|
Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works; further collections have been published after his death. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Vonnegut attended Cornell University but withdrew in January 1943 and enlisted in the US Army. As part of his training, he studied mechanical engineering at the 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, where he survived the Allied bombing of the city in a meat locker of the slaughterhouse where he was imprisoned. After the war, he married Jane Marie Cox, with whom he had three children. He adopted his nephews after his siste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slaughterhouse-Five
''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the post-war years, with Billy occasionally traveling through time. The text centers on Billy's capture by the German Army and his survival of the Allied firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war, an experience which Vonnegut himself lived through as an American serviceman. The work has been called an example of "unmatched moral clarity"Powers, Kevin"The Moral Clarity of ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ at 50" The New York Times, March 23, 2019, ''Sunday Book Review'', p. 13. and "one of the most enduring anti-war novels of all time". Plot The story is told in a non-linear order by an unreliable narrator (he begins the novel by telling the reader, "All of this happ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Vonnegut
Mark Vonnegut (born May 11, 1947) is an American pediatrician and memoirist. He is the son of writer Kurt Vonnegut. He is the brother of Edith Vonnegut and Nanette Vonnegut. He described himself in the preface to his 1975 book as "a hippie, son of a counterculture hero, BA in religion, (with a) genetic disposition to schizophrenia." Education Mark Vonnegut (whom his parents named after Mark Twain) graduated from Swarthmore College in 1969. He briefly worked at Duthie Books and was also briefly chief of a 20-man detachment of special state police that provided the security for Boston State Hospital. During the Vietnam War, he filed an application with the draft board to be considered a conscientious objector, which was denied. After taking the psychological examination, he was given a psychiatric 4-F classification and avoided conscription into the U.S. military. During his undergraduate years, he set out to become a Unitarian minister. He eventually abandoned that goal. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sirens Of Titan
''The Sirens of Titan'' is a comic science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., first published in 1959. His second novel, it involves issues of free will, omniscience, and the overall purpose of human history. Much of the story revolves around a Martian invasion of Earth. Plot This novel begins with an omniscient comment: "Everyone now knows how to find the meaning of life within himself. But mankind wasn't always so lucky." Malachi Constant is the richest man in a future North America. He possesses extraordinary luck that he attributes to divine favor which he has used to build upon his father's fortune. He becomes the centerpoint of a journey that takes him from Earth to Mars in preparation for an interplanetary war, to Mercury with another Martian survivor of that war, back to Earth to be pilloried as a sign of Man's displeasure with his arrogance, and finally to Titan where he again meets the man ostensibly responsible for the turn of events that have befallen him, Winston ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Player Piano (novel)
''Player Piano'' is the debut novel, first novel by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., published in 1952. The novel depicts a dystopia of automation partly inspired by the author's time working at General Electric, describing the negative impact technology can have on quality of life. The story takes place in a near-future society that is almost totally mechanized, eliminating the need for human laborers. The widespread mechanization creates conflict between the wealthy upper class, the engineers and managers, who keep society running, and the lower class, whose skills and purpose in society have been replaced by machines. The book uses irony and sentimentality, which were to become hallmarks developed further in Vonnegut's later works. Plot While most Americans were fighting in the third world war, the nation's managers and engineers responded by developing ingenious automated systems that allowed factories to operate with only a few workers. Ten years after the wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edith Vonnegut
Edith "Edie" Vonnegut (born 1949 in Schenectady, New York) is an American painter. Her work—most of which juxtaposes heavenly beings and mundane activities—has been showcased at galleries across the United States, and is featured in the book ''Domestic Goddesses'', along with her humorous commentary. Personal life Vonnegut is the daughter of novelist Kurt Vonnegut and his first wife, Jane Marie (Cox), and the sister of Mark Vonnegut and Nanette Vonnegut. She was named for her paternal grandmother, Edith Lieber Vonnegut. She was once married to television personality Geraldo Rivera and has published under the names Edith Vonnegut, Edith Vonnegut Rivera, and Edith Vonnegut Squibb. Vonnegut learned Transcendental Meditation Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation advocated by the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created the technique in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes a ... ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fates Worse Than Death
''Fates Worse than Death'', subtitled ''An Autobiographical Collage of the 1980s'', is a 1991 collection of essays, speeches, and other previously uncollected writings by author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. In the introduction to the book, Vonnegut acknowledges that the book is similar to an earlier book, ''Palm Sunday''. In it he discusses his attempted suicide. Due to the autobiographical nature of the book, Vonnegut provides some details about his upbringing and life, such as his childhood in Indiana. His education at Cornell University, Carnegie Tech, University of Tennessee, and University of Chicago are briefly mentioned as well. Vonnegut also describes life experiences that are found in his novels. For example, ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' deals with a firebombing of Dresden, Germany, an event that he was present at during his time in the Army. Specifically, "I was a battalion scout, a PFC, who was captured on the border of Germany in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. Thu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombing Of Dresden In World War II
