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'''Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.''' (1913 – 2007) was a prolific writer whose most prominent work, ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' (1969), is based on his personal experiences as a [[prisoner of war]] trapped in the [[Allied]] bombing of [[Dresden]] in [[World War II]].  He then wrote many more novels, of which ''Breakfast of Champions'' (1973) was the most commercially successful though not as acclaimed by critics.

'''Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.''' (1913 – 2007) was a prolific writer whose most prominent work, ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' (1969), is based on his personal experiences as a [[prisoner of war]] trapped in the [[Allied]] bombing of [[Dresden]] in [[World War II]].  He then wrote many more novels, of which ''Breakfast of Champions'' (1973) was the most commercially successful though not as acclaimed by critics.

Vonnegut described himself as an [[atheist]],<ref>Some question whether Kurt Vonnegut was an atheist. He has described himself as a "[[secular humanist]]," and the majority of secular humanists are atheist or agnostic.</ref> and in 1992 won the "Humanist of the Year" award.<ref>http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Kurt_Vonnegut_Jr.</ref>  He attributed his atheism to having studied anthropology, yet he has often been respectful of those with faith, such as observing that "there were no Atheists in foxholes."<ref>http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-v.htm</ref> However, in later writings Vonnegut referred to conservative Christians as "not-so-closeted white supremacists, aka “Christians,” " <ref>http://www.inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=38_0_4_0_C</ref>

Vonnegut described himself as an [[atheist]],<ref>Some question whether Kurt Vonnegut was an atheist. He has described himself as a "[[secular humanist]]," and the majority of secular humanists are atheist or agnostic.</ref> and in 1992 won the "Humanist of the Year" award.<ref>http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Kurt_Vonnegut_Jr.</ref>  He attributed his atheism to having studied anthropology.  

Of German descent, Vonnegut was captured by the Germans during the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in World War II in 1944.  Taken to Germany as a prisoner of war, Vonnegut was then stuck in an underground meat locker with his fellow prisoners during the firebombing of Dresden on February 13, 1945.  135,000 Germans died in that attack, the same number who perished when the [[atomic bomb]]s were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ''combined''.  Afterwards, Vonnegut and his fellow prisoners were left to dig corpses out of the ruins.   

 

Of German descent, Vonnegut was captured by the Germans during the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in World War II in 1944.  Taken to Germany as a prisoner of war, Vonnegut was then stuck in an underground meat locker with his fellow prisoners during the firebombing of Dresden on February 13, 1945.  135,000 Germans died in that attack, the same number who perished when the [[atomic bomb]]s were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ''combined''.  Afterwards, Vonnegut and his fellow prisoners were left to dig corpses out of the ruins.  The phrase "so it goes" is used throughout ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' when discussing death.

Robert Scholes gave this review of the ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' in the New York Times Book Review:<ref>http://www.vonnegutweb.com/sh5/index.html</ref>

Robert Scholes gave this review of the ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' in the New York Times Book Review:<ref>http://www.vonnegutweb.com/sh5/index.html</ref>