vonnegut

[mike l.]

im crazy about vonnegut. i dont hardly read no nothing, but his stuff i reads. i just finished deadeye dick. i cant decide if i love it even more than bluebead or hocus pocus. ive read several others but not all of them. what is it about his work that resonates so strong for me? page after page i can really really relate. amazing. anyone else like him? what book to read next?

[mike l.]

i just ordered timequake, palm sunday, and god bless you mrs. rosewater.

[Blarg]

He admires to the point of adoration Louis-Ferdinand Celine, whose series of novels about post WW2 Europe following on the heels of his gigantic masterpiece Journey to the End of the Night became politically incorrect despite their astonishing brilliance in the same way Ezra Pound did, because he developed some fascist sympathies.

Vonnegut, however, is far from a fascist, and recognizes the genius he found in Celine despite misgivings about Celine's character. At any rate, Journey to the End of the Night was published in 1932, before Hitler was anything more than a jailbird, and the novel is an astounding classic that stands up before it became time to take shots at it and still survives handily after its author got in political trouble.

It really deserves a read. If you would like a look at the no-bullsh*t attitude that permeates Vonnegut, indulge yourself by looking at one of the authors that inspired him.

PS I love his essays and also got a big kick out of Cats Cradle. I'd also recommend Henry Miller's THe Air Conditioned Nightmare.

[pryor15]

the thing that always struck me about "slaughter-house" was that this book, which comes of as being largely comedic, gets more and more dramatic and profound every time i read it.

vonnegut, to me, is the cliche author that everyone gets into at some point in their lives, yet almost no one really grasps the depths of his writing. like, for example, Kilgore Trout, a big joke who's one of the saddest characters in literature.

mike, make sure you read "Mother Night"

[ToucanSam]

[ QUOTE ]
the thing that always struck me about "slaughter-house" was that this book, which comes of as being largely comedic, gets more and more dramatic and profound every time i read it.

vonnegut, to me, is the cliche author that everyone gets into at some point in their lives, yet almost no one really grasps the depths of his writing. like, for example, Kilgore Trout, a big joke who's one of the saddest characters in literature.

mike, make sure you read "Mother Night"

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, wow. Almost sums up my thoughts. Agree w/ almost all your sentiments and I think Mother Night is his best.

[mrbaseball]

[ QUOTE ]
Kilgore Trout, a big joke who's one of the saddest characters in literature.


[/ QUOTE ]

Kilgore Trout's "Venus on a Halfshell" is maybe my all time Vonnegut favorite. Just freaking hilarious.

[thatpfunk]

sirens of titan is SO underrated.

pryor,
"yet almost no one really grasps the depths of his writing"

i don't know about this. i want to disagree, but it might be because i am feeling optimistic today...

[MaxPower]

He is amazing. I feel the same way. He is just a unique character and an individualist and that comes accross in his books.

It is possible that you and Vonnegut are in the same karras. If you don't know what that means, you should read his book Cat's Cradle. Breakfast of Champions is another one that I loved. I also liked Player Piano. It is his first book and it is not in the same style as his later books, but it is very good.

[pryor15]

[ QUOTE ]
sirens of titan is SO underrated.

pryor,
"yet almost no one really grasps the depths of his writing"

i don't know about this. i want to disagree, but it might be because i am feeling optimistic today...

[/ QUOTE ]

well, i think everyone pretty much finds him cool and insightful, but few people realize how big of a factor the emotional aspect plays in his writing. there's a lot of quiet sorrow there that most people seem to miss.

or maybe i just talk to the wrong people

[Claunchy]

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Vonnegut.

One that no one has mentioned yet is Galapagos, which is one of my favorites of his.