Summary
Kurt Vonnegut is one of the most popular and admired authors of post-war American literature—famous both for his playful and deceptively simple style as well as for his scathing critiques of social injustice and war.
Critical Companion to Kurt Vonnegut provides a reliable, up-to-date, and encyclopedic source of information on Vonnegut's life and work for high school and college-level students, teachers, libraries, and the general public. This new book covers all his works, including his novels, such as the unforgettable Slaughterhouse-Five; his short stories, such as "Harrison Bergeron"; and his lectures and essays. Detailed entries on his life, related people, places, and topics are also included in this comprehensive guide.
Entries include:
- A concise but thorough biography of Vonnegut
- Synopses and critical assessments of all of Vonnegut's work
- Descriptions of Vonnegut's characters, including Kilgore Trout, Billy Pilgrim, and many more
- Descriptions of people, places, and topics important to Vonnegut's life and work, including Dresden, science fiction, Joseph Heller, postmodernism, Mark Twain, and much more
- Appendixes, including a chronology, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, a bibliography and discussion of the works of Kilgore Trout, and more.