HomeGroupsTalkZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.
MembersReviewsPopularityRatingFavorited   Events   
171,567 (190,739)2,46427 (3.96)1,391
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 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) — biography from Slaughterhouse-Five… (more)
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.

Slaughterhouse-Five 41,684 copies, 660 reviews
Cat's Cradle 21,197 copies, 277 reviews
Breakfast of Champions 15,510 copies, 152 reviews
The Sirens of Titan 9,835 copies, 118 reviews
Galápagos 7,330 copies, 77 reviews
Mother Night 6,893 copies, 87 reviews
Welcome to the Monkey House 6,850 copies, 63 reviews
Player Piano 6,446 copies, 74 reviews
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater 6,003 copies, 49 reviews
Timequake 5,183 copies, 53 reviews
Hocus Pocus 5,106 copies, 42 reviews
A Man Without a Country 4,662 copies, 78 reviews
Slapstick, or, Lonesome No More! 4,439 copies, 40 reviews
Bluebeard 4,343 copies, 32 reviews
Jailbird 3,924 copies, 24 reviews
Deadeye Dick 3,720 copies, 20 reviews
Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons 2,048 copies, 9 reviews
Armageddon in Retrospect 1,804 copies, 32 reviews
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian 1,698 copies, 32 reviews
Palm Sunday 1,615 copies, 8 reviews
Fates Worse Than Death 990 copies, 12 reviews
Happy Birthday, Wanda June 679 copies, 4 reviews
While Mortals Sleep 628 copies, 15 reviews
2BR02B 622 copies, 32 reviews
Kurt Vonnegut: Letters 366 copies, 3 reviews
Harrison Bergeron [short story] 238 copies, 17 reviews
The Big Trip Up Yonder 168 copies, 7 reviews
Sun Moon Star 162 copies, 6 reviews
Complete Stories 159 copies
Canary in a Cat House 110 copies, 2 reviews
The Petrified Ants 85 copies, 1 review
Seven Contemporary Short Novels (Contributor) 72 copies
Slaughterhouse-Five [1972 film] (Novel) 57 copies, 4 reviews
Basic Training 42 copies, 2 reviews
Report on the Barnhouse Effect 16 copies, 1 review
FUBAR 14 copies
The Kid Nobody Could Handle 13 copies, 1 review
Unready to Wear 10 copies, 2 reviews
Who Am I This Time? 9 copies, 1 review
The Lie 9 copies, 1 review
Thanasphere 6 copies
EPICAC [short story] 5 copies, 1 review
Slapstick/Mother Night 5 copies, 1 review
Hello, Red 5 copies
Slice of Life 5 copies
Next Door [short story] 4 copies, 1 review
All The King's Horses 4 copies, 1 review
New Dictionary [essay] 4 copies, 1 review
Where I Live 4 copies
D.P. [short story] 4 copies, 1 review
More Stately Mansions 4 copies, 1 review
The Euphio Question 4 copies, 1 review
Adam [short story] 4 copies, 1 review
The Souvenir 3 copies
Vonnegut Kurt 3 copies
Confido 3 copies
The Manned Missiles 3 copies, 1 review
时震 2 copies
Runaways 2 copies
Cold Turkey 2 copies
Mnemonics 1 copy
Cronosisma 1 copy
Time Quake 1 copy
Mëngjes Kampionësh 1 copy, 1 review
Del 1 copy
Nuit noire 1 copy
Bard books 1 copy
Stories 1 copy
The Demolished Man (Introduction, some editions) 4,448 copies, 109 reviews
Again, Dangerous Visions (Contributor) 949 copies, 11 reviews
The Ides of March (Foreword, some editions) 868 copies, 16 reviews
The World Treasury of Science Fiction (Contributor) 840 copies, 2 reviews
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006 (Composer) 747 copies, 10 reviews
The Seventh Cross (Foreword, some editions) 744 copies, 12 reviews
The Future Dictionary of America (Contributor) 618 copies, 3 reviews
The Wizards of Odd: Comic Tales of Fantasy (Contributor) 597 copies, 4 reviews
The Flying Sorcerers: More Comic Tales of Fantasy (Contributor) 488 copies, 3 reviews
Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories (Contributor) 481 copies, 18 reviews
Free to Be... You and Me (Contributor) 454 copies, 8 reviews
The Big Book of Science Fiction (Contributor) 359 copies, 6 reviews
The Granta Book of the American Short Story (Contributor) 357 copies, 1 review
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010 (Contributor) 293 copies, 8 reviews
Grand Central Winter (Foreword, some editions) 284 copies, 4 reviews
Best of Modern Humor (Contributor) 282 copies, 2 reviews
The Treasury of American Short Stories (Contributor) 251 copies, 1 review
The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here (Contributor) 233 copies, 4 reviews
The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction (Contributor) 186 copies, 2 reviews
World's Best Science Fiction: 1969 (Contributor) 168 copies
The Ultimate Frankenstein (Contributor) 158 copies, 4 reviews
The Ruins of Earth (Contributor) 153 copies, 2 reviews
The Best American Mystery Stories 2010 (Contributor) 144 copies, 3 reviews
Connoisseur's Science Fiction (Contributor) 133 copies, 1 review
Space Odyssey (Contributor) 129 copies, 1 review
The Playboy Book of Science Fiction (Contributor) 124 copies
Stories of the Sea (Contributor) 118 copies, 2 reviews
The Frankenstein Omnibus (Contributor) 98 copies, 2 reviews
Animal Farm and Related Readings (Contributor) 98 copies, 1 review
An ABC of Science Fiction (Contributor) 95 copies, 1 review
Science Fiction: The Future (Contributor) 79 copies, 1 review
CYBERSEX (Contributor) 76 copies, 1 review
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack (Contributor) 65 copies, 2 reviews
Back to School [1986 film] (Actor) 57 copies, 1 review
Assignment in Tomorrow: An Anthology (Contributor) 50 copies
The Unabridged Mark Twain (Introduction) 49 copies
Science Fiction (Author) 39 copies, 1 review
Long Walk to Forever {play} (Original story) 30 copies
The Fiend (Contributor) 22 copies
Studies in Fiction (Contributor) 22 copies, 1 review
Love Stories (Contributor) 18 copies
Next Door {play} (Author of original) 17 copies
Out of This World (Contributor) 16 copies
Mother Night {1996 film} (Author of original) 16 copies
Storia del piccolo Mouck (Translator, some editions) 8 copies
The Short Story & You (Contributor) 7 copies

