The City & the City

by

China Miéville

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Bowden is an adjunct professor at Prince of Wales University in Canada who is based largely in Ul Qoma. He found early fame through writing a book called Between the City and the City, which argued for the existence of a third city between Besźel and Ul Qoma called Orciny. However, while this book was popular, it was eventually dismissed as nothing more than a foolish conspiracy theory. As becomes clear at the end of the novel, this embittered Bowden, who regrets that his academic career came to nothing and feels embarrassed that people don’t take him seriously. This led him to collaborate with the Sear and Core corporation by tricking Mahalia into believing that Orciny is real, and convincing her to start smuggling artifacts from Bol Ye’an in order to return them to the fictional city. When Mahalia discovered the truth, Bowden killed her in a fit of rage and shame. After Borlú discovers that Bowden is guilty of the murder, he apprehends him and forces Bowden to commit breach. Although Bowden’s final fate is unknown, he is punished by Breach.

Dr. David Bowden Quotes in The City & the City

The The City & the City quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. David Bowden or refer to Dr. David Bowden. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

Okay I need to be a little bit careful here, Inspector, because honestly I never really, not really, thought he did believe it—I always thought it was kind of a game—but the book said he believed it […] A secret colony. A city between the cities, its inhabitants living in plain sight […] Unseen, like Ul Qomans to the Besź and vice versa. Walking the streets unseen but overlooking the two. Beyond the Breach. And doing what, who knows? Secret agendas. They’re still debating that, I don’t doubt, on the conspiracy theory websites.

Related Characters: Professor Isabelle Nancy (speaker), Inspector Tyador Borlú, Mahalia Geary (a.k.a. Fulana/Marya/Byela Mar) , Dr. David Bowden
Related Symbols: Breach, Between the City and the City
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

“Of course it’s ludicrous, like you say. Secret overlords behind the scene, more powerful even than Breach, puppetmasters, hidden cities.”

“Crap.”

“Yeah, but the point is that it’s crap a bunch of people believe. And”—I opened my hands at him—“something big’s going on, and we have no idea what it is.”

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Detective Qussim Dhatt (speaker), Dr. David Bowden, Yolanda Rodriguez
Related Symbols: Breach, Between the City and the City
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“I’m getting paranoid,” I said.

“Oh no, they’re really watching you.”

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Detective Qussim Dhatt (speaker), Dr. David Bowden, Yolanda Rodriguez, Jaris
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 222
Explanation and Analysis:
Coda: Chapter 29 Quotes

Ul Qoma’s government announced a new campaign, Vigilant Neighbours, neighbourliness referring both to the people next door (what were they doing?) and to the connected city (see how important borders are?).

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Mahalia Geary (a.k.a. Fulana/Marya/Byela Mar) , Dr. David Bowden, Mikhel Buric, Ian Croft
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 307
Explanation and Analysis:
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Dr. David Bowden Quotes in The City & the City

The The City & the City quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. David Bowden or refer to Dr. David Bowden. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

Okay I need to be a little bit careful here, Inspector, because honestly I never really, not really, thought he did believe it—I always thought it was kind of a game—but the book said he believed it […] A secret colony. A city between the cities, its inhabitants living in plain sight […] Unseen, like Ul Qomans to the Besź and vice versa. Walking the streets unseen but overlooking the two. Beyond the Breach. And doing what, who knows? Secret agendas. They’re still debating that, I don’t doubt, on the conspiracy theory websites.

Related Characters: Professor Isabelle Nancy (speaker), Inspector Tyador Borlú, Mahalia Geary (a.k.a. Fulana/Marya/Byela Mar) , Dr. David Bowden
Related Symbols: Breach, Between the City and the City
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

“Of course it’s ludicrous, like you say. Secret overlords behind the scene, more powerful even than Breach, puppetmasters, hidden cities.”

“Crap.”

“Yeah, but the point is that it’s crap a bunch of people believe. And”—I opened my hands at him—“something big’s going on, and we have no idea what it is.”

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Detective Qussim Dhatt (speaker), Dr. David Bowden, Yolanda Rodriguez
Related Symbols: Breach, Between the City and the City
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“I’m getting paranoid,” I said.

“Oh no, they’re really watching you.”

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Detective Qussim Dhatt (speaker), Dr. David Bowden, Yolanda Rodriguez, Jaris
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 222
Explanation and Analysis:
Coda: Chapter 29 Quotes

Ul Qoma’s government announced a new campaign, Vigilant Neighbours, neighbourliness referring both to the people next door (what were they doing?) and to the connected city (see how important borders are?).

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Mahalia Geary (a.k.a. Fulana/Marya/Byela Mar) , Dr. David Bowden, Mikhel Buric, Ian Croft
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 307
Explanation and Analysis: