Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007)
Author of Slaughterhouse-Five
About the Author
The appeal of Kurt Vonnegut, especially to bright younger readers of the past few decades, may be attributed partly to the fact that he is one of the few writers who have successfully straddled the imaginary line between science-fiction/fantasy and "real literature." He was born in Indianapolis and show more attended Cornell University, but his college education was interrupted by World War II. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge and imprisoned in Dresden, he received a Purple Heart for what he calls a "ludicrously negligible wound." After the war he returned to Cornell and then earned his M.A. at the University of Chicago.He worked as a police reporter and in public relations before placing several short stories in the popular magazines and beginning his career as a novelist. His first novel, Player Piano (1952), is a highly credible account of a future mechanistic society in which people count for little and machines for much. The Sirens of Titan (1959), is the story of a playboy whisked off to Mars and outer space in order to learn some humbling lessons about Earth's modest function in the total scheme of things. Mother Night (1962) satirizes the Nazi mentality in its narrative about an American writer who broadcasts propaganda in Germany during the war as an Allied agent. Cat's Cradle (1963) makes use of some of Vonnegut's experiences in General Electric laboratories in its story about the discovery of a special kind of ice that destroys the world. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965) satirizes a benevolent foundation set up to foster the salvation of the world through love, an endeavor with, of course, disastrous results. Slaughterhouse-Five; or The Children's Crusade (1969) is the book that marked a turning point in Vonnegut's career. Based on his experiences in Dresden, it is the story of another Vonnegut surrogate named Billy Pilgrim who travels back and forth in time and becomes a kind of modern-day Everyman. The novel was something of a cult book during the Vietnam era for its antiwar sentiments. Breakfast of Champions (1973), the story of a Pontiac dealer who goes crazy after reading a science fiction novel by "Kilgore Trout," received generally unfavorable reviews but was a commercial success. Slapstick (1976), dedicated to the memory of Laurel and Hardy, is the somewhat wacky memoir of a 100-year-old ex-president who thinks he can solve society's problems by giving everyone a new middle name. In addition to his fiction, Vonnegut has published nonfiction on social problems and other topics, some of which is collected in Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons (1974). He died from head injuries sustained in a fall on April 11, 2007. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Kilgore Trout, the name of a character in several of Kurt Vonnegut's books, was later used as a pseudonym by Philip José Farmer. Vonnegut himself never wrote under or went by the name Kilgore Trout.
Works by Kurt Vonnegut
Novels & Stories, 1963-1973: Cat's Cradle / God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater / Slaughterhouse-Five / Breakfast of Champions… (2011) 376 copies
Novels & Stories 1950-1962: Player Piano / The Sirens of Titan / Mother Night / Stories (2012) 248 copies
Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse-Five / The Sirens of Titan / Player Piano / Cat's Cradle / Breakfast of Champions /… (1980) 170 copies
Kurt Vonnegut: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations (The Last Interview Series) (2011) 104 copies
If this isn't nice what is?, (much) expanded second edition: the graduation speeches and other words to live by (2014) 103 copies
If This Isn't Nice, What Is? (Even More) Expanded Third Edition: The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live… (2020) 53 copies
The sirens of Titan; Mother night; Cat's cradle; God bless you, Mr. Rosewater; Slaughterhouse-five (1988) 16 copies
5 by Kurt Vonnegut jr. (5 volumes) (Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Welcome To… (1973) 15 copies
If This isn't Nice, What is?: Advice for the Young by Kurt Vonnegut (2014) Hardcover (2013) 6 copies
Thanasphere 6 copies
Selected Works of Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Galapagos, The Big Trip Up Yonder, Unready to Wear (2014) 5 copies
Long Walk to Forever [short story] 4 copies
The Big Space Fuck [short story] 4 copies
Masters of Science Fiction, Vol 1 4 copies
Kirjailijan työ : Saul Bellow, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Boris Pasternak, Kurt Vonnegut (1985) 3 copies
Hall of Mirrors 3 copies
The Souvenir 3 copies
[Slapstick] [by: Kurt Vonnegut] 3 copies
Utopia 14 - 1º volume 3 copies
The Ides of March 2 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 020 2 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 051 2 copies
Slaughterhouse 5, or The Children's Crusade - A Duty-dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut (1991-03-21) (1800) 2 copies
Klavirski avtomat 2 copies
Sinbad (Singles Classic) 2 copies
Utopia 14 - 2º Volume 2 copies
Works of K. Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions, The Sirens of Titan — Author — 2 copies
Cold Turkey 2 copies
Runaways 2 copies
