American writer Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. His career spanned over 50 years, during which he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five non-fiction works. Although his work was published before his death, some works were later published.
Slaughterhouse Five
Slaughterhouse Five is a novel by Kurt Vonnegut, published in 1969. Set in a slaughterhouse, the novel depicts a man's struggle to save his family from the eerie, horrifying events that occur there. Its harrowing scenes make it a classic.
While the novel has been widely celebrated and translated into numerous languages, it has also been the subject of censorship efforts. In fact, there have been at least 18 attempts to ban Slaughterhouse Five in public school systems. In 2011, the novel was banned from Republic High School in Missouri. In another case, a school board president in North Dakota burned 32 copies of the novel in a furnace as a protest against its content.
The book reflects Vonnegut's criticism of war. It is written in a segmented style, similar to his book Cat's Cradle, and consists of impressions rather than a linear story. This style allows Vonnegut to make use of the poetry-like economy of language, which makes the book accessible to readers of all genres.
During World War II, Vonnegut was drafted and was a soldier. He was captured by Germans during the war, but survived and continued to write, publishing short stories in national magazines. He was taken prisoner after the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. In the aftermath, he married, moved to Schenectady, New York, and took a job in public relations at a General Electric research facility.
Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five is a semi-autobiographical novel about the horrors of war. The story follows a World War II veteran named Billy Pilgrim, who becomes "unstuck in time". He experiences all of the events in the history of the world in one moment, while searching for a meaning to his existence.
During World War II, Vonnegut was a POW in Dresden. He and his companion Billy Pilgrim were put to work searching for bodies and burning them. They carried out this work until the Russians occupied Dresden. Vonnegut survived the firestorm by chance, but his fellow POWs did not. They were cursed by the surviving inhabitants of Dresden.
Look at the Birdie
Look at the Birdie is a collection of previously unpublished short stories by Kurt Vonnegut. It was released on October 20, 2009 and is the second book of Vonnegut's work to be published posthumously. It is filled with funny, thought-provoking, and witty stories, and is a great read for all ages.
Look at the Birdie contains fourteen short stories written by Vonnegut. This compilation contains some of his earliest stories, which were never published in his lifetime. The book includes a Foreword by Sidney Offit, which provides an introduction to Vonnegut's short fiction.
While looking at his works, it is important to note that Vonnegut suffered from depression throughout his life, and attempted suicide several times. In his later years, he wrote a number of novels that tackled the subject of depression. One of these is Deadeye Dick (1982), which revisits Breakfast of Champions, while another is Galapagos, a futuristic tale of human evolution. Other works by Vonnegut include Bluebeard, which is a fictional autobiography of a painter, Hocus Pocus, and Timequake, which is a meditation on free will.
Look at the Birdie is one of Vonnegut's more famous works, and is a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys reading about a different world. Vonnegut's work has received critical acclaim from critics. It is considered one of the best contemporary American works. His unique satirical voice, black humor, and uncanny imagination made him a master of contemporary American literature.
Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1922. He studied biochemistry at Cornell University and served in the U.S. army from 1942 to 1945. He was a prisoner of war during the war and survived the bombing of Dresden in February 1945. After the war, he took graduate courses in anthropology at the University of Chicago. He later worked as a reporter and writer.
