The Kurt Vonnegut Thread

[BAYLOR]

Ive Read Cats Cradle , Slaughterhouse 5 .Breakfast of Champions . . The first two had elements of science fiction and all three definit fit into the category of satire.I found them to be enjoyable . A very limited selection and likely not representative of his entire body of works of which I know he was quite prolific.

What do you think of him as a writer? How would you classify his works ?

Thoughts?

 

[J-Sun]

Some earlier thoughts:

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Ranking Kurt Vonnegut's novels*
Kurt Vonnegut
Is Kurt Vonnegut a genius or just plain insane?

and, of course, the obits:

Kurt Vonnegut Dies
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922-April 11, 2007

* FWIW, my thought is in this one.

 

[BAYLOR]

Ive seen the 1972 film adaptation of Slaughterhouse 5. it doesn't quite work.

 

[Vince W]

Vonnegut is great. I've enjoyed everything I've read of his. Interviews with Vonnegut on youtube are often very funny.

 

[Don]

The Slaughterhouse 5 movie works for me. My wife finds parts of it humorous. Most, if not all, of Vonnegut's stories work for me also. The realistic themes in his stories remind me of PKD. Cat's Cradle fans may enjoy Yohe's takeoff on ice-9:

The Catalyst

 

[farntfar]

Slaughterhouse 5 works very well at what it's meant to do, which is to allow Vonnegut to write a book about Dresden, and his experience there without it being thrown into the corner of the library where nobody would read it.

All the Billy Pilgrim stuff is just stuffing, even if I found it enjoyable in its own right.

It was also a test, to see if he could actually write paragraphs approaching what other writers consider a normal length.

 

[Rodders]

I've not read any Vonnegut, but i hear he's quite amusing.

I saw Slaughterhouse 5 when I was a kid. Didn't understand it, so maybe i need to either re-watch it or read the book. (I did say that I wanted to read more classic SF this year.)

 

[hitmouse]

I've not read any Vonnegut, but i hear he's quite amusing.

I saw Slaughterhouse 5 when I was a kid. Didn't understand it, so maybe i need to either re-watch it or read the book. (I did say that I wanted to read more classic SF this year.)

Just read Cat’s Cradle.

 

[Dave Vicks]

I read that Vonnegut did not like SCIENCE FICTION.

 

[BAYLOR]

I read that Vonnegut did not like SCIENCE FICTION.

Hated the term with a passion.

 

[Vince W]

I may be misremembering, but it was at a dinner with Theodore Sturgeon where Sturgeon told him to do anything to avoid being labelled science fiction if he wanted to make any money.

 

[BAYLOR]

I may be misremembering, but it was at a dinner with Theodore Sturgeon where Sturgeon told him to do anything to avoid being labelled science fiction if he wanted to make any money.

Interesting advice and yet Theodore Sturgeon stayed with science fiction to the end.

 

[Randy M.]

Probably because Sturgeon had already been so labelled, although I believe he wrote at least one mystery for the duo who made up Ellery Queen (in both senses of the term).

I hated Cat's Cradle when assigned in school, but think I'd feel differently now. Breakfast of Champions was enjoyable, but I was still young and didn't get it and should reread it. Slaughterhouse 5 was brilliant and sharp and affecting. The only other book by him I've read was Slapstick. No idea what I'd think now, but it had me laughing out loud at the time, and it is definitely both satire and science fiction.

Randy M.

 

[Ethics_gradient]

Sirens of Titan is one of my favourite books ever. It’s so sad. I don’t often get emotional about things, but the first time I read it I thought it was the loneliest thing I’d ever read - to the point where it affected me.

in fact, I think all of his writing gives off a lonely feeling. Even God Bless you Mr Rosewater.

my brother bought me a huge collection of all his short stories a few Christmases ago. I’ve only read a dozen but so far they’ve been ace.

I can’t think of many better American writers. Maybe Edith Wharton.

 

[hitmouse]

Vonnegut is terrific. I think the only one of his that I didn’t get on with is Galapagos, which was surprising.
Agree Sirens of Titan is very affecting.

 

[BAYLOR]

Vonnegut is terrific. I think the only one of his that I didn’t get on with is Galapagos, which was surprising.
Agree Sirens of Titan is very affecting.

Im surprised no one has tried adapting Sirens.

 

[Dave Vicks]

I heard someone was filming Sirens of Titan.Maybe Netflix or Amazon.

 

[Dave Vicks]

Didn't Vonneget call SCIENCE FICTION the Urinal of Literature?

 

[BAYLOR]

After Timequake , he stopped writing.

I seem to recall that he had a cameo in the The Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School. I think was also in a tensions commercial .

 

[Edoc'sil]

Sirens was my first introduction to Vonnegut, I read it in one sitting. It was so poignant, since then I went and devoured everything I could find of his.