The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city.*The number of bombers and tonnage of bombs are taken from a USAF document written in 1953 and classified secret until 1978 . *Taylor (2005), front flap, which gives the figures 1,100 heavy bombers and 4,500 tons. *Webster and Frankland (1961) give 805 Bomber Command aircraft 13 February 1945 and 1,646 US bombers 16 January – 17 April 1945. "Mission accomplished", ''The Guardian'', 7 February 2004. The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed more than of the city centre. An estimated 22,700 to 25,000 people were killed. Three more USAAF air raids followed, two occurring on 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Welcome To The Monkey House
''Welcome to the Monkey House'' is a collection of 25 short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut, published by Delacorte in August 1968. The stories range from wartime epics to futuristic thrillers, given with satire and Vonnegut's unique edge. The stories are often intertwined and convey the same underlying messages on human nature and mid-twentieth century society. Contents * "Where I Live" ('' Venture- Traveler’s World'', October 1964) * "Harrison Bergeron" (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', October 1961) * " Who Am I This Time?" (''The Saturday Evening Post'', 16 December 1961) * "Welcome to the Monkey House" (''Playboy'', January 1968) * "Long Walk to Forever" (''Ladies Home Journal'', August 1960) * "The Foster Portfolio" (''Collier's Magazine'', 8 September 1951) * "Miss Temptation" (''The Saturday Evening Post'', April 21, 1956) * " All the King's Horses" (''Collier's Magazine'', 10 Feb 1951) * "Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog" (''Collier's Magazine'', 14 March 1953) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Postmodern Literature
Postmodern literature is a form of literature that is characterized by the use of metafiction, unreliable narration, self-reflexivity, intertextuality, and which often thematizes both historical and political issues. This style of experimental literature emerged strongly in the United States in the 1960s through the writings of authors such as Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Pynchon, William Gaddis, Philip K. Dick, Kathy Acker, and John Barth. Postmodernists often challenge authorities, which has been seen as a symptom of the fact that this style of literature first emerged in the context of political tendencies in the 1960s.Linda Hutcheon (1988) ''A Poetics of Postmodernism.'' London: Routledge, pp. 202-203. This inspiration is, among other things, seen through how postmodern literature is highly self-reflexive about the political issues it speaks to. Precursors to postmodern literature include Miguel de Cervantes’ ''Don Quixote'' (1605–1615), Laurence Sterne’s ''Tristram Shandy' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Man Without A Country
''A Man Without a Country'' (subtitle: ''A Memoir of Life in George W. Bush's America'') is an essay collection published in 2005 by the author Kurt Vonnegut. The essays deal with topics ranging from the importance of humor, to problems with modern technology, to Vonnegut's opinions on the differences between men and women. Many of the essays explicate Vonnegut's views about politics and the issues in modern American society, often from a humanistic perspective. ''A Man Without a Country'' was a ''New York Times'' Bestseller and a Booksense IndieBound is a marketing movement for independent bookstores launched in 2008 by the American Booksellers Association. With resources targeted for "indie" booksellers, it promotes fiscal localism. IndieBound's curated reading lists include the In ... Notable Book. In January 2007, Vonnegut indicated that he intended this to be his final work – a statement proved correct, with his death in April 2007. All of Vonnegut's later works ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion County was 977,203 in 2020. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-autonomous municipalities in Marion County, was 887,642. It is the 15th most populous city in the U.S., the third-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, and the fourth-most populous state capital after Phoenix, Arizona, Austin, Texas, and Columbus. The Indianapolis metropolitan area is the 33rd most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., with 2,111,040 residents. Its combined statistical area ranks 28th, with a population of 2,431,361. Indianapolis covers , making it the 18th largest city by land area in the U.S. Indigenous peoples inhabited the area dating to as early as 10,000 BC. In 1818, the Lenape relinquished their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jill Krementz
Jill Krementz (born February 19, 1940) is an American photographer and author. She has published 31 books, mostly of photography and children's books. She was married to Kurt Vonnegut for almost 30 years. Biography Krementz grew up in Morristown, New Jersey and moved to New York City in her late teens. In 1961 she received a Nikon camera as a 21st birthday present, and continued to build a career as a photographer and photojournalist. In the 1960s she worked as a photographer for the ''New York Herald-Tribune''. Her color photography of the 1967 "March on the Pentagon" was featured on the cover of ''The New York Times Magazine''. In 1965, she spent a year taking photographs in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her photojournalist works have appeared in the New York Observer. Krementz later specialized in photographing writers. A major profile of her, written by Dorothy Gelatt, was published in the Spring 1975 issue of ''35mm Photography'' (Ziff-Davis Publishing Company). According ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
