“In Dhalgren, perhaps one of the most profound and bestselling science fiction novels of all time, Samuel R. Delany has produced a novel “to stand with the best American fiction of the 1970s.” –Jonathan Lethem
Doing what no one else has dared to do, because of complexity and length, Skyboat Media is proud to bring Samuel R. Delany’s bestselling DHALGREN to audio for the first time.
“800 epic pages of gorgeous, profound, clumsy, rambling, violent, randy, visionary, goofy, postapocalyptic sci-fi prose poetry.” –Sam Anderson describes Dhalgren in New York Books
Bizarre, labyrinthine, complex.
These words have all been used to describe DHALGREN since its initial release in 1975. Often compared to the works of James Joyce, DHALGREN has been brought to life by Golden Voice Stefan Rudnicki in all its complicated glory.
“The poems…are moments when I had the intensity to see, and the energy to build, some careful analog that completed the seeing… All I have been left is the exhausting habit of trying to tack up the slack in my life with words.” –from Dhalgren
“I have never understood it. I have sometimes felt that I partially understood it, or that I was nearing the verge of understanding it…Dhalgren is not there to be finally understood. I believe its ‘riddle’ was never meant to be ‘solved.’” –from William Gibson’s Foreword
Unafraid of courting controversy regarding race, gender, and sexuality, DHALGREN still manages to fascinate and perplex readers four decades after its first publication. Take a listen and hear why.
“But I realized something. About art. And psychiatry. They’re both self-perpetuating systems. Like religion. All three of them promise you a sense of inner worth and meaning, and spend a lot of time telling you about the suffering you have to go through to achieve it.” –from Dhalgren
See what we mean?
Samuel R. Delany was a published science fiction author by the age of 20. In 2002, the author was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. DHALGREN is Delany’s 11th book and his most popular novel. He is a recipient of the William Whitehead Memorial Award for a lifetime’s contribution to lesbian and gay literature.
“Half a dozen years after Dhalgren appeared, someone sent me a recently written grammar book, for people learning English, in which — among the various examples of American writing scattered throughout — two or three paragraphs of Dhalgren were quoted as an example of economical and informative prose. The writer talked a bit about the structure of the sentences, made one or two points about their arrangement and internal form. At the time, I remember, I was overwhelmed….After that book showed up in my mailbox, I recall thinking: There’s nothing more a writer can ask. That someone might choose a sentence or six of mine to teach others how to read, write, and think in this extraordinary language, American English — well, when set beside questions of ‘attention due,’ I feel that honor simply dissolves those questions.” — from A Conversation With Samuel R. Delany: An interview with Jayme Lynn Blaschke (2001)
Adding this masterpiece to Skyboat’s list of publications has been a dream of a lifetime. We are so honored that the author has entrusted his works to us. Stefan has now narrated SIX of Delany’s works. (Hop over to our DELANY blog post to learn more!) And don’t forget to visit Skyboat’s Samuel R. Delany SoundCloud playlist to listen to audiobook samples of all of our Delany titles.
DHALGREN is now available at Downpour, iTunes and Audible.com.