Top members (books)

Member favorites

Members: Wordslinger1919, jemmatcf, YESterNOw, luckasz, RosinaLudwig, TamasKiss, gbill, Stravaiger64, AlexP1990, Lizzardicus-Spork, lawriter90503, bethderenzis, poorbillypilgrim, petricor, Patchshank, agitationalporcelain, Charon07, private member, mousetrapreplica, heavenlyspit (show 1371 more), GhostsofHouseplants, BohdiCave, Drapetsona, jwpromenade, bunuel, Kevinred, LanternWaste, labyrinthos, schpingle, private member, ScottyBoyP, Steve_Sharpe, Salaxalans, minunu, hobbramble, christopher.hicks, batpigeon, bradmurray, ala_stairs, just_visiting, thePatWalker, jilliancatalogs, greggmaxwellparker, Tolstoys_ghost, TristanGregorySmith, girlaffe, erinmuse, AndyGiesler, WendyRobyn, tcg17321, ferthalangur, lordporkchop, fruittwist000, Alaina_McCall, Wreggitt, lunaman, Chris.Russell, llouk, eyelit, tjwill, fjd, dawnserleelight, Anaithnid, private member, panimaljones, pan0ramix, SandraArdnas, walkermwatson, Simontaneously, ethompson011, Joseph_Scifres, Alex_Maybe, janslug, Lyndatrue, meaghangray, Fashy_Goy, Bezukhoff, ilnace, donlazaro, amanda4242, CE_Newsom, littlel, dbeveridge, Myyst, Daniel.Estes, LeBoeuf, PaulDelicateMonroe, sweetiegherkin, FrederickW, McDirk, Pentweazle, gsm235, mirikayla, ainah, wlander, Riznick, CMSkiera, Deadpool37, missizicks, wethewatched, Jlc323, Jacob520, hoppmaep, IslandDave, rowabe, mrgrooism, cparks1, xmarr, dew_enfolded, Scopps, evilcupcakes, ghostwire, O_Hozomeen, 5hrdrive, SomeGuyInVirginia, davess, boo-radley, sarahlundberg, randomfakename, polarprivacy, myownwoman, private member, AnjaMeta, arachnid_flame, rykey, Elizabeth_Blake, Artymedon, wrevans, jd_adler, FMC2, private member, teresaemu, edgewood, carsonab, LaurenMae85, mujinga, Sarabear13, yjerem, awesomepaulsome, wyliem, rarewren, ericbishoppotter, beckish, Draino, dinoloncar, steadfastfire, bDymaxion2, BookMonk, justabitoutside, KinMarcus, maggieandersonwriter, inesorabile, gano, ashleybot, RobynAlezanders, Kiwi_Jim, Elizabeth.Reed, stranise, ChrissG, blackdove07, koszahalakat, andrewheald, juozas.varonenka, AArtVark, Hrshhgn, deerhorne, Neftzger, JeffChadwell, Ashles, Ron_Peters, railarson, BenKline, ianink, MdR87, AlkaF, juliecarlsen, soundsofsilence, Apeekrtr, RickTheobald, Lasairfhiona, kenrg, Niltiac, Emily_Church, Sockmonkey1313, chaosownsyou, Vivl, nocturne0, flajol, Mad_Mac, bemidbar, leighgarcia12, bibliopolitan, H.Lamberson, libraryMCmouse, DanielPowell, VioletDroll, vesa.puukka, kellijean13, Lulubel, Swan-in-the-Hoop, DanielleAykroyd, psychedelicmicrobus, rob.haskins, SherrieCronin, byelick, tedroche, tom.lucas1331, sherrillo, Jered, sudobear, Clersius, lordoffluff, cjentile, StevePThing, phadrea, cvreeland, Lingles, jgsumner, Croke, flight_of_stars, CGlanovsky, bks1953, ShelfMonkey, AletheiaPsyche, Thomas.Taylor, frobbert, rathad, svjleh, gangleri, fionaross, private member, egumeny, Haunted_Bufalo, pisymbol, Marshrat, johntober, cdevin22, denmoir, Dustin.R, cathepl, cathpl, sweko, drat, stuffebooks, Scott_West, evforija, rycz, jcerbone22, hets, ReneeGKC, roblong, Pazas, britchey, LlyfrauAnnie, EPoliti, private member, private member, AFishCalledAmy, private member, joais, cmolisani, KALI9827, Ross54, TurtleStampede, gvorbeck, ashleyadm, slenderman, Snowstorm14, ZoetikaDax, private