Alt.books.kurt-vonnegut FAQ
George Cooley
Archive-name: books/kurt-vonnegut-faq
Posting-Frequency: monthly (Every 4th Sunday, maybe more frequently on
alt.books.kurt-vonnegut only.)
Last-modified: 1996/06/30
Version: 2.21
URL: http://www.blarg.net/~geocool/Vonnegut/abkvFAQ.html
Alt.books.kurt-vonnegut Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------------------------------
This is the official FAQ for the usenet newsgroup alt.books.kurt-vonnegut.
Maintained by George A Cooley (geo...@blarg.net, geo...@mit.edu)
Version 2.21 (6/30/96)
Copyright (c) 1995 by George A. Cooley and Glenn Kurtzrock, 1996 by George
A. Cooley. All rights reserved. This document may be freely distributed in
its entirety provided this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be
sold for profit or incorporated in commercial products without the authors'
written permission.
Availability:
This FAQ is available in text form:
- For anonymous ftp at ftp.blarg.net as /users/geocool/abkvFAQ
Login as anonymous, and send your email address as a password.
- For http transfer at http://www.blarg.net/~geocool/Vonnegut/abkvFAQ
- Posted every fourth Sunday on the newsgroups alt.books.kurt-vonnegut,
alt.answers, and news.answers.
Also please visit the HTML version at:
- http://www.blarg.net/~geocool/Vonnegut/abkvFAQ.html
Translation:
Yotsui Shirou has made a Japanese translation of this FAQ, it can be
found at http://osf1.kuec.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~lzg2236. Thanks, Shirou!
Credits:
Thanks to everyone who contributed big chunks of information that appears
here. They are:
John Dinsmore (dins...@uky.campus.mci.net),
William J. Herbst (wjh...@is2.nyu.edu),
Chris A. Hall (ch...@sutro.SFSU.EDU),
Jeff Rhodes (ir00...@interramp.com),
Mic Platt (m...@darkwing.uoregon.edu),
Ben Colmery (barb.c...@umich.edu),
Peter Wieriks (pete...@knoware.nl),
Kevin Brophy (kev...@drk.com),
Bob Weide,
The Yello Jacket (yell...@ix.netcom.com),
Corddry (cor...@aol.com) :-) ,
but especially thanks to Glenn, who had the motivation and skill needed
to make this FAQ a reality.
History:
Version 2.2 (6/9/96)
-Added two new questions (#12 and #18,) and updated the info on bands,
movies, and web sites. Also some address changes and many other misc.
corrections.
Version 2.1 (11/20/95)
-Added Vonnegut feedback and FAQ availability notes.
Version 2.0 (10/19/95)
-Added two mail addresses, and some more movie, band, and book info.
Also one new Vonnegut web page!
Version 1.5 (10/08/95) updated by George A Cooley (geo...@blarg.net,
geo...@mit.edu)
-Added a few more links in "Other web sites," minor additions, changed
the format and style.
Version 1.0 (7/13/95) written by Glenn Kurtzrock (gle...@pegasus.rutgers.edu)
*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
| Quick Index to Frequently Asked Questions |
*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
1. Who is Kurt Vonnegut?
2. What has he written?
3. How can I write to Him?
4. Is he on the net? Does he read this newsgroup?
5. What about his uncollected short stories?
6. All right then, so who wrote "Venus on the Half-Shell"?
7. Can someone tell me where to find "Canary in a Cathouse"?
8. Where can I find "Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp"?
9. Who is Kilgore Trout?
10. Can you name any resources for finding rare and used Vonnegut books?
11. Didn't Vonnegut write a book using the name "Kilgore Trout" as a
pseudonym?
12. What is "Timequake"?
13. What is "The Eden Express"?
14. What books have been written about Vonnegut?
15. Have any bands been influenced by Vonnegut's writing?
16. Where's the "flying fuck" quote from?
17. What movies been made from his books?
18. Isn't there a new movie coming out based on "Mother Night"?
19. Has Vonnegut been in any movies?
20. Are there any World Wide Web sites about Vonnegut?
21. What has been the funniest post to a.b.k-v to date?
*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
| And Now: The Answers! |
*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
1. Who is Kurt Vonnegut?
Kurt Vonnegut was born on Armistice Day (November 11, 1922 - or
Veterans Day, as we call it now [read "Mother Night" by KV for more on
Armistice Day]) in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is, among other things, a
writer of science fiction and satire (and the occasional dictionary
review). A true master of contemporary American literature, he is the
author of eighteen highly acclaimed books, and dozens of short stories and
essays. Among his most known works are "The Sirens of Titan" (1959,)
"Cat's Cradle" (1963,) and "Slaughterhouse-Five" (1969).
2. What has he written?
Here, in chronological order, is a complete bibliography of Vonnegut's
books published in the U.S. and England (not counting foreign language
editions, or uncollected short stories). This list is as posted
by John Dinsmore (dins...@uky.campus.mci.net):
All codes (e.g. AA1) refer to entires in the authoritative Pieratt &
Klinkowitz author bibliography (Archon, 1987).
Untermeyer, Louis, & Ralph E. Shikes, eds. The Best Humor Annual. Holt,
1951. 1st ed.
