Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., b. Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 11, 1922, combines science fiction, social satire, and black comedy in his novels, which won a wide following during the 1960s. Vonnegut's themes spring from his contemplation of 20th-century horrors: dehumanization in a technological society in Player Piano (1952) and Cat's Cradle (1963), and the random destructiveness of modern war in Slaughterhouse-Five (1969; film, 1972).

More recent works include Galapagos (1985), Bluebeard (1987), and the autobiographical Fates Worse than Death (1991). Although his work has been criticized as simplistic, it has equally often been praised for its comic creativity.

Bibliography: Klinkowitz, J., Kurt Vonnegut (1982); Merrill, R., Critical Essays on Kurt Vonnegut (1989); Morse, D., Kurt Vonnegut (1991; repr. 1992); Schatt, S., Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1976).

Text Copyright © 1995 Grolier Incorporated

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