The Sunlight Dialogues

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Title The Sunlight Dialogues
The Sunlight Dialogues
Author John Gardner
Cover artist John Napper
Country USA
Language English
Genre(s) Historical Fiction
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf
Released 1972
Media type Print
Pages 712
ISBN ISBN 0-394-47144-X

The Sunlight Dialogues is a 1972 novel by the American author John Gardner. It is set in the 1960s in Batavia, New York.

The novel follows Batavia police chief Fred Clumly in his strange pursuit of a magician known as the Sunlight Man, a champion of existential freedom and pre-biblical Babylonian philosophy. As Fred Clumly believes in absolute law, order justice and a JudeoChristian world view, the two butt their ideological heads in a number of dialogues, all recorded on audiocassette by Clumly. Each of these two characters attempts to exert power over the other -- Clumly with the law behind him and the Sunlight Man with his magic and violence -- until they wear down not only each other, but many of the other characters with whom they come into contact. A myriad of side-stories provides colorful background for the plot, including those of the Hodge family, the outlaw Nick Slater, and the heroic Millie.

[edit] Characters in the book

  • Fred Clumly
  • Esther Clumly
  • The Sunlight Man
  • Domenic ("Miller") Sangirgonio
  • Stan Kozlowski
  • Will Hodge (Sr.)
  • Mildred Jewel
  • Will Hodge (Jr.)
  • Luke Hodge
  • Ben Hodge
  • Vanessa Woodchurch
  • Kathleen Paxton
  • Clive Paxton
  • Nick Slater
  • Vernon Slater
  • Mickey Salvador
  • John Figlow
  • R.V. Kleppmann
  • Mrs. Kleppmann
  • Walter Benson/Boyle
  • Marguerite Benson
  • Oliver Nuper



[edit] External links