According to this story in The Guardian, a new biography of Kurt Vonnegut plays up an unpleasant side of his personality. I wonder whether it does, or whether that is journalistic spin. I wouldn't assume that any biographical subject is going to come out of an in-depth study seeming "nice" all the time. Even I am said to have my grumpy moments.
It sounds like an interesting book, one way or the other. Vonnegut was one of the greats of the second half of the twentieth century. Books such as The Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle, and Slaughterhouse-Five are satirical classics. Even though I am probably in the minority, I have a special fondness for Breakfast of Champions.
About Me
- Russell Blackford
- Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).
1 comment:
The Sirens of Titan and Galapagos are my two favorites of his.
I've read them all, of course, and can't say that I disliked any.
Unless it turns out he tortured puppies, or something like that, I'll probably be underwhelmed by the revelations about what a human he was.
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