Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007
I love his books. I have read nearly all of them, and there’s not many authors I can say that about. Stephen King, Martin Amis, Stuart Maconie … and that’s about it. It seems dull to say it, but Slaughterhouse Five, by far Vonnegut’s most famous novel, is the one to start with. I envy you, if you haven’t read it. I love Galapagos, too. I’ve actually re-read these books and I never do that. Also, Cat’s Cradle, Jailbird, oh my God he’s good. What a magnificent body of funny, thought-provoking, imaginative, philosophical, mischievous, epic, mindbending, humanist work he left behind. We are very lucky to have had him.
Never Knowingly Underwhelmed 
Oh Bugger – I just found out about Vonnegut dying by reading it on your blog. He always seemed a very “human” person. Any of his books are good but aside from your recommendations I would highlight the underrated “God Bless You Mr Rosewater”. In the words of the great man…So it goes.
Oh Bugger – I just found out about Vonnegut dying by reading it on your blog. He always seemed a very “human” person. Any of his books are good but aside from your recommendations I would highlight the underrated “God Bless You Mr Rosewater”. In the words of the great man…So it goes.
Hear Hear.How fitting that Word Magazine have just voted Slaughterhouse Five the best cult book ever.
Hear Hear.How fitting that Word Magazine have just voted Slaughterhouse Five the best cult book ever.
We had a Kurt book in our school library, thanks to the *very* liberal Mrs Something-or-other, our Librarian who my Mum had once labelled “..A bit casual” I’m darned if i can remember the name of the book but i do remember reading it purely because it had gained a reputation as the only book we’d ever seen that, thrillingly, contained the word ‘fuck.. Bear in mind this was 1983 and i was 13 or so.. I always meant to read the novel in it’s entirety now i’m older, but, as usual, i end up with light, undemanding pulp reading. Such as “Where Did It All Go Right”, by some other bloke.. (lol..sorry Andrew..cheap laugh!) m.
We had a Kurt book in our school library, thanks to the *very* liberal Mrs Something-or-other, our Librarian who my Mum had once labelled “..A bit casual” I’m darned if i can remember the name of the book but i do remember reading it purely because it had gained a reputation as the only book we’d ever seen that, thrillingly, contained the word ‘fuck.. Bear in mind this was 1983 and i was 13 or so.. I always meant to read the novel in it’s entirety now i’m older, but, as usual, i end up with light, undemanding pulp reading. Such as “Where Did It All Go Right”, by some other bloke.. (lol..sorry Andrew..cheap laugh!) m.
If you have never read any of his work – where would be a good place to start?
If you have never read any of his work – where would be a good place to start?
Sorry I have just re read the post and the answer to the above is staring me in the face.
As AC said, I’d go for Slaughterhouse 5 as your starting point as it’s succinct and just absolutely incredible. And then I’d go with Dick’s recommendation of God Bless You Mr. Rosewater which is as biting as satire gets. His short stories are also perfect for any bus journeys or tube travelling you have coming up. Thomas Edison’s Shaggy Dog is one story in particular which blew my mind one miserable morning at Mornington Crescent tube station.A very sad loss, but a huge volume of work left behind to seal his genius.
Sorry I have just re read the post and the answer to the above is staring me in the face.
As AC said, I’d go for Slaughterhouse 5 as your starting point as it’s succinct and just absolutely incredible. And then I’d go with Dick’s recommendation of God Bless You Mr. Rosewater which is as biting as satire gets. His short stories are also perfect for any bus journeys or tube travelling you have coming up. Thomas Edison’s Shaggy Dog is one story in particular which blew my mind one miserable morning at Mornington Crescent tube station.A very sad loss, but a huge volume of work left behind to seal his genius.
Thanks Swineshead I will take you up on your recommendations.
Thanks Swineshead I will take you up on your recommendations.
I remember starting Slaughterhouse 5 on holiday in the South of France about 15 years ago. I started reading it at 9.30am, and finished it at 4.30pm. I was totally blown away by it. I’ve re-read it since, thinking that it’s hard to really digest a book you read in a day, and end up reading it in a day all over again. I have many editions I’ve picked up in secondhand bookshops round the world and it’s a true treasure.
I remember starting Slaughterhouse 5 on holiday in the South of France about 15 years ago. I started reading it at 9.30am, and finished it at 4.30pm. I was totally blown away by it. I’ve re-read it since, thinking that it’s hard to really digest a book you read in a day, and end up reading it in a day all over again. I have many editions I’ve picked up in secondhand bookshops round the world and it’s a true treasure.
I forgot to mention Slapstick, which I found captivating, and has such an unexpected ending. And if you fancy the short stories, Welcome To The Monkey House is the collection. I don’t actually know how available his catalogue is (when John McGahern died, I could find barely anything in Borders) – nearly all of my Vonneguts were acquired in beautifully musty second hand form. I think I only bought Timequake and last year’s book new.
I forgot to mention Slapstick, which I found captivating, and has such an unexpected ending. And if you fancy the short stories, Welcome To The Monkey House is the collection. I don’t actually know how available his catalogue is (when John McGahern died, I could find barely anything in Borders) – nearly all of my Vonneguts were acquired in beautifully musty second hand form. I think I only bought Timequake and last year’s book new.
I think my favourite is his book of bits “Palm Sunday”, if only for the last section, in which he grades his own books relative to each other, and then develops theidea into a thesis about the representation of narratives on graph paper. His plotting of the story of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” – “in which an already hopelessly unhappy man turns into a cockroach” – must be one of the only published examples of a hilarious graph.
I think my favourite is his book of bits “Palm Sunday”, if only for the last section, in which he grades his own books relative to each other, and then develops theidea into a thesis about the representation of narratives on graph paper. His plotting of the story of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” – “in which an already hopelessly unhappy man turns into a cockroach” – must be one of the only published examples of a hilarious graph.
Yup.It’s left a bit of a hole, hasn’t it?
Yup.It’s left a bit of a hole, hasn’t it?
I was always partial to the Sirens of Titan, and especially to the idea of the Universal Will to Become. What a lovely thought, and so environmentally friendly…I probably owe him some royalties.
I was always partial to the Sirens of Titan, and especially to the idea of the Universal Will to Become. What a lovely thought, and so environmentally friendly…I probably owe him some royalties.