member, saxman, mamaroux, dbancrof, mobron, zvs, erudat, private member, andrewdotcoza, LindseyCulver, Jillius, jennthoman, DWallaceFleming, PokPok, A.fife, dontspillmycoffee, Danishblue, Ugetsu167, bepeterson, bibliothequaire, josiebee, scaccs, crecente, MeganBlack, lisaewhite, blaircai, prmlibrarian, heliotroped, SesameG, jflani, BoFowler, private member, jimnightshade, sliver7, mojolo, tcagle, David_Cain, magisternihil, Dr.Creps, gtg427s, doggrell13, jpporter, kellysielert, misshilly, ch_merlin, linamarija, tenth_sheep, neildb, jules.brown, miketopper, amy.bowen, SBassoon, Paul.Miles, six0steffy, private member, PhoenixFalls, acwindham, antilles, agnetta, Hippohydra, Ben.Cumberledge, naussicaa, denAlain, fscottfitzjamie, maggotbrain, eileen2000, erin.marie91, charliehog, teow, tp3, DigUnlocked, lazybee, Billbored, yesssman, vjchambers, Jen448, TTKauko, candacecc, christie.tenewitz, RMRM, isaachosler, Madison2011, DavidGaughran, JustinTylerLewis, Kimberly6, mcj18, toongirl81, HayleyJane, Green_Greg, Mchaggis, micamaldita, riktod, Witlesslackey, ChrissyDelk, brianc6, MRHwick, kfischer, cwlongshot, tinkettleinn, tkims, Spyglass, trevorlockhart, thisnomadlife, readingtangent, Kathdavis54, Mlle_Christina, ADayInBalloonia, private member, private member, lokidragon, hardcastle, nighthawk4486, whizse, Creeps, aeflinn, Possebon, saukkola, jhoxley, elyseannette, cjahnke, obliokml, wsickler, jdbeullens, BethanyWidman, An_Fear_Glas, Zaius, private member, dragonflyy419, edwinbrady, Jambalayajamba, Haiku911, mnorris3, niggawithagun, RiceSD, H.Clay, AmaliC, cab715, andrewreads, DeDeNoel, nakushitaXotome, punkyem, jeffjardine, tsissicran, plantlover, mdobe, robertmorrow, rkchernay, Mike.Behlen, BenTreat, CG3, mdeii, sfarmer76, private member, mholen, AbraLodge, HendrikePeetz, timm84, private member, susie_success, weeksj10, chazpf, leavingsamsara, Keith_Voogd, JYossarian, dagnyroyce, kxlly, madA63, klimtone, darksidesunny, Bigrider7, scarjafar, brianfergusonwpg, Doozer, iatethecloudsforyou, calvoski88, mike_frank, Hectigo, kitschtastic, PaulaGreen, dpmund, karmabodhi, ynot2924, private member, tburdick, literary.feline, jblackowicz, tmm313, ledfloyd90, wevans, vishmili, Brksie, jerryegray, SimpleTenna, tap_aparecium, Opusnight, sammcgee, Gy2K, jackedwardsmith, private member, MorosKeres, anndar, achillestenderloin, jwmiller5, timbrown5, amymlevy, beartraps, JanaRose1, JustinLL, booksavg, rores28, theoriginaljz, Kimr6, caiguda, emdashpoet, rpetrini, KrisM, private member, samantha.smith, Techbrarian, apike, LeeCo, e1ghtfold, NedFredHead, Merdoc, Sporkredfox, Handmaid, rpalmer, redroc, melvillean, AnotherAlice, AKTyee, AntiLeah, nonlocal, lizyerby, DerekGentry, sarp, cvalin, Orclev, usageunit, trivigo, ricksmoss, folks, rdemarest, Sarahinrainbows, wormwood37, sporcloid, grammarcore, bamajasper53, private member, imcrazy0088, BookNrrrd, FilibusterCrabz, ponzu, CakeCrumbs, private member, Nymeth, BookBindingBobby, KyleDC, 00mcg00, Bloberry, librarianlinz, drdawnffl, busangane, private member, DuffDaddy, nanciewel, gridstorm, gigelorum, tros, captom, NerdyOZ, JAFalconF, gilliamdee, private member, rosalindaseyes, FunkyZomby, bdobyns, GreatCaptain, justcherie, private