Kurt Vonnegut and the Centrifugal Force of Fate
Author | : Gary McMahon |
Publisher | : McFarland |
Total Pages | : 274 |
Release | : 2009 |
ISBN-10 | : STANFORD:36105131761467 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (67 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: He was a Merlin among Men of Letters. Open any Kurt Vonnegut book and the words come to life in rapport with the reader like broomsticks enthralled by a book of spells. How did he do it? Through early drafts of projects like Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse 5 and Harrison Bergeron, sensationally different from the published stories, Gary McMahon peers over the shoulder of a man without a country and an American institution. We get to see the original manuscripts and spend time with the complete works, from Player Piano to Armageddon in Retrospect, including a rare comparison of Vonnegut's journalism with peers like Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe.