He was sent as a POW to Dresden. On February 13, , British and American bombers destroyed the city by dropping high explosives followed by incendiary bombs. The resulting firestorm turned the non-militarized city into an inferno that killed up to 60, civilians. Vonnegut and his fellow POWs survived by accident only because they were housed some 60 feet underground in a former meat locker and slaughterhouse.
His experience at Dresden marked him for life and eventually resulted in his literary masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut took an advertising job at General Electric to support his family and began writing short fiction on the side.
Kurt and Jane had two more children, Edith and Nanette, and Vonnegut redoubled his efforts to publish his stories. In , his dystopian apprentice novel Player Piano was published. It became more imperative for Vonnegut to bring in more money. Within 10 years following the arrival of the Adams boys, the short-story market was drying up and Vonnegut turned his attention to novels.
Rosewater and, in , his Dresden novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. In these books, Vonnegut mastered his trademark black comic voice, making his audience laugh despite the horrors he described. View all newsletter. Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in and studied biochemistry at Cornell University.
An army intelligence scout during the Second World War, he was captured by the Germans and witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five. After the war he worked as a police reporter, an advertising copywriter and a public relations man for General Electric.
His first novel Player Piano achieved underground success. Cat's Cradle was hailed by Graham Greene as 'one of the best novels of the year by one of the ablest living authors'. His eighth book, Slaughterhouse-Five was published in and was a literary and commercial success, and was made into a film in Vonnegut is the author of thirteen other novels, three collections of stories and five non-fiction books. Kurt Vonnegut died in Kurt Vonnegut wrote over 25 books in his career, from Slaughterhouse 5 to Breakfast of Champions.
Within their pages are some of the wisest words on love, life, war, kindness and aliens. Are you afraid of Virginia Woolf? There's no need: there's something for everyone in the Modernist writer's back catalogue. With work spanning fiction, poetry, short stories and even books for children there is plenty to discover in Angela Carter pioneering work.
To celebrate the release of a new radio drama collection from the BBC, we explore the life and work of this seminal author. For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more. For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here. Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
See More. Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit.
Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests. Features Find your next read Sign up for our newsletter Events Podcasts Apps. Children's Children's 0 - 18 months 18 months - 3 years 3 - 5 years 5 - 7 years 7 - 9 years 9 - 12 years View all children's. Puffin Ladybird.
Authors A-Z. Featured Authors. Gifts for bibliophiles. Book Bundles. A year later, he was sent to Europe where he fought and served in the Battle of the Bulge. Vonnegut was captured and made a prisoner of war during the battle. During this time, Vonnegut witnessed the devastation caused in the period of Allied firebombing of Dresden, Germany.
He escaped the effects of destruction because he was working in an underground meat locker making vitamins with other prisoners of war. Upon his return from the war, Vonnegut married Jane Marie Cox, his high school girlfriend with whom he had three children. The couple also adopted the three children of Vonnegut sister when she passed away in Before establishing himself as a writer, Vonnegut worked several jobs including newspaper reporter, teacher, and public relations employee for General Electric.
In , Vonnegut published his first novel, Player Piano which revolved around the theme of corporate culture.
0コメント