member, magnetgrrl, lexiphile64, MFZ, patrickdjoyce, DanaBrand, MABZ82, sheywood, crystallineb, lithicbee, PFixx, Flightstorm, okrick, Torikton, pansyr, thatwordnerd, craifish, dawnmarie, DavidCastle, phollando, GuidedByCthulhu, Cavalier80, redbudnate, lexport, anniebonnie, ErikaJane, JuanitaWoz, Malkorr, notecloud, mccanna23, private member, JellyBean21, Di_M, nathandz, stanshall, cpbills, benedetto.fiorelli, rabornj, MartenSanden, MrHomerWells, BenDKline, martharice3000, mbmeadow, TSR, ahstrick, TraceBoredom, highbrowculture, Al99, jasoncashdollar, the_awesome_opossum, 9days, Katty927, cmthomas, JCBRabbit, juliayoung, goneagain, HeyitsKirby, SusieBookworm, 144A, Akkun, rachelebelle, ethanw, bobert84, Abbsalah, Andrw, private member, katiemullen, catmeyoo, omgzor, cyanidesayonara, MEStaton, nokisuu, hyarlit, Granzig, iamreddave, missrabbitmoon, rybie2, dbytwerk, JFowler, phillipjreese, shadowofthewind, NickBlasta, crystalbmn, reader517, private member, Blutiger_Engel, bclark, SeaMonster, lockback, realfunfuneral, Wolfseisenhut, matkinson5494, m538, mattlattanzi, pattijean, debaser_1985, Blendy, lurbschat, GBoos, heidilach, qforce, MoochPurpura, agmlll, BrianLundgaard, Tomleesteenboek, okok, leahruthe, evolute, bobislove, DAN-O, VictorCasimir, davidwil, peabody_holmes, thequay, zenil, sarahdeanjean, damfino83, plaid_tofu, icecoldsoda, scottsemegran, chspalding, natestone, private member, louise55, alexnisnevich, tacobelle, oldseacaptain, tash99, WilliamSummers, jhdurr, schlimmbesserung, mgold226, katemo, Miclelle, theforeverwar, pheidole, sanford9850, jimmyj, whooghez, iimani_david, davidw, AnnPars, deece, djskandalous, cutypi41, CueTheRevolution, ecidnac, StephenBarkley, naphta0853, fugitive, ben.wildeboer, MRRoberts, SeparateMyself, neverxsometimes, pafenton, ALux, tnc0318, private member, AZKNIGHTWOLF, jasbro, -AlyssaE-, auspice, 5150, Sander314, tzipi, bethbmill, private member, a.michele, mmarconi, insolent_redhead, revdrjim, koend, Jeezabelle, Sheralina, jrocket, TurtleKnitta, jokoko, Frenzie, CharlieAudritsh, private member, mrkay, pricejc03, shannondees, dianamoonglampers, Karenska, DavenportsDream, gavagai, maritzasoto, wunderkind, Spug, dunnmark99, Micinity, vuh, ConstanceReeder, mozey56, klayr, BradleyLeese, MattDaGweat, CanadaGood, SthiraSukha, faelan, freeman801, djlimb, Justjenniferreading, jdrstar04, ejakub, Falconiday, private member, private member, private member, francomega, zvati, JustJoshing, snat, Drew_Blood, private member, IronMike, dickie987056, Shijuro, aslikeanarnian, JulesAlder, funkyderek, nancyboyo, gennyv, guildencrantz, andsoitgoes, jebraun, private member, champdriverschool, walkwithoutrhythm, jaimes_folly, Czarsy, geraintwilliams, histumness, ltezemer, santhony, deardestruction, copperboom, ryansublett, utna, private member, tim.helmstedt, PiyushC, WylieMaercklein, zaneselvans, private member, ducho, bkc027, madhatter22, smiler7700, modlibrary, katiebobus, despil, private member, private member, chasblackman, kurohyou, tealtan, BillPilgrim, lilywren, daniel.thom, Wesgrey, cristeanna, lizzie324, CaptainDylan, chelsye, muness, BenzoH, jlj, booklove2, waitingtoderail, strangefate, zilverkittie, charlesclark, private member, KafkaMaze, andrei.lintu, AlanReynolds, stypulkoski, mlwl, Mr_Ibbans, pagz4u, mylifeasaman, Riki_Kiki_Taco, ajsomerset, private