EPTI love him.
Kurt Vonnegut Appreciation Thread - Page 6
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Azera
3800 Posts
I love him. | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 14 2012 17:06 Azera wrote: Just started reading Vonnegut, finished Breakfast Of Champions. I love him. Oh my, a newbie to KV? Well, I am glad to hear you joined our little rag-tag bunch here. BoC was the second KV novel I ever read and still one of the best, especially when you learn about his life, how it was written during a bit of a mid-life era surrounding his 50th birthday, and what it meant for him. It was at that point that he decided to stop torturing our poor friend Kilgore Trout. In later books, Trout becomes a famous writer and hero for humanity. Make me young, make me young... | ||
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Azera
3800 Posts
The introduction spoke of his 50th birthday and getting all the junk out of his mind and so on. It helped me understand the ending better  I'm reading Timequake now, the cover looks like this: I look forward to owning a few books of his rather than just briefly owning his works from the library. | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 14 2012 17:58 Azera wrote: The one I read was probably a reissue or something. It had a cover that looked like this: The introduction spoke of his 50th birthday and getting all the junk out of his mind and so on. It helped me understand the ending better I'm reading Timequake now, the cover looks like this: Yeah, that BoC is one of the standard reissues, good quality. The TimeQuake there is one of the newest reissues, I think. I have the older covers: + Show Spoiler + ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Q8RjE.jpg) ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YWLzP.jpg) TimeQuake is, in my opinion, one of his best. There is a chapter where he talks about his sister and I wept when I read it the first time. I liked the half-fiction/half-biographical nature of the book. I still wish though that we could have had some kind of finished product to "TimeQuake 1." | ||
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Azera
3800 Posts
If you really want to feel old, I'm 15. Also, remember that time where we talked about the Bealtes? | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 14 2012 18:14 Azera wrote: Heh. I really can't wait to get on to Cats Cradle and all that good stuff. Such an amazing guy, Kurt. If you really want to feel old, I'm 15. Also, remember that time where we talked about the Bealtes? It is all good. I am always amazed when I think about my age because I have always felt younger than I am. I am 31 now, but I honestly forget that unless I think about it directly. Multiple times in my life when I birthday comes around, I usually have to count the years to remember my age just because it was never much of a factor to me. If you can read Vonnegut and rock out to the Beatles at 15, then you are on the right path. Haha. | ||
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Azera
3800 Posts
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Kairo
Sweden184 Posts
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mikedebo
Canada4341 Posts
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ecstatica
United States542 Posts
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ecstatica
United States542 Posts
On September 14 2012 18:42 Azera wrote: It's a lonely path too. There's nobody to talk to but my English teacher about the literature I read. Unfortunate. But now everything's changed - you can talk to amazombie and share your emotional up-and-downs while reading more Kurt in a vintage cover. I will be here waiting for these great conversations to happen, I know you won't dissappoint! | ||
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Azera
3800 Posts
On September 14 2012 22:25 ecstatica wrote: Unfortunate. But now everything's changed - you can talk to amazombie and share your emotional up-and-downs while reading more Kurt in a vintage cover. I will be here waiting for these great conversations to happen, I know you won't dissappoint! What's the point in being a dick? | ||
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itkovian
United States1763 Posts
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 14 2012 21:26 Kairo wrote: Inspiring. Will look up KV this fall due to this thread. Yay! I hope you enjoy his works. If you are interesting in knowing more, always feel free to ask questions here. On September 15 2012 04:14 itkovian wrote: I read Jailbird over the summer, since we had it lying around the house and I was looking to read some classic literature. It wasn't as good as I had hoped. It was kind of interesting, and amusing in the way that Vonnegut likes to be, but no where near the quality of slaughterhouse 5. It looks like most people think Jailbird is one of his worse books though. You are correct there. Jailbird is one of his weakest books. That period between Breakfast of Champions and Galapagos into Bluebeard is the weakest point of his career. In that time is when he wrote Palm Sunday, Deadeye Dick, Slapstick, and Jailbird. Out of those three though, I recommend Deadeye Dick the most, but each of those stories were rather personal and don't mean as much outside of the context of his life I feel. On September 14 2012 21:30 mikedebo wrote: The OP should have been written in reverse-chronological order, like that scene of the bombing of Dresden that completely altered my brain when I was 16 haha That would have been amazing if I had. LoL. The reverse bombing is one of my favorite scenes ever written in any book. There are so many little things in SL5 that hit home so dearly and that is one of them. I always wished that in the 1972 film they would have done that somehow...if it was ever remade, they would have to incorporate that scene in. | ||
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HowardRoark
1146 Posts
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 15 2012 07:22 HowardRoark wrote: Harrison Bergeron is an amazing short story. Yeah, it is interesting. Early Vonnegut had a way of showing very interesting dystopian futures. Have you seen either of the screen adaptations? It is also one of his few short stories that is known well outside of Vonnegut circles. 2081 Official Site is a really good version. | ||
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GhandiEAGLE
United States20754 Posts
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 15 2012 08:46 GhandiEAGLE wrote: Just read Galapagos, it was really entertaining and witty for something that was actually so dark. Galapagos was the third KV book that I ever read and while I will admit not his best work, it is one of my personal favorites. I love the idea of the human brain, its issues, and how in the story it is what leads us to our own downfall. I also always laugh as he describe the "evolved" human seal-like creature that still giggles when one of them farts. I think that Galapagos is one of, if not the longest, of all his fictional novels. Good read. If you liked that a ton, go on to Cat's Cradle next - also dark and very witty. | ||
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kellenr
98 Posts
Some of my personal favorites. One of my favorite scenes is in Galapagos when that starving, peasant bell-hop brings that amazingly tender, juicy steak to that rich guy's room... and the guy just feeds it to his fucking dog. Makes my skin crawl. Still remember the day he died vivdly; most of all how no one seemed to care. Felt the same way when Ray Bradburry died. It's pretty sad the state of reading these days. Either people don't read--or they read Twilight. I don't know which is worse. | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On September 15 2012 08:57 kellenr wrote: Cat's Cradle, Slaughter-House Five, Breakfast of Champions, Time Quake, The Sirens of Titan, Galapagos... Some of my personal favorites. One of my favorite scenes is in Galapagos when that starving, peasant bell-hop brings that amazingly tender, juicy steak to that rich guy's room... and the guy just feeds it to his fucking dog. Makes my skin crawl. Still remember the day he died vivdly; most of all how no one seemed to care. Felt the same way when Ray Bradburry died. It's pretty sad the state of reading these days. Either people don't read--or they read Twilight. I don't know which is worse. Yeah...that is a hard thing to read and one of the underlying points to the novel. I remember the pain when I heard about Kurt's death...that destroyed my dreams of some day heading back east, meeting him, and we become best friends forever and ever. LoL. Speaking of weird scenes and characters though, Kurt always had a way to make little tiny people and places significant and I have found that it seems that which of those little things speak to you is different for so many people. For me, I always remember that elevator operator in Cat's Cradle that whenever he says a joke says "Yes! Yes!" and grabs his ass. That image is just fucking hilarious to me and he is only in like one short scene! I love it! | ||
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