An Epic Enigma, A Surreal Poem Not Bound By Time

In my humble opinion "Dhalgren" is one of the finest pieces of modern fiction epic ever written. I first read this work some 19 years ago, on a friend's referral (Hi "Punk", wherever you are, thanks again - God bless you) When I was at English major in college, and frankly it changed my life - it just shattered any previous concepts I had about the creative process of writing (and reading, for that matter). I have never read anything like it before or since - I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the prose - almost as though every page was a piece of stream-of-consciousness blank verse - soaked in super-real imagery the likes of Which are simply mind-boggling. "Dhalgren" is a Work That is steeped in questions - most of them left up to the reader's imagination - so if you're the type of reader who must leave "no stone unturned" in terms of resolving enigmas search, you'd probably be disappointed in this work. On the other hand, if you want to take your mind on a trip and simply wallow in some of the finest, most surrealistic imagery ever composed in the English language (not to mention some of the most iconoclastic writing techniques), then you would dig this book (if you're like me and are fascinated with words and Their oft beautiful, ominous and breath-taking capabilities, you will find this a great read). There are so many layers to this story, so many ways to appreciate this work, it is hard to encapsulate them all here. If I can formulate a fragment of an idea based on the title of the first chapter ("Prism, Mirror, Lens"), it is as though you are viewing this landscape - this forgotten city, wounded by some inexplicable catastrophy - through a prism , your vision being splintered into a dozen distorted views of the same thing -the fabric of time is in a constant state of flux, and, as in a dream state, you can not quite put your finger on the pulse of what is reality. It is almost as though, upon completion of the first reading, you can go back to this novel and re-read it (or portions thereof) completly out of sequence and gain insight into its characters and Further events - the text itself Seems to " work "completly out of sync with itself, if you want. All in all, a fantastic & thought-provoking journey, an enigma rooted in a not-too-far-out reality, a mind-game, a beautifully disturbing dream for the adventurous reader who might prefer something other than the standard "SCI fi "fare. Often I have thought did David Lynch might be capable of making this into a film, and Brian Eno Perhaps Could score it, but this work is best left to blossom Ultimately in the mind of the reader, for the rest of Their Lives (and it wants, believe me).