member, klh, kku, collettely, TheCrow2, punkgardener, Janivgm, private member, marianimal, mberkowski, keelymm, ryancewind, anitadrink, NikolaT, wpschlitz, YoungLeezy, JasonMDockins, naomijade, Ice9Dragon, AnandaDevika, Akrasiac, FourOfFiveWits, private member, TuDoDude, clemoine, kkisser, luizirber, Lexiphanicist, private member, joemowens, phillipsccw, mediapuzzle, readeron, Whatnot, alicia.ann, xombie, scottd, party_girl, Brasidas, seefer, private member, wombatdeamor, redswirl3, DugsBooks, sollocks, quillmenow, objector, shearrob, jmyer, TheAlternativeOne, abraxas223, ApresMoiLeDeluge, Anttijk, fnanson, private member, folkthepolice, november17dee, Calapine, bagambo, Vidersen, beulahry, angelrose, yapete, alasdairnicol, herbpixie, signem, waltod, pseudoeidolon, kullfarr, IamAleem, EmperorOfSarantium, sheckylovejoy, anotherboilingfrog, davesmind, EricCGibson, BroncoMom, WMGoBuffs, still_life, psuedosmart, esswedl, Raven_77, flemmily, antikz, Laser48, Ubersmush, thatguyzero, SpinningGrave, jr231, wallybat, DevilsApricot, jennay, seraphimj, AlexisPrometheus, saraswati27, Moonshooter1, MrsPetersen, AGaiman, BGP, krtierney, twink_q, HankD, whymaggiemay, amweakley, private member, MikeKn, JoshuaDuncan, private member, israfel13, debthomson, freemyron, alsacel, Tarienna, alexa_d, evangelovich, mskelseyclaire, pharun, luqmaninbmore, private member, kielyrobert, bot_garden, Helene123, alexshephard, pagansmurf, michhern, britbrit, katiecoyle, Oooska, ErixWorx, ebcubs03, TheFabulousJourney, private member, lilithfaere, jonnyforest, private member, Kaethe, ilikesteak, benskinner, ellengryphon, Svada, misintrpratrjns, blue_skinned_waltz, Cthulhugoat, thornster, goodinthestacks, beadsthat, krazy4katz, danner1515, RaelWV, echohawka, NaDaoineAiseirithe, Joles, fsofield, bdopp, arwencrawford, jlshall, wilsonknut, Froggmaiden, Magadri, xorscape, quilted_kat, embarczynski, robk84, selfcallednowhere, nigel.stevens, getdestructive, freesoma, indigo21, last, bodhi.root, thepogoman, sleep, TheHangedMan, lhayden, xrob, Geedge, gee_force, jmredgate, dv8amk, iphianassa, EmScape, gogomimi, KylieL, bansheegirl, c17h19no3, emordino, ree-raw, imnotsatan, ashkek, leenaprasad, LMayNev, blackmustard, deathtogutenberg, Cynara, grapeape, nire, yellaumbrella, ame73, adrndack, cjh5801, Obracken, athomas, msackin, private member, apirl_danger, mwilliam500, tertullian, bardsfingertips, BeachWriter, JamesPaul977, SteelyMcBeam, hsteeves, private member, jackle73, karenmarie, kapheine, RogerVerhiest, private member, spacemoth, GeorgeMichaelBluth, AntoniodlF, Josh_Hanagarne, wonderlust, jksterup, jdb10, torpedos, izzy3210, crixpy, dczapka, iamaluckycharm, nicole_the_dj, clubside, coiptic, ireadsomebooks, seansand, dazedandconfused1, Xandra, dilettantiquity, huehnchen, JackOrion, MeditationesMartini, jtshipp, uwcca1, oeuftete, tatleriv, burningwasteland, caroltilley, bfr2210999, mattcornish, ddibling, bdamokos, kite_eating_tree, DameMuriel, Bruce.Vencill, mamarati, pnorth, smatheson, Seattlite, Clueless, nerusha, .kt, lbucci3, HarvReviewer, peer35, kshe95, rdstoops, InTheNo, tedalkins, private