woman in the Dunes — Google Books edition record
Official recordGoogle BooksUsed forGoogle Books catalogue record used to cross-check the title and edition metadata.
3The Woman in the Dunes — Internet Archive ISBN catalogue
Official recordInternet ArchiveUsed forInternet Archive ISBN catalogue used to cross-check the edition and its availability in library holdings.
4The Woman in the Dunes — Library of Congress books catalogue
Official recordLibrary of CongressUsed forLibrary of Congress books catalogue used to cross-check the bibliographic record by ISBN.
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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.
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