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“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
About:
Vonnegut is considered one of the great American writers and satirists. His books tend to be a mix of humanism, art, everyday life, morals, gallows humor, with the occasional alien race mixed in. Originally branded as a "sci-fi" writer from his early short stories and novels, he later evolved into writing more autobiographical work and social essays as well as being named the Honorary President of the American Humanist Association.
Being born and raised in Indiana, he traveled the world and worked various jobs while trying to establish himself as a writer. He had a life-changing experience while fighting and being a prisoner of war during WWII. Afterward he spent 20 years trying to work out his, as he put it, "Desden book," which eventually became his magnum opus and very controversial work "Slaughterhouse-Five."
Kurt was born on November 11th 1922 and died at the age of 84 in 2007 after complications from a slip and fall. He swore smoking non-filter Pall Malls for 70 years would do him in, but this prediction proved incorrect.
Vonnegut was known for his strange and experimental styles which included mixing autobiography and fiction, using hilarious hand-drawn pictures as part of the story, meeting his main character (and alter-ego) face to face in a novel, multiple titles for books, repetition or certain phrases and ideas, slow and ironic plots based around character storytelling, his tendency to tell you what is going to happen before it does, and his own world and cast of characters which pop up throughout his many books.
Why:
I write this because finding Vonnegut was one of those pivotal moments in my life. His books were such a simple read but resonated so deeply in me. Finally there was a voice for my hopes and disappointments that put my thoughts and ideas straight.
After struggling for years with my own reflections, a friend passed me a copy of Slaughterhouse-Five. I read it front to back in the course of an evening and reread it again the next day. I was sold from the opening title page.
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Come on, when a book opens like that, it could go anywhere!
This would have been his birthday (Nov. 11th) and I always celebrate in my own way. I am also a member and backer of the Vonnegut Society and Memorial Library and I hope his works will live on, giving a voice to people who struggle in today's world.
I hope to post news and talk Vonnegut in this thread. I will also update with links and resources to finding out more about this truly original voice of America.
Please think of this like a news and fan club. I am open to discuss problems or controversies with his writing, why you may not like his writing, but please let's leave any plain hate out of here.
Kurt's Tips on Writing:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
Novel List:
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Player Piano (1952)
The Sirens of Titan (1959)
Mother Night (1962)
Cat's Cradle (1963)
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine (1965)
Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death (1969)
Breakfast of Champions or Goodbye Blue Monday (1973)
Slapstick or Lonesome No More! (1976)
Jailbird (1979)
Deadeye Dick (1982)
Galapagos: A Novel (1985)
Bluebeard, the Autobiography of Rabo Karabekian 1916-1988 (1987)
Hocus Pocus (1990)
Timequake (1997)
The Sirens of Titan (1959)
Mother Night (1962)
Cat's Cradle (1963)
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine (1965)
Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death (1969)
Breakfast of Champions or Goodbye Blue Monday (1973)
Slapstick or Lonesome No More! (1976)
Jailbird (1979)
Deadeye Dick (1982)
Galapagos: A Novel (1985)
Bluebeard, the Autobiography of Rabo Karabekian 1916-1988 (1987)
Hocus Pocus (1990)
Timequake (1997)
Collections:
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Canary in the Cathouse (Short Stories, 1961)
Welcome to the Monkey House (Short Stories, 1968)
Wampeters, Foma, and Granfalloons (Essays and Writings, 1974)
Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage (1981)
Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage (1991)
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (Short Stories, 1999)
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (Fictional Interviews with the Dead, 1999)
A Man Without a Country (Essays, 2005)
Armageddon in Restrospect and Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace (Stories and Essays, Posthumous, 2008)
Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Fiction (Short Stories, Posthumous, 2009)
While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction (Short Stories, Posthumous, 2011)
Welcome to the Monkey House (Short Stories, 1968)
Wampeters, Foma, and Granfalloons (Essays and Writings, 1974)
Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage (1981)
Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage (1991)
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (Short Stories, 1999)
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (Fictional Interviews with the Dead, 1999)
A Man Without a Country (Essays, 2005)
Armageddon in Restrospect and Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace (Stories and Essays, Posthumous, 2008)
Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Fiction (Short Stories, Posthumous, 2009)
While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction (Short Stories, Posthumous, 2011)
Film Adaptations:
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Mother Night (1996)
Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
Breakfast of Champions (1999)
Slapstick of Another Kind (Adaptation of Slapstick, 1982)
Welcome to the Monkey House TV Series (1991) - contains the stories "Displaced Person," "All the King's Horses," "EPICAC," "The Euphio Question," "The Foster Portfolio," "Harrison Bergeron," "More Stately Mansions," and "Next Door."