member, silgrey, MissTris, socialchild, davidsietsma, suburbangoth, nulepausis, goldenphizzwizards, cowboymatt43, rikker, robotjohnny, brokensnowpea, solio, clong, themysticpenguin, twelve, Carolian, cfry, nog, wesh, gmf, BillCinSD, watfordcanary, LitClique, janeanger, twistedgamine, bachelors_hall, TheHumanComa, BeverlyRose, danielx, ijustgetbored, aces, Keithwcase, gam3, Jen_W, parcequilfaut, Jambyfool, hjb, BercilakdeHautdesert, thatnerdyguy, weener, funxnotdead, cjbartel, ronrivers, jbnicar, JeremyCShipp, nene7beluga, tagueattack, llamagirl, bjorker, alexknapik, scarlosthompson, Christopher.Altnau, private member, jjackunrau, Zmrzlina, Cantling, private member, Animo, HeatherLynn, lipi, Ecliptic_hellflower, allisonh, 2stepnk8, rchrd_h, PicNique, Briphelia, Magus_Manders, SooGuy, falkman, AlmightySqueaker, LizzyPfen, paulhurtley, leannem, displaced5, Twijgje, GraceMc, duhrer, sarahjanesandra, TomJoaquin, willow_kat, marinermc, frumioj, hooptedoodle, Sparrowing, Grammath, dcafaro, KhrystiBooks, comfortablynumb, kettle666, JZTamer, sputniksweet, private member, herzogbr, BeakerMini, tag, Killeymoon, jrthebutler, janaechoquette, mattiepoo, Tara_Amber, realblades, simply_squamous, private member, suitcasemonster, iyiiki, Lindonela, Fuller, Sethgsamuel, acajjou, PingoLingo, bookworm12, Revolos55, Splittergal, survivingniki, piccolaserenata8, crawdadman, drsol, doloreshaze55, scribblingDesdemona, josh314, EdwardEinhorn, Tijl, pandich, adorn, SteppenDeWulf, tfk, andrewdskelton, clt, writing_librarian, fred_moro, oldnick42, Anks, erhirvo, baconyfresh, shunn, rsouleles, arthurfrayn, cheat_reality, ChuckTaggart, rcooper3589, mohitchugh, grayemerson, sadiebooks, mdebakker, atomheart, bridson32, MatthewB, TripleJ, mcmikedermott, Jetton, fallentree, premeditation, maddieglow, private member, greendragongirl, Unright, psybre, lizvelrene, lej19, uru, dclarion, jmsnyder, ciganik, YorickBrown, tikitu, reverends, saluthaus, Nichtglied, private member, iampineapple, richard, cosmicdog, megthenut, xevver, private member, bvs, alejc, neofob, JB007NJ, imawittlecorny, sir_rachelface, wizardsheart, wendymcf, arijin, SweetbriarPoet, Big_Rocco, cjeskriett, chocolate_chip01, DavidLouisEdelman, PhoenixTerran, heterotopic, zf5myriobib, Tripp_Howell, idyllicmelody, teampoush, woctune, fuzzy_patters, Chris_Genoa, Mallou, private member, trivialandobvious, sljh0, mnd88, Coatlicue, beautifulsoup, Wronghead, petescisco, eBardX, irapearson, pivy, evetsggod, private member, private member, lkloda, eunoia, RedRose114, jlwood19, ariatari, virgingloves, dyzv0r, djanderson, Skaidon, prehensel, j.allen, fish1861, kawika, finalbroadcast, squeakjones, G-Do, katycat101, mmusso3, iamjason, clellybobus, miketurner, edwina4, mensheviklibrarian, emily_morine, SharonGoforth, bookyt, dberryfan, Chimelle, Jubby, vladiu, Trismegistus, Micah, mostlylurking, suedonym, cesarschirmer, ILouro, jcovington, jhdunn, jennyo, gmatt63, goddesswashu, mcornyn, kbondelli, ChromaticRat, MikeFarquhar, WorldMaker, marijane, invisiblelizard, inblackink, foolishkiwi, kbuxton, atlantic, thefrog, tem209, princemuchao, jbayes, redrabbit, Rule42, coffeezombie, mattbman, KathyWoodall, jdsbooks, readaholic12, hisnameisjohn, Tasses, paghababian, rushme, giusbello, Ambrosia4, limerts, private member, private member, Milesc, clamairy, SarahAF, aznstarlette, akrnr

