Kurt Vonnegut Biography

Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
  • Born Nov. 11, 1922

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (/ˈvɒnəɡət/; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-fiction, with further collections being published after his death. He is most famous for his darkly satirical, best-selling novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).\n', '

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut attended Cornell University but dropped out in January 1943 and enlisted in the United States Army. As part of his training, he studied mechanical engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the University of Tennessee. He was then deployed to Europe to fight in World War II and was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. He was interned in Dresden and survived the Allied bombing of the city by taking refuge in a meat locker of the slaughterhouse where he was imprisoned. After the war, Vonnegut married Jane Marie Cox, with whom he had three children. He later adopted his sister\'s three sons, after she died of cancer and her husband was killed in a train accident.\n', '

Vonnegut published his first novel, Player Piano, in 1952. The novel was reviewed positively but was not commercially successful. In the nearly 20 years that followed, Vonnegut published several novels that were only marginally successful, such as Cat\'s Cradle (1963) and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1964). Vonnegut\'s breakthrough was his commercially and critically successful sixth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. The book\'s anti-war sentiment resonated with its readers amidst the ongoing Vietnam War and its reviews were generally positive. After its release, Slaughterhouse-Five went to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list, thrusting Vonnegut into fame. He was invited to give speeches, lectures and commencement addresses around the country and received many awards and honors.\n', '


Return to Kurt Vonnegut Autograph Profile


Stats


Join the RACC Facebook Group!



When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

WORLDWIDE RACC (Our Top Cities)

New York, NY
USA

Los Angeles, CA
USA

London
United Kingdom

Chicago, IL
USA

Toronto, ON
Canada