Kurt (Jr) Vonnegut
Kurt (Jr) Vonnegut is an American novelist, satirist, and graphic artist known for his breakthrough novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, and his exploration of the threat of automation in his first novel, Player Piano.
Novelist
November 11, 1922
Scorpio
April 11, 2007
84
Indianapolis, Indiana
Kurt (Jr) Vonnegut was a renowned American author and satirist, celebrated for his darkly humorous novels and essays. Among his most famous works are Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions, which often featured elements of science fiction and delved into themes such as war, the human condition, and societal changes. Vonnegut was also an active participant in the anti-war movement and volunteered as a firefighter.
His debut novel, Player Piano (1952), portrayed a bleak future in which machines have replaced human workers, leading to widespread redundancy. The Sirens of Titan (1959) examined the concepts of free will and the purpose of human history through the lens of a Martian invasion of Earth. Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), considered his seminal work, was inspired by his own experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II and the bombing of Dresden.
Beyond his literary accomplishments, Vonnegut identified as a humanist and was a lifetime member of the American Humanist Association. He supported the Unitarian Universalist Church and was vocal in his criticism of war and nuclear weapons. Vonnegut also had a lifelong passion for smoking unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes.
