Difference between revisions of "Kurt Vonnegut"
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| − | '''Kurt Vonnegut''' (b. 1913) is 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''' (b. 1913, d.2007) is 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 has described himself as an [[atheist]], 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 been often 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> | Vonnegut has described himself as an [[atheist]], 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 been often 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> | ||
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Vonnegut's most recent book, ''Man Without a Country'' is a scathing critisism of the Bush administration and current U.S. foreign policy. | Vonnegut's most recent book, ''Man Without a Country'' is a scathing critisism of the Bush administration and current U.S. foreign policy. | ||
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| + | Vonnegut died on April 11, 2007 from brain injuriess resulting from a fall. | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 05:04, April 12, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut (b. 1913, d.2007) is 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 has described himself as an atheist, and in 1992 won the "Humanist of the Year" award.[1] He attributed his atheism to having studied anthropology, yet he has been often respectful of those with faith, such as observing that "there were no Atheists in foxholes."[2]
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 in the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Afterwards, Vonnegut and his fellow prisoners were left to dig corpses out of the ruins.
Robert Scholes gave this review of the Slaughterhouse-Five in the New York Times Book Review:[3]
- Be kind. Don't hurt. Death is coming for all of us anyway, and it is better to be Lot's wife looking back through salty eyes than the Deity that destroyed those cities of the plain in order to save them. ... Slaughterhouse Five is an extraordinary success. It is a book we need to read, and to reread.
Vonnegut's timing was perfect, as America in 1969 was struggling with the Vietnam War and other issues relevant to the book, such as ecology, consumerism and claims of overpopulation.
Vonnegut's most recent book, Man Without a Country is a scathing critisism of the Bush administration and current U.S. foreign policy.
Vonnegut died on April 11, 2007 from brain injuriess resulting from a fall.
References
- ↑ http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Kurt_Vonnegut_Jr.
- ↑ http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-v.htm
- ↑ http://www.vonnegutweb.com/sh5/index.html
Kurt Vonnegut is not an atheist. He has described himself as a "secular humanist." While the majority of secular humanists are atheist or agnostic, it is possible to believe in God and be one. It is simply the rejection of spiritual belief, and focuses on humanity as the here and now. Vonnegut has stated many times that he actually believes that a divine engineer is guiding evolution.
