This writer created a kind of literary cocktails from black humor, science fiction and satire. He is ranked among the classics of the XX century, although the way he wrote and what he wrote about is more likely to be read by an amateur. He was banned in the United States, his books were burned, but he continued to tell the truth. Sharp, uncompromising in the pages of his works - what was he like in life?
early years
The famous American writer was born on November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis (Indiana). Kurt's great-grandfather on his paternal side emigrated to the United States from Germany. Kurt Vonnegut Sr. became a hereditary architect and had a very lucrative business in Indianapolis. In addition, he married the daughter of a local millionaire, Edith Liber. So at the time of the birth of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., his parents were quite prosperous people.
Kurt became the third child in the Vonnegut family. He had older brothers and sister - Bernard and Alice. Trouble in this happy family has come at the height of the Great Depression. At first, family capital came to an end, when my father stopped receiving orders, was unemployed, and the Vonnegut simply had to spend all his savings.
Due to the impending poverty, Edith’s health was shaken. She began to suffer from a mental disorder. First, Kurt witnessed her frequent attacks, and then completely survived the main tragedy of his life: his mother committed suicide. This pain is a red thread in many of his works.
War, captivity, bombing of Dresden
One of the curious facts about the writer's biography was his service in the US Army. When the country entered World War II, Vonnegut enlisted as a volunteer. Being a private of the 423rd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division, Kurt was captured on December 19, 1944. Ironically, a guy with German roots ended up in a German labor camp. He was kept in Dresden, where in February 1945 there was a major bombing.
Then more than 250 thousand prisoners died, and perhaps a miracle helped the future world famous writer: at the time of the bombing, he and some other prisoners were driven into the inoperative basement of slaughterhouse number five. This saving place in the future will give the name to the book that brought the greatest popularity to Vonnegut. The release of Kurt Vonnegut from captivity was carried out by the forces of the Red Army in May 1945.
It's funny that Kurt, even in captivity, did not disdain black humor and provocative satire. Initially, he was appointed headman among the prisoners, as he was a little German. Once he decided to “have fun”: in a conversation with one of the camp overseers, he painted in paints what the Russians would do to the Germans when they came here. For such jokes, Vonnegut was very badly beaten and demoted from the post of headman.
Writing and the best works of the author
Kurt Vonnegut built all his work on the bright and tragic experiences of youth. The great depression and death of the mother, the war and the labor camp, the need to do not what one wants, but what the father insists on. Vonnegut had to study as a chemist, but, as one of his university professors rightly remarked, "Vonnegut’s disgust for chemistry turned out to be good for American literature."
During his long writing career, Kurt Vonnegut wrote 14 novels and released several collections of short stories. In the top 10 works of the writer should include:
1) "Slaughterhouse Five, or the Crusade of Children" (1969)
2) "The farce, or the End of solitude" (1976)
3) Utopia 14 (1952)
4) "Sirens of the Titan" (1959)
5) "Mother of Darkness" (1961)
6) The Cradle for the Cat (1963)
7) "Breakfast for the Champions, or Goodbye, Black Monday" (1973)
8) "Canary in the mine" (1961)
9) "Welcome to the monkey" (1968)
10) "Snuffbox from Bagombo" (1999)
