Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007) is an author. One of the best-known science fiction authors of his era, Vonnegut is largely remembered for Slaughterhouse-Five.
Life[]
Born in Indianapolis in November of 1922, Vonnegut was the son of a somewhat famous architect and the descendant of German immigrants. Though his parents were fluent in German, the anti-German sentiment of the times made them avoid expressing any facets of their culture to their son. Though his parents were once extremely wealthy, their vast fortunes had run dry by Vonnegut's childhood. While his father became a "dreamy artist", his mother became a bitter person.
At the age of fourteen, Vonnegut was enrolled in Shortridge High School. While there, he became a co-editor for a school magazine along with future screenwriter Madelyn Pugh. Vonnegut graduated from high school in 1940 and quickly enrolled in Cornell University. Though Vonnegut intended to become an architect like his father, his brother Bernard (an atmospheric scientist) told him to study a "useful" discipline. As such, Vonnegut chose biochemistry as his major though he was indifferent towards his studies.
rest to be added
Writing style[]
to be added
Notable works[]
- Armageddon in Retrospect - a collection of short stories and essays
- Vonnegut's Speech at Clowes Hall, Indianapolis, April 2007
- Letter from PFC Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., to his family, May 29, 1945 (not included in audio edition)
- Wailing Shall Be in All Streets
- Great Day
- Guns Before Butter
- Happy Birthday, 1951
- Brighten Up
- The Unicorn Trap
- Unknown Soldier
- Spoils
- Just You and Me, Sammy
- The Commandant's Desk
- Armageddon in Retrospect
- We Are What We Pretend to Be - a collection of two novellas
- Basic Training
- If God Were Alive Today
Novels[]
- Player Piano - Vonnegut's debut novel, about a largely automated society
- The Sirens of Titan - a novel about "the richest, most depraved man on Earth" travelling to Titan
- Mother Night - a novel about a supposed Nazi sympathiser
- Cat's Cradle - a novel about the apocalypse
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater - a novel about a science fiction convention
- Slaughterhouse-Five - a novel about a man who becomes unstuck in time
- Breakfast of Champions - a novel about a man meeting a reclusive author
- Slapstick - a novel about two twins who become extremely intelligent when their minds connect
- Jailbird - a novel about the Watergate Scandal
- Deadeye Dick - a novel about an asexual man
- Galápagos - a novel about evolution
- Bluebeard - a novel an Abstract Expressionist painter
- Hocus Pocus - a novel about a Vietnam veteran
- Timequake - Vonnegut's final novel, about Kilgore Trout (a somewhat frequent character in Vonnegut's works)
Short story collections[]
- Canary in a Cat House
- Report on the Barnhouse Effect (Collier's, February 11th 1950)
- All the King's Horses (Collier's, February 10th 1951)
- D.P.
- The Manned Missiles
- The Euphio Question (Collier's, May 12th 1951)
- More Stately Mansions
- The Foster Portfolio
- Deer in the Works
- Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp
- Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog
- Unready to Wear (Galaxy Science Fiction, April 1953)
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1953)
- Welcome to the Monkey House
- Where I Live
- Harrison Bergeron
- Who Am I This Time?
- Welcome to the Monkey House
- Long Walk to Forever
- The Foster Portfolio
- Miss Temptation
- All the King's Horses
- Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog
- New Dictionary
- Next Door
- More Stately Mansions
- The Hyannis Port Story
- D.P.
- Report on the Barnhouse Effect
- The Euphio Question
- Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son
- Deer in the Works
- The Lie
- Unready to Wear
- The Kid Nobody Could Handle
- The Manned Missiles
- EPICAC
- Adam
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
- Bagombo Snuff Box
- Thanasphere
- Mnemonics
- Any Reasonable Offer
- The Package
- The No-Talent Kid
- Poor Little Rich Town
- Souvenir
- The Cruise of the Jolly Roger
- Custom-made Bride
- Ambitious Sophomore
- Bagombo Snuff Box
- The Powder-Blue Dragon
- A Present for Big Saint Nick
- Unpaid Consultant
- Der Arme Dolmetscher
- The Boy Who Hated Girls
- This Son of Mine
- A Night for Love
- Find Me a Dream
- Runaways
- 2 B R 0 2 B
- Lovers Anonymous
- Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp
- God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian - a collection of interviews given by the (fictional) Dr. Kevorkian
- Look at the Birdie
- Confido
- F U B A R
- Shout About It from the Housetops
- Ed Luby's Key Club
- A Song for Selma
- Hall of Mirrors
- The Nice Little People
- Hello, Red
- Little Drops of Water
- The Petrified Ants
- The Honor of a Newsboy
- Look at the Birdie
- King and Queen of the Universe
- The Good Explainer
- While Mortals Sleep
- Jenny
- The Epizootic
- Hundred-Dollar Kisses
- Guardian of the Person
- With His Hand on the Throttle
- Girl Pool
- Ruth
- While Mortals Sleep (or Christmas Contest)
- Out, Brief Candle
- Tango
- Bomar
- The Man Without No Kiddleys
- Mr. Z
- $10,000 a Year, Easy
- Money Talks
- The Humbugs
- Sucker's Portfolio
- Between Timid and Timbuktu
- Rome
- Eden by the River
- Sucker's Portfolio
- Miss Snow, You're Fired
- Paris, France
- The Last Tasmanian
- Robotville and Mr. Caslow
- Complete Stories
rest to be added
See also[]
- Terry Pratchett
- Douglas Adams
- Philip K. Dick
- Harlan Ellison
Sources[]
- Wikipedia