'And then one day a solitary figure appeared, moving toward them across the lifeless plain from the west.One man on a camel. ' Paul Bowles's unforgettable short stories portray people facing hostile environments and the innate savagery of humanity. These three unbearably tense tales from sun-drenched and brutal climes tell of vengeance, abandonment, violence and cruelty enjoyed and suffered, in a surreal realm of horror. This book includes The Delicate Prey, A Distant Episode and The Circular Ruins.