A young man arrives in the anarchic city of Bellona, in a near future USA. This world has two moons but could otherwise be our own. The man, known only as 'the Kid', begins to write a novel called Dhalgren that begins where it ends. Dhalgren is about the possibilites of fiction and about the special demands and pleasures of youth culture.
Dhalgren (S.F. Masterworks)
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About the Author
Born in 1942 in Harlem, New York, Delany has become one of SF's most influential authors. Since 1988 he has also been Professor of Comparative Literature at Massachusetts University. He has won the NEBULA AWARD.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Nerd58
Format:Paperback
I agree with Jason's review and would add that this is very much the product of its time, very soul-searching, "find yourself", self-indulgent 70s. It's nostagia for some of us!
The literary style is one of experimentation, breaking into themes and patterns of prose that repeat, excerpts, poetic musings. Diverse methods are used disjoint the text and the reading of it. This gives it an expressive freedom, matching the libertarian concerns of the work and the time and place in which it was written. It could be a bit off-putting to those that have specific preferences as to how SF should be written. Space Opera it ain't. That's why I liked it so much! Good writing is not a matter of fashion or a restrictive genre style.
I think it's beautiful, but don't bother if you like a tight, explicable, neat tale with fast pacing and a big bang at the end. You won't find that here.
The literary style is one of experimentation, breaking into themes and patterns of prose that repeat, excerpts, poetic musings. Diverse methods are used disjoint the text and the reading of it. This gives it an expressive freedom, matching the libertarian concerns of the work and the time and place in which it was written. It could be a bit off-putting to those that have specific preferences as to how SF should be written. Space Opera it ain't. That's why I liked it so much! Good writing is not a matter of fashion or a restrictive genre style.
I think it's beautiful, but don't bother if you like a tight, explicable, neat tale with fast pacing and a big bang at the end. You won't find that here.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Patrick Shepherd
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I first tried to read this book when it was first published, thrilled to have a new Delany in my hands, as he is one of my favorite authors. But I couldn't finish it then, it just became too obscure and without point. Recently reminded of this book , I realized I was still irritated by this failure (surely it had to be a fault with me, not such a great writer), so I finally sat down and read it, cover to cover. Net result:
a. The book is not SF. It may not even be fantasy. Perhaps it belongs with certain works by Kafka. Its nominal story line is of a poet (never named, if referred to at all it's as 'the Kid') wandering around a dreamscape city isolated from the 'real' world, subject to odd lapses of memory and having various encounters (many of a sexual variety) with the inhabitants and musing about himself.
b. There are important themes that Delany addresses in this book, such as the mutability and slipperiness of time, how each individual experiences time differently; some long polemics on the art and purpose of writing; some decent commentary on 'proper' social mores and how they come into being; how gods and legends are made.
c. Unfortunately, items in (b) are buried inside an almost impenetrable fortress of non-plot, asides, deliberately mixed up time order of events, a confusing cast of characters (some of whom you don't learn who they are till after they have already performed important actions), double side by side stories (on the same page), and a whole raft of symbols and metaphors that he deliberately leaves few clues about what they are supposed to represent, non-closure of what is the apparent main story, occasional use of stream-of-consciousness (with no warning about transition from normal prose), etc, etc, etc.... Read more ›
a. The book is not SF. It may not even be fantasy. Perhaps it belongs with certain works by Kafka. Its nominal story line is of a poet (never named, if referred to at all it's as 'the Kid') wandering around a dreamscape city isolated from the 'real' world, subject to odd lapses of memory and having various encounters (many of a sexual variety) with the inhabitants and musing about himself.
b. There are important themes that Delany addresses in this book, such as the mutability and slipperiness of time, how each individual experiences time differently; some long polemics on the art and purpose of writing; some decent commentary on 'proper' social mores and how they come into being; how gods and legends are made.
