The wonderful Kurt Vonnegut
April 27th 2006 09:41
Kurt Vonnegut would have to be one of my favourite authors... unfortunately around half of his books are currently out of print (in both Australia and the U.S. - as far as I can tell anyway). I think the time is ripe for a Vonnegut revival, at least in terms of re-releasing a lot of his back catalogue so I can read them.
I've read around half of Vonnegut's twenty something novels. He's well into his 80s now and is pretty much retired (though a new autobiographical book came out this year called 'A Man Without a Country' so I guess he has some life left in him yet). Vonnegut's most famous novel is 'Slaughterhouse 5' and should be required reading for pretty much anyone who's into not being boring.
Some cool Vonnegut references you may or may not have seen in the flicks...
* Footloose - the ol' stick in the mud townspeople and their local reverend have a cry about 'Slaughterhouse 5' being on their school's reading list. Kevin Bacon (everyone's favourite dancing 80s rebel) overhears them and remarks that it's a 'great book'. They aren't amused.
* Back to School - Rodney Dangerfield plays a rich old guy who enrolls in college to help his son out. To pass an essay on Kurt Vonnegut he gets Kurt Vonnegut to come in and write it for him. The lecturer later remarks that said essay was a load of rubbish.
Several Vonnegut books have been made into films themselves... none of them were successful. The most recent attempt was 'Breakfast of Champions' in 1999, starring Bruce Willis and Albert Finney. No one saw it. No one continues to see it.
These are some of his better-known books (and the ones that are still available in most book stores)...
'Slaugherhouse 5' - based on Vonnegut's own experiences as a soldier in WW2 during the bombing of Dresden, Germany. The horrors of war meet crazy sci-fi and high satire.
'Breakfast of Champions' - Vonnegut's alter-ego, the loathsome and hobo-like sci-fi writer Kilgore Trout, travels across America to meet his only fan, insane 2nd-hand car salesman Dwayne Hoover. Filled with hilarious illustrations by Vonnegut.
'The Sirens of Titan' - sprawling sci-fi epic about the meaning of life (aren't they all?)
'Hocus Pocus' - Vonnegut's turns on Big Business and the American way in this highly subversive book.
'Timequake' - Vonnegut's last true novel so far... semi-autobiographical and as sharp as ever.
Vonnegut has a highly readable style, and his books are almost novellas rather than novels so they never take long to read. No one comes close to his mix of the tragic and funny, and he has often been labelled as America's master satirist. Read one and you won't be disappointed!
This is Kurt Vonnegut
Some cool Vonnegut references you may or may not have seen in the flicks...
* Footloose - the ol' stick in the mud townspeople and their local reverend have a cry about 'Slaughterhouse 5' being on their school's reading list. Kevin Bacon (everyone's favourite dancing 80s rebel) overhears them and remarks that it's a 'great book'. They aren't amused.
* Back to School - Rodney Dangerfield plays a rich old guy who enrolls in college to help his son out. To pass an essay on Kurt Vonnegut he gets Kurt Vonnegut to come in and write it for him. The lecturer later remarks that said essay was a load of rubbish.
Several Vonnegut books have been made into films themselves... none of them were successful. The most recent attempt was 'Breakfast of Champions' in 1999, starring Bruce Willis and Albert Finney. No one saw it. No one continues to see it.
A lot of Vonnegut's currenly available books look like this, with the big V in the centre.
'Slaugherhouse 5' - based on Vonnegut's own experiences as a soldier in WW2 during the bombing of Dresden, Germany. The horrors of war meet crazy sci-fi and high satire.
'Breakfast of Champions' - Vonnegut's alter-ego, the loathsome and hobo-like sci-fi writer Kilgore Trout, travels across America to meet his only fan, insane 2nd-hand car salesman Dwayne Hoover. Filled with hilarious illustrations by Vonnegut.
'The Sirens of Titan' - sprawling sci-fi epic about the meaning of life (aren't they all?)
'Hocus Pocus' - Vonnegut's turns on Big Business and the American way in this highly subversive book.
'Timequake' - Vonnegut's last true novel so far... semi-autobiographical and as sharp as ever.
Vonnegut has a highly readable style, and his books are almost novellas rather than novels so they never take long to read. No one comes close to his mix of the tragic and funny, and he has often been labelled as America's master satirist. Read one and you won't be disappointed!
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