О дивный новый мир 1 copy
Desayuno de campeones 1 copy
Tšempionide eine 1 copy
Café Da Manhã Dos Campeões 1 copy
Cronosisma 1 copy
slaughternhouse 1 copy
Cats Cradle 1 copy
Galpagos 1 copy
Kolybel' dlia koshki 1 copy
Wampeters Foma & Granfallons 1 copy
The Indiscreet Mirror [article, in Proceedings of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, May 16, 1984;… (1984) 1 copy
Del 1 copy
0083- Selected stories 1 copy
While Mortals Sleep 1 copy
Kurt Vonnegut: Listy 1 copy
Lot 3 books by Kurt Vonnegut,Jr., Galapagos a novel, Slaughter-House Five, Player Piano, (1974) 1 copy
The No-Talent Kid 1 copy
Utópia 14 1 copy
Μητέρα Νύχτα 1 copy
All The King's Horses 1 copy
Người không quê hương 1 copy
Utopia 14, 2º vol 1 copy
Utopia 14, 1º vol 1 copy
ברוכים הבאים אל בית-הקוף 1 copy
Mnemonics 1 copy
T B R 0 2 B 1 copy
Fortitude [short story] 1 copy
Bard books 1 copy
Here is a Lesson in Creative Writing (in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006 - EGGERS) 1 copy
Notes on Armagedon 1 copy
Unpaid Consultant 1 copy
The Package 1 copy
The No-talent Kid 1 copy
Poor Little Rich Town 1 copy
Custom-made Bride 1 copy
Ambitious Sophomore 1 copy
A Present For Big Saint Nick 1 copy
The Boy Who Hated Girls 1 copy
This Son Of Mine 1 copy
A Night For Love 1 copy
Find Me A Dream 1 copy
Lovers Anonymous 1 copy
Hal Irwin’s Magic Lamp 1 copy
Bode Vermelho 1 copy
Vremetres 1 copy
Oko sokolovo 1 copy
රෑ මාතා 1 copy
The Chemistry Professor 1 copy
Un avanzo di galera 1 copy
Requiem for Zeitgeist 1 copy
The Drone King 1 copy
Any Reasonable Offer 1 copy
Novels & Stories 1976-1985 1 copy
Novels & Stories 1987-1997 1 copy
Associated Works
For the Love of Books: 115 Celebrated Writers on the Books They Love Most (1999) — Contributor — 452 copies
First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers (1994) — Contributor — 183 copies
The Rolling Stone Book of the Beats: The Beat Generation and American Culture (1999) — Contributor — 168 copies
The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology (2009) — Contributor — 131 copies
The Best Fantasy Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1985) — Contributor — 70 copies
Cape Cod Stories: Tales from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard (1996) — Contributor — 52 copies
Grave Predictions: Tales of Mankind’s Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian and Disastrous Destiny (2016) 26 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October 1961, Vol. 21, No. 4 (1961) — Contributor — 20 copies
Democracy in Print: The best of the Progressive Magazine, 1909-2009 (2009) — Contributor — 14 copies
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History — Winter 1994 (1993) — Author "So it goes." — 9 copies
Tider skal komme : 15 langtidsvarsler : en science fiction-antologi — Contributor — 4 copies
Ki ょ う も 気 God prepared a short masterpiece SF election (Kadokawa library) (2010) — Contributor — 2 copies
RDCBLP Saint Paul | Apostle to All Men | Horowitz and Mrs. Washington | The Foster Portfolio | Bel Ria (1980) 1 copy
S-Fマガジン 2007年 09月号 [雑誌] 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Vonnegut, Kurt
- Legal name
- Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr.
- Birthdate
- 1922-11-11
- Date of death
- 2007-04-11
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Place of death
- New York, New York, USA
- Cause of death
- brain injuries incurred several weeks prior from a fall at his New York brownstone home
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA - Education
- University of Chicago
Cornell University
Carnegie Institute of Technology
University of Tennessee - Occupations
- journalist
novelist
essayist
playwright
screenwriter - Relationships
- Vonnegut, Mark (son)
Vonnegut, Edith (daughter)
Krementz, Jill (spouse) - Organizations
- American Humanist Association
U.S. Army (WWII|POW)
Iowa Writers' Workshop - Awards and honors
- State Author of New York/Edith Wharton Citation of Merit (2001-03)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award [1970]
Humanist of the Year [1992]
Asteroid Namesake [2539]
Purple Heart
Prisoner of War Medal (show all 8)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (2015)
Carl Sandburg Literary Award (2001) - Short biography
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr est né à Indianapolis en 1922. Prisonnier de guerre à Dresde pendant cinq mois, il y fut témoin du bombardement de 1945. De retour aux États-Unis, il se mit à écrire. Son roman le plus célèbre, Abattoir 5, resta pendant trois mois en tête des best-sellers américains.
- Disambiguation notice
- Kilgore Trout, the name of a character in several of Kurt Vonnegut's books, was later used as a pseudonym by Philip José Farmer. Vonnegut himself never wrote under or went by the name Kilgore Trout.
Members
Discussions
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut [Hamilton Press 2001] in Fine Press Forum (October 2022)
Sci-Fi Story, People Live Forever in Name that Book (August 2017)
November 2013: Kurt Vonnegut in Monthly Author Reads (November 2014)
1001 Group Read-December, 2012: Slaughterhouse Five in 1001 Books to read before you die (January 2013)
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Statistics
- Works
- 297
- Also by
- 83
- Members
- 181,668
- Popularity
- #27
- Rating
- 4.0
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