c. Unfortunately, items in (b) are buried inside an almost impenetrable fortress of non-plot, asides, deliberately mixed up time order of events, a confusing cast of characters (some of whom you don't learn who they are till after they have already performed important actions), double side by side stories (on the same page), and a whole raft of symbols and metaphors that he deliberately leaves few clues about what they are supposed to represent, non-closure of what is the apparent main story, occasional use of stream-of-consciousness (with no warning about transition from normal prose), etc, etc, etc.... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Though not to everyone's taste, and hard-going in parts, Delany's sprawling tale of a man's, and a city's, and a society's dance with madness is a unique and dizzying experience. As erotic as it is disturbing, it charts the progress of the Kid as he enters the city of Bellona, somehow isolated from the rest of America, with a dwindling population and slowly decaying social structure. Neither he nor the reader can ever be sure of what is real and of what matters, and the attempt to retain sanity in the absence of rules - or the attempt to create and maintain new ones - becomes increasingly desperate. If you like a challenging read and have an open mind, you may find this one of the most memorable reads of your life!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Runmentionable
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
"Dhalgren" is a difficult book. Not the most difficult book ever written, but probably the most formally ambitious novel to emerge from a relatively mainstream SF writer at the time of its publication in 1975; an honour, if honour it is, it may well still claim. Some highly experimental writing came from the British New Wave writers, of course, but Delany probably trumps them for the challenge "Dhalgren" presents to the reader. That's partly because this is such a massive tome compared to the likes of "The Atrocity Exhibition" or "Barefoot In The Head", and partly because of the continuing puzzlement over just what it's about. On publication, some folks - both in the SF community and the wider world - hailed it as a truly great novel, while others despised it. The jury remains at loggerheads, as a quick shufty through the Amazon customer reviews reveals.
What it's about, in story terms, isn't that much: an unspecified catastrophe has fallen on the city of Bellona, leaving its inhabitants to deal with it on their own as they are mysteriously isolated from the rest of the USA. The focus is on their emotional, intellectual and cultural responses to the event, rather that what the event is/was and whatever actions they take in response to it. The central character, the Kid, starts to write a novel, which may or may not be the novel "Dhalgren" itself. Space opera it ain't. It's probably best to think of it as an example of that infamous chimera "Speculative Fiction" rather than as science fiction.
What it's about, in terms of meaning, is very much open to the reader's interpretation.... Read more ›
What it's about, in story terms, isn't that much: an unspecified catastrophe has fallen on the city of Bellona, leaving its inhabitants to deal with it on their own as they are mysteriously isolated from the rest of the USA. The focus is on their emotional, intellectual and cultural responses to the event, rather that what the event is/was and whatever actions they take in response to it. The central character, the Kid, starts to write a novel, which may or may not be the novel "Dhalgren" itself. Space opera it ain't. It's probably best to think of it as an example of that infamous chimera "Speculative Fiction" rather than as science fiction.
What it's about, in terms of meaning, is very much open to the reader's interpretation.... Read more ›
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bloated, bizarre, impossible and unique
What has not been pointed out enough in the many reviews for this book is that, no matter how firmly or viciously you search, you will never find another like it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Alex
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not Science Fiction and really rather awful
Firstly, this book is not what I consider to be science fiction, so anyone buying it on the basis that it is a SF masterwork beware! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Codz
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too self-indulgent
Dhalgren is without doubt an exploration of the psyche of Delaney himself, albeit one undertaken in abstruse fashion. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Balor of the Evil Eye
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poetic, Memorable
It's an amazing book that just seems to flow, it draws you in emotionally into a different world and keeps you intellectually involved throughout.
Published 22 months ago by Mr. R. Stevens
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just because something is ambitious doesn't neccessarily make it good.
I realise I may be in the minority here, but i really did not like this book at all.
The "style" wasn't the problem - I have read far more challenging books than this... Read more
The "style" wasn't the problem - I have read far more challenging books than this... Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2009 by Stubanana
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pretentious twaddle
I haven't read such appalling,rambling, stream-of-consciousness drivel for a long time. The author must have been doped up to the eyeballs when he wrote this.
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by Amit Mozoomdar
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of style, not so much substance
This is Delany's most controversial work, and has something of a paradoxical nature to it. It's a lengthy tale but not much of consequence seems to happen. Read more
Published on 24 July 2007 by M. J. Barber
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jaw-dropping. Just awesome.
What this man can't do with words ain't worth doing. This monster of a novel is Delany's masterpiece. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2001 by Jason Mills
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