20th century (1,201) American (1,509) American fiction (416) American literature (2,436) anthology (1,430) classic (1,019) classics (1,126) Dresden (395) dystopia (527) ebook (746) essays (1,025) fantasy (725) favorites (359) fiction (17,501) goodreads (398) historical fiction (414) humor (2,774) Kindle (587) Kurt Vonnegut (783) literature (2,184) memoir (359) non-fiction (942) novel (2,626) own (708) owned (361) paperback (547) read (2,383) satire (2,968) science fiction (9,631) sf (1,428) sff (337) short stories (2,257) speculative fiction (337) time travel (783) to-read (7,126) unread (935) USA (524) Vonnegut (1,577) war (1,034) WWII (1,558)
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical name
Legal name
Other names
Date of birth
Date of death
Burial location
Gender
Nationality
Country (for map)
Birthplace
Place of death
Cause of death
Places of residence
Education
Occupations
Relationships
Agents
Organizations
Awards and honors
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.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of nonfiction, with further collections being published after his death. He is most famous for his darkly satirical, bestselling novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut attended Cornell University but dropped out in January 1943 and enlisted in the United States Army. As part of his training, he studied mechanical engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the University of Tennessee. He was then deployed to Europe to fight in World War II and was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. He was interned in Dresden and survived the Allied bombing of the city by taking refuge in a meat locker of the slaughterhouse where he was imprisoned. After the war, Vonnegut married Jane Marie Cox, with whom he had three children. He later adopted his sister's three sons, after she died of cancer and her husband was killed in a train accident.

