Sad news breaking today of the death at 84 of author Kurt Vonnegut following brain injuries from a fall a few weeks ago. Kurt is one of those remarkable writers who defy simple categorisation – he is as respected by the SF readership as he is by the high literature set; it is no hyperbole to say that he is considered by many to be one of the finest American writers of the 20th century. Beginning with work on student newspapers Kurt he went through various educational institutions before leaving to join the army as World War Two raged, leading to a turning point in his life when he was captured by the Nazis during the Battle of the Bulge.
(caricature of Vonnegut taken from his interview with Joel Bleifuss on In These Times)
As a Prisoner Of War Kurt saw first-hand the horrific aftermath of the massive Allied firebombing of the German city of Dresden, with horrendous civilian casualties. The burning of the city and its people was burned into his mind; years later, after Cat’s Cradle became a successful book, he would use this hideous experience to inform what many consider his masterpiece, Slaughterhouse Five. The book caught the mood of a late 60s world of student unrest, civil rights and the Vietnam War, championed by the anti-war movement; it remains regarded as one of the genuine classic novels of 20th century literature. Despite his age Kurt came partly out of retirement recently to pen A Man Without A Country, designed to show his contempt for the policies of George Bush (in an interview with In These Times he commented “I myself feel that our country, for whose Constitution I fought in a just war, might as well have been invaded by Martians and body snatchers. Sometimes I wish it had been.”). Even in his 80s the fire started within his mind at Dresden still flared, a writer to the end; he leaves behind books as relevant today as they were when he created them.
Thu, Apr 12, 2007
Books, News