Kurt Vonnegut: “We must be careful about what we pretend to be”

Kurt Vonnegut Jr

Mr Kurt Vonnegut (b. 11 Nov 1922–11 April 2007) America’s writer of counter-cultural or sometimes Melancholy and non-chronological storytelling was his favorite passion. We are what we pretend to be. So, we must be careful about what we pretend to be. His contribution to America’s Literature was a notable work, he made the stories and novels very intelligently and hardly fewer writers of his age did such away.

His style of writing was sole and all the stories and books are based on his imagination always stances on the realities and truth of common habitat. He gave the entire literary world quite a few books but his existence on this earth only identify due to his great and quality work. He produced nearly fourteen novels and slaughterhouse-five had ranked in the world’s best 100 novels since 1923. It was first published in 1969.

You will either love it or push it back in the science-fiction corner.

New York Times : Slaughterhouse-five was the only novel nominated for the best novel Nebula and Hugo awards in 1970. The book and author had to go through many struggles, pretty nerdy censorship controversy, and finally published after many pivotal attempts. There were reasons why Kurt’s novel was not getting published. It is due to his unsuitable tone, content, and variation in the depiction of sex in his book. The judges of the states described the book as “Deprived, Immoral, Psychotic, Vulgar and anti-Christian”.

Salman Rushdie, British-Indian novelist wrote in New Yorker (read the full article here). He had read Slaughterhouse-five in 1972 after three years of its official publication and before his first novel, and become published author. He considered Vietnam plays vital roles in this book since the book was associated with the Second World War and Vietnam is on its pages. He compared “Catch-22” is like Slaughterhouse-five. Mr Rushdie said that both books had a great effect on his young mind those days.

Salman Rushdie, British-Indian novelist wrote in New Yorker (read the full article here). He had read Slaughterhouse-five in 1972 after three years of its official publication and before his first novel, and become published author. He considered Vietnam plays vital roles in this book since the book was associated with the Second World War and Vietnam is on its pages. He had compared “Catch-22” is like Slaughterhouse-five. Mr Rushdie said that both books had a great effect on his young mind those days.

Stephanie ─ Extremely Stable Genius

Stephanie, one of the Goodreads readers and book reviewers wrote about Slaughterhouse-five expressed her very thoughts about the book.“I miss Kurt Vonnegut.” He hasn’t been gone all that long. Of course, he isn’t gone, yet he is gone. He has always been alive, and he will always be dead. So, it goes. Slaughterhouse-five is next to impossible to explain, let alone review, but here I am. And here I go. What is it about? It’s about war. It’s about loved and hate. It’s about post-traumatic stress. It’s about sanity and insanity. It’s about aliens (not the illegal kind, the spacey kind). It’s about life. It’s about death. So, it goes.“That’s one thing Earthlings might learn to do if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones.” This is how I live my life. This is how I get through the day. Most days I am successful, some days I’m not.

Today is one of the “not” days. Like so many Americans these days, I feel I’m in a rut. Like so many Americans I don’t understand why I am where I am. This was not the plan. This was not what I had in mind……Oh, poor me….boo hoo. This book. This book got me thinking. So much about life sucks, true, but not many of us want to give up on it that easy. Why? Because of the “good ones”. And what makes “good ones” is our ability to create and enjoy creating…..at least I think so.“Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.”— Joss WhedonIf you make something, a painting, a poem, a novel, a good meal, a person……you continue to live even after death. I think that’s what Mr. Vonnegut was getting at. Maybe. At least that is how he has remained alive for me.” ─Stephanie *Extremely Stable Genius.*