Kurt Vonnegut
On April 11, 2007, SF novel giant Kurt Vonnegut passed away from head injuries sustained in a fall.
Vonnegut, who fought in WW II, survived a German POW camp, and witnessed the Allied atrocity of the firebombing of Dresden, led a varied life to say the least.
Those experiences informed his fiction, which made him the center of the counter culture movement in the '60s and '70s.
His SF/F satires of the failings in American society bit deep and resonated with his readers. All who write should aspire to follow his example. I know I am.
Vonnegut inspired a number of storytellers in fiction, TV, and film.
When I learned this, I realized I'd been influenced by some of them. So in a way I've been touched by him.
I haven't read his stories yet, but I'm adding them to my reading list.
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9 comments:
Slaughterhouse-Five is his best-known work--it was even made into a movie--and it is a fine book. However, my personal favorite is still Cat's Cradle. I also recommend The Sirens of Titan. As for the short stories, Harrison Bergeron is an absolute must. (That was made into a movie, too, as I recall, though it went straight to video.)
He also made a hilarious cameo appearance in the Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School.
Matt
Don't forget Vonnegut's many excellent essays. I really liked his final book, _A Man without a Country_, a collection of his observations about human nature, American government, and war that is very Mark Twain-like, and captures the essence of the man's wit and humor.
Jim
I'm a fan of his first SF novel (maybe his first novel) Player Piano, a dystopia in the vein of We, Brave New World. Slaughterhouse Five was kick ass. I thought Hocus Pocus, though, was boring and in my short-attention span teenage days I found it annoying as hell. Some swear by Breakfast of Champions and Cat's Cradle.
RIP Kilgour Trout
JSR
Rent-ta-ta-tent
Rent-ta-ta-tent
Rent-ta-ta-tent-tent-tent!
I am very saddened as well.
1. Breakfast of Champions
2. Sirens of Titan
3. Slaughterhouse Five
All three were kick-ass to me.
Dave
Thanks for all the story recommendations.
I've also heard good things about "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater"
and "Pearls Before Swine."
Vonnegut had a major message denouncing materialism and greed and how
established religion supported the exploitation of the masses by the
elite.
Seems like Western Civilization needs more storytellers to pick up his
torch.
Boris
In the mid-70s, I read a lot of Kurt Vonnegut, several novels back to back. Also read two of his short story anthologies because for awhile, I could not get enough of his work. The downside was that I finally got completely sick of his work and stopped reading it altogether. Although I always enjoyed the odd essay or interview that I came across. I'll definitely check out "Man Without A Country".
I've had the same experience with other authors (reading a ton of their work back to back) so that I've learned to vary what I'm reading to avoid burn out.
It's definitely possible to get too much of a good thing.
Can I ask what influence Vonnegut's had on you?
I can't put my finger on anything directly, as far as his influence on me as a writer. His style, particularly the absurdist element, is layered into my "leaf mould". I was a huge fan of his in the 70s when liberalism wasn't a dirty word or an insult. His influence was more philosophical and I think it helped me down the path of learning to be tolerant.
Thanks for asking--it certainly made me stop and think. A bit dangerous in the mornings, but I had some coffee first.
I'd say he had the same general influence on me.
And getting one's brain chugging is always a good thing.
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