Who Am I This Time? (1982)
2081 (2009) Adaptation of Harrison Bergeron
Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
Breakfast of Champions (1999)
Slapstick of Another Kind (Adaptation of Slapstick, 1982)
Welcome to the Monkey House TV Series (1991) - contains the stories "Displaced Person," "All the King's Horses," "EPICAC," "The Euphio Question," "The Foster Portfolio," "Harrison Bergeron," "More Stately Mansions," and "Next Door."
Who Am I This Time? (1982)
2081 (2009) Adaptation of Harrison Bergeron
Pics:
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Vids:
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The Daily Show - 2005: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-13-2005/kurt-vonnegut
Awesome animated tribute: http://vimeo.com/27863510
KV making a cameo in "Back to School:"
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KV Discover Card Commercial:
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KV on the Shapes of Stories:
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Awesome animated tribute: http://vimeo.com/27863510
KV making a cameo in "Back to School:"
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KV Discover Card Commercial:
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KV on the Shapes of Stories:
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Articles:
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Everything Was Beautiful...
15 Things Kurt Said Better Than Anyone
Derek Holland = Vonnegut?
About the Vonnegut Library
My Grandfather Kurt
Voice of Vonnegut
Epic Literary Mustaches
Semicolons: A Love Story
Kurt and Joe
Kurt's Rules for Reading Fiction
Kurt Vonnegut at the Writer's Workshop
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Content Writing and Blogging with Kurt Vonnegut
Why Kurt Vonnegut and Valentine's Day Go Together
Neuroscience in Fiction: Slaughter-house Five
Most of What I Know About Writing I Learned from Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut Evangelism
15 Things Kurt Said Better Than Anyone
Derek Holland = Vonnegut?
About the Vonnegut Library
My Grandfather Kurt
Voice of Vonnegut
Epic Literary Mustaches
Semicolons: A Love Story
Kurt and Joe
Kurt's Rules for Reading Fiction
Kurt Vonnegut at the Writer's Workshop
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Content Writing and Blogging with Kurt Vonnegut
Why Kurt Vonnegut and Valentine's Day Go Together
Neuroscience in Fiction: Slaughter-house Five
Most of What I Know About Writing I Learned from Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut Evangelism
Links:
Wikipedia: Kurt Vonnegut
Amazon Author Page: Vonnegut on Amazon
Official Site: http://www.vonnegut.com/
Memorial Library: http://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/
Personal Recommendations:
If you are new to Vonnegut, there are a few ways you can approach him. If you are a short story fan, start with "Welcome to the Monkey House" or "Bagombo Snuff Box." These collections will give you a good idea of the voice and style. Throughout the books you can even see him evolve as a writer.
If you are a novel person, the big ones to try are of course his masterpiece "Slaughterhouse-Five", his humorous take on science and religion in "Cat's Cradle," his psychological wit in "Breakfast of Champions," or a deeper side of art and life in "Bluebeard."
Personal Ratings:
Vonnegut once graded his books he had written up to that time. Here is my attempt to grade his novels.
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Player Piano (1952) - B-
The Sirens of Titan (1959) - B
Mother Night (1962) - B
Cat's Cradle (1963) - A
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine (1965) - B+
Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death (1969) - A+
Breakfast of Champions or Goodbye Blue Monday (1973) - A
Slapstick or Lonesome No More! (1976) - C
Jailbird (1979) - C-
Deadeye Dick (1982) - C+
Galapagos: A Novel (1985) - B+
Bluebeard, the Autobiography of Rabo Karabekian 1916-1988 (1987) - A
Hocus Pocus (1990) - B+
Timequake (1997) - A-
The Sirens of Titan (1959) - B
Mother Night (1962) - B
Cat's Cradle (1963) - A
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine (1965) - B+
Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death (1969) - A+
Breakfast of Champions or Goodbye Blue Monday (1973) - A
Slapstick or Lonesome No More! (1976) - C
Jailbird (1979) - C-
Deadeye Dick (1982) - C+
Galapagos: A Novel (1985) - B+
Bluebeard, the Autobiography of Rabo Karabekian 1916-1988 (1987) - A
Hocus Pocus (1990) - B+
Timequake (1997) - A-
Questions:
What are your favorite books? What did his writing mean to you? How did you discover Kurt Vonnegut?
Perfect Summation:
On November 11 2011 15:51 justjoe09 wrote:
Vonnegut is the reason I strive to read every day, why I hate and love the human race, why I try to make other people's lives a little bit better, why I'm cynical about the application of certain technology, why I'm concerned with societal "progress" and why I even attempted to start writing. Great thread.
Vonnegut is the reason I strive to read every day, why I hate and love the human race, why I try to make other people's lives a little bit better, why I'm cynical about the application of certain technology, why I'm concerned with societal "progress" and why I even attempted to start writing. Great thread.
