Clayton Eshleman's extensive work transcends the boundaries of poetry and prose. The poet seeks to reconcile early myths with modernity in a Whitman-like gesture. He connects cave paintings with the psychological theories of Wilhelm Reich and C.G. Jung, not shying away from making a political statement. This sparkling work of American literature is "an archetypal scenario of descent and rebirth" (Eliot Weinberger), a Dantesque vision of our time.