/r/Vonnegut
This subreddit is for discussing the life, works, and legacy of Kurt Vonnegut, beloved author.
About
This subreddit is for discussing the life, works, and legacy of Kurt Vonnegut, beloved author.
Biography
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was a 20th-century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle (1963), Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), and Breakfast of Champions (1973) blend satire, gallows humor, and science fiction. As a citizen he was a lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union and a critical pacifist intellectual. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.
Related Authors
- Isaac Asimov
- Arthur C. Clarke
- Philip K. Dick
- Robert Heinlein
- Mark Twain
- Kurt Vonnegut
- Thomas Pynchon
- Don DeLillo
- Philip Roth
Related Communities
- r/KilgoreTrout
- r/bokononism
- r/humanism
- r/books
- r/readitnow
- r/scifi
- r/printSF
- r/sfstories
- r/SF_Book_Club
- r/TrueLit
Subreddit Rules
1. No Trolling
"An Internet troll is someone who comes into a discussion and posts comments designed to upset or disrupt the conversation. Often, in fact, it seems like there is no real purpose behind their comments except to upset everyone else involved. Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response."
Trolling will result in an immediate ban.
2. No Bigotry/Hate Speech
There is a zero tolerance policy of any form of bigotry. We recognize that there will inevitably be differences of opinion over political manners, but that will not excuse any form of bigotry to include, but not limited to racism, misogyny, ableism, or anti-LGBT+ sentiments.
Violations of this rule will result in removal and a stern warning. Repeat incidences will result in an immediate ban.
3. No Personal Attacks or Insults
This is a community of fans of the great author, Kurt Vonnegut. It is intended to be a safe space and an environment of mutual respect. As such, all members will be treated with dignity and respect.
Personal attacks and insults to other members of this sub will not be tolerated.
Violations will result in a warning and removal. Repeated violations will result in permanent ban.
4. Stay (Mostly) On-Topic
Posts should be, at minimum, tangentially related to the works of Kurt Vonnegut or speculative fiction.
(This rule is flexible, based on quality of content and level of interest among members of the sub.)
Bibliography
Novels
Player Piano (1952)
The Sirens of Titan (1959)
Mother Night (1961)
Cat's Cradle (1963)
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, or Pearls Before Swine (1965)
Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (1969)
Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye Blue Monday (1973)
Slapstick, or Lonesome No More! (1976)
Jailbird (1979)
Deadeye Dick (1982)
Galápagos: A Novel (1985
Bluebeard (1987)
Hocus Pocus (1990)
Timequake (1997)
Short Fiction Collections
Canary in a Cathouse (1961)
Welcome to the Monkey House (1968)
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (1999)
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (1999)
Armageddon in Retrospect and Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace (2008)
Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction (2009)
While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction (2011)
Non-Fiction Collections
Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons (Opinions) (1974)
Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage (1981)
Nothing Is Lost Save Honor: Two Essays (1984)
Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage (1991)
A Man Without a Country (2005)
Plays
Penelope (1960)
The Very First Christmas Morning (1962)
Fortitude (1968)
Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971)
Requiem (1987)
Make Up Your Mind (1993)
Miss Temptation (1993)
L'Histoire du Soldat (1993)
/r/Vonnegut
15,745 Subscribers
Just finished Player Piano
With everything going on in the world, the book feels like the perfect summation of what’s going on with AI — blindly building systems of commercial convenience with no end in sight, that even the ideals of revolutions or escape to rural life can be revealed to be fantasies under the weight of society devolving. Standing up for one’s values are seemingly what makes us truly human and it is perhaps what those choices do to us inside that is so important, perhaps even more so than actually getting the thing you’re fighting for.
I thought it was a beautiful book — some trying parts where I think the point was hit over the head a bit much with Halyard and the Shah — but mainly I can’t believe how prescient it is for today’s world.
It’s also unique in that Kurt clearly hasn’t quite figured out his narrative voice as much as he has by Slaughterhouse Five. It feels more typically novelistic in the way the story is told.
I think at this point I’m most happy when I’m working my way through one of his books.
Anyway would love to hear more thoughts on this :)
15:06 UTC
“History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.”
I read Slapstick for the first time this past weekend, and this quote has been on my mind throughout election week in the US. Maybe y’all will enjoy a reminder of it too.
On a different note, I went into Slapstick thinking it would be Kurt’s worst but I really enjoyed it. So many ideas, so few pages. It’s clearly not his masterpiece, but it’s a fun one that inspires me to be more creative. If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs.
00:35 UTC
Claude AI
This has got to be intentional, right?
04:52 UTC
Is tralfamador a drug?
It sounds suspiciously like a 1950/60s-era drug name.
And it seems to me that the alien abduction stuff is just a stand-in for psychotic episodes or drug-induced hallucinations and fantasies, etc.
The author did spend some time in an instutution I think. Little featureless saucer-shaped pills take you off to far-away lands.
13:59 UTC
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s dazzling tree in the family plot today
I have taken daily walks through Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis for years. It’s gigantic, 555 acres, the third largest non-governmental cemetery in the United States. It’s beautiful, with gigantic trees and wildlife, and serves as a relaxing natural expanse within the city limits.
Today was “beautiful and nothing hurt,” the leaves are turning so I thought maybe this community would enjoy seeing the Kurt Vonnegut dedicated tree at the cemetery in all its autumnal glory. It is smack in the middle of the family plot, where all the Indianapolis Vonneguts found their final resting places. It was crazy dazzling today, I was there near sunset so the western light made that tree GLOW.
I’ve read here and there that KV’s ashes were buried with his parents there, but I’ve read other accounts that claim different, it’s all vague and that’s just fine. I like the idea of the tree better than a marker with ashes and bones beneath.
02:23 UTC
Pointy Sirens of Titan question
My question is not fully formed, but the message that Salo must carry and share is simply a dot meaning “Greetings.” Rumfoord talks about saying goodbye as a “punctual manner of speaking,” and the text defines being punctual is to exist as a point.
I have to think there is some connection between the idea of punctualism and the message Salo ports. But I’m not quite getting the point of it. Can someone help me crack the code? (Or tell me I’m on goofballs…)
16:14 UTC
Want to read more Vonnegut, is there a particular narrator I should look for if there are multiple narrators of the same book?
Thank you!
02:00 UTC
Art Project.
I'm doing a lifesize drawing of my own depiction of Kilgore Trout. It would be really helpful if anyone has any descriptions of him from the books as I don't have them on me at the moment for reference. Also if anyone knows of any drawings/ depictions that already exist? Thank you!
13:53 UTC
Slaughterhouse 5 reference on WWE. What's your favourite reference?
Of all the places to hear a possible Vonnegut reference, WWE Smackdown was not high on my list of likelihoods. LA Knight ending off one of his promos with "So it goes", I guess time will tell if it's just a coincidence. Got me thinking about my favourite references though. In Borderlands 2, one of Mayas killshot dialogues is "So it goes", which I loved.
11:01 UTC