The greatest american satirist of the 20th century
by Nathan G. of High Tech High International
During the bombing of Dresden, Kurt Vonnegut was captured in the Battle of the Bulge. After the Second World War, he wrote many novels that expressed critical opinions on society. He later called himself a man without a country until he passed away. “So it goes.”
Vonnegut’s satire was present in all of his stories. The plots of his novels feature eccentric characters and an unorthodox writing style and structure that is unique to his genre. The messages in Vonnegut’s books put things into perspective for anyone who reads them. |
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Breakfast of Champions
by Kurt Vonnegut - 302 pages One of his later novels, Breakfast of Champions is unlike the two in terms of structure. This book tells the story of Kilgore Trout, an unknown writer from Bermuda whose science fiction novels inspire businessman Dwayne Hoover to believe they are directed at him and run amok. Using illustrations, repetitive phrases, and characters that appear in other Vonnegut novels, this book has a more convoluted style than the rest similar to the style he uses in Slaughterhouse-Five. Similar to Cat’s Cradle, the characters of this story are eccentric enough to make the reader feel uncomfortable at times, but interesting enough to make the reader yearn for more in this anticlimactic yet entertaining story. |
Cat's Cradle
by Kurt Vonnegut - 304 pages In the novel that established him as “a true artist,” Vonnegut tells the tale of John, a writer from New York who is looking for people to interview for a novel he will write about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. John continues to investigate about the creator of the bomb, Dr. Felix Hoenniker, through his eccentric children and discovers the potency of a substance he created called ice-nine. His quest to meet all of the Hoenikker children takes him to the island of San Lorenzo, where he converts to the eccentric religion of Bokononism and becomes the President of San Lorenzo. A comical and satirical tale, Cat’s Cradle is a tool Vonnegut uses to express his opinion on the society of his era through his weird characters and events, which in fact do not seem so weird once the reader understands the message being sent. |
Mother Night
by Kurt Vonnegut - 268 pages Published shortly after Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut’s satirical side is richer than before. This meta-fictional novel recounts the story of Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American spy who is writing his autobiography while he is on trial in Israel for war crimes committed during the Second World War. Campbell posed as a Nazi propagandist and broadcasted his speeches towards Americans while simultaneously sending coded messages that he wasn’t aware of what they meant. After the war, he lives in New York for fifteen years before being discovered and turning himself in to Israeli authorities. Vonnegut yet again manifests his chilling views on the truth; this time, through his character Campbell. Campbell’s side of the story and his intellect make the reader breathe a sigh of relief and try hard not to despise him for his ‘evil’ actions. |