I've always thought Gene Wolfe and David Lynch are similar in tone, so to speak, although obviously they work in different mediums and have different interests.

I've always thought Gene Wolfe and David Lynch are similar in tone, so to speak, although obviously they work in different mediums and have different interests. Their similarity, IMO, is in the way they obscure the basic narrative behind a veil of misdirections and symbolism, while using plain language and everyday locations that they twist just so, to create a kind of surrealism. This surrealism is painstakingly constructed from pieces of modern culture (Lynch) or SF classics (Wolfe), mixed with autobiographical pieces. I personally enjoy reading Wolfe and viewing Lynch for the first time the same way I enjoy looking at a Dali or Magritte painting, just having my brain tickled with the wealth of strange details that were obviously well thought and put together with a purpose, although this purpose alludes me on first viewing/reading and might perhaps continue to allude me in the future. Caveat: this is just a very general feeling I have. I haven't read all of Wolfe's books, nor have I seen all of Lynch's movies (although I have read/watched most of their oeuvre). I'm also not from the US, and English is not my first language, so I might be missing a lot of nuances.