Vonnegut published his first novel, Player Piano, in 1952. The novel was reviewed positively but was not commercially successful at the time. In the nearly 20 years that followed, Vonnegut published several novels that were well regarded, two of which (The Sirens of Titan [1959] and Cat's Cradle [1963]) were nominated for the Hugo Award for best novel. He published a short story collection titled Welcome to the Monkey House in 1968. Vonnegut's breakthrough was his commercially and critically successful sixth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. The book's anti-war sentiment resonated with its readers amidst the ongoing Vietnam War and its reviews were generally positive. After its release, Slaughterhouse-Five went to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list, thrusting Vonnegut into fame. He was invited to give speeches, lectures and commencement addresses around the country and received many awards and honors.

Later in his career, Vonnegut published several autobiographical essays and short-story collections, including Fates Worse Than Death (1991), and A Man Without a Country (2005). After his death, he was hailed as a black-humor commentator on the society in which he lived and as one of the most important contemporary writers. Vonnegut's son Mark published a compilation of his father's unpublished compositions, titled Armageddon in Retrospect. In 2017, Seven Stories Press published Complete Stories, a collection of Vonnegut's short fiction including five previously unpublished stories. Complete Stories was collected and introduced by Vonnegut friends and scholars Jerome Klinkowitz and Dan Wakefield. Numerous scholarly works have examined Vonnegut's writing and humor.
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.

Member ratings

Average: (3.96)
0.5 52
1 439
1.5 168
2 1865
2.5 493
3 8891
3.5 2126
4 16257
4.5 1726
5 13561

Author pictures (8)

  

(see all 8 author pictures)

Improve this author

Combine/separate works

Author division

Kurt Vonnegut is currently considered a "single author." If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.

Includes

Kurt Vonnegut is composed of 45 names. You can examine and separate out names.

Combine with…

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 185,322,946 books! | Top bar: Always visible