KV's first published appearance in book format. "$3.50" front flap.
Yellow cloth boards / printed dj. KV's story "Epicac," reprinted from
Collier's, an early computer-related piece. Other authors in anthology:
John Lardner, H. Allen Smith, Roger Price, Red Smith, James Thurber, Ogden
Nash, Russell Lynes, Roger Angell, Peter deVries, Robert Ruark, S.J.
Perelman.
Player Piano.
1st trade ed. Scribner's, 1952. 1st print: 7,600cc. AA1
"A" and Scribner's seal at copyright page. Advance Review Copies:
25-30cc (est.)
1st Brit. ed. L, Macmillan, 1953. 2,000 to 3,000cc printed (1,000
pulped) AA10
Bantam pap. edition, 1954. retitled: Utopia 14. 248,000cc. AA3
reedition. Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. 1966. single print: 4,000cc. AA4
The Sirens of Titan.
1st trade ed. Dell, 1959. (pap. orig.) single print: 177,500cc. AB1
Reedition of 1st ed. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1961. 2,500cc. cloth/dj
AB2
Reprint ed. of 1st ed. Dell, 1966. 201,703cc. wraps. AB3
1st Brit. ed. L, Gollancz, 1962. 3 impressions, 1962. AB7
Canary In A Cathouse.
1st trade ed. Fawcett, 1961. Original Gold Medal Collection. wraps.
175,000cc. AC1
Mother Night.
1st trade ed. Fawcett, 1962. Original Gold Medal Collection. wraps.
175,000cc. AD1
Harper & Row, 1966. single print: 5,500cc. (1st ed. in cloth/dj) AD2
Avon edition, 1967. wraps. AD3
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1968. AD6
Cat's Cradle.
1st trade ed. Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1963. 1st print: 6,000cc. AE1
1st Brit. ed. L, Gollancz, 1963. AE9
God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.
1st trade ed. Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1965. 1st print: 6,000cc. AF1
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1965. AF8
Welcome to the Monkey House.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1968. 5,000cc AG1
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1969. AG4
Slaughterhouse-Five.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1969. 1st print: 10,000cc. Uncorrected Proofs:
39cc. AH1
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1970. AH8
Franklin Library, 1978. 25,000cc. sgd./leather/box. AH7
Happy Birthday, Wanda June.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1971. 1st print: 3,000cc. AI1
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1972. AI5
Between Time and Timbuktu. Based on Vonnegut materials, with foreword
(only) by KV.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1972. AJ1
1st Brit. ed. L, Panther, 1975. pbo. AJ3
Breakfast of Champions.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1973. 1st print: 100,000cc. AK1
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1973. 1st print: 8,500cc. AK7
Wampeters Foma Granfalloons.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1974. 1st print: 20,000cc. AL1
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1975. 1st print: 3,000cc AL4
Slapstick; Or, Lonesome No More!
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1976. 1st print: 85,000cc. AM1
Ltd. signed ed. Delacorte, 1976. 250cc no./sgd./slipcase. AM2
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1976. 1st print: 7,500cc. AM5
Franklin Library, 1976. sgd./leather/box.
Jailbird.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1979. 1st print: 90,700cc. AN1
Ltd. signed ed. Delacorte, 1979. 500cc no./sgd./slipcase. AN2
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1979. 1st print: 7,500cc. AN7
Sun Moon Star.
1st trade ed. Harper & Row, 1980. illus. Ivan Chermayeff. AO1
1st Brit. ed. L, Hutchinson, 1980. AO2
Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1981. 1st print: 69,500cc. AP1
Ltd. signed ed. Delacorte, 1981. 500cc no./sgd./slipcase. AP2
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1981. 1st print: 5,000cc. AP6
Deadeye Dick.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1982. 1st print: 100,000cc. AQ1
Ltd. signed ed. Delacorte, 1982. 350cc no./sgd./slipcase. AQ2
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1983. 1st print: 10,000cc. AQ7
Fates Worse Than Death. L, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, 1982.
pamphlet. AR1
Nothing Is Lost Save Honor. Jackson, Mississippi, Nouveau Press, 1985.
AS1
Ltd. ed. of 40cc no./sgd. quarter bound cloth
Ltd. ed. of 300cc no./sgd. half bound goatskin
Galapagos.
1st trade ed. Delacorte, 1985. AT1 (final "A" entry in Pieratt &
Klinkowitz bibliography)
Ltd. signed ed. Delacorte, 1985. 500cc no./sgd./slipcase.
Franklin Library, 1985. sgd./leather. precedes trade ed.
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1985.
Bluebeard.
1st trade ed. Delacorte,1987.
Ltd. signed ed. Delacorte, 1987. 500cc no./sgd./slipcase.
Franklin Library, 1987. sgd./leather.
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1988.
Who Am I This Time? For Romeos & Juliets. Minneapolis, Redpath Pres,
1987. plastic sleeve. illus. Barry Blitt. story first pub. in Monkey
House.
Hocus Pocus.
1st trade ed. Putnam, 1990.
Ltd. signed ed. Putnam, 1990. 250cc no./sgd./slipcase.
Franklin Library, 1990. sgd./leather.
1st Brit. ed. L, Cape, 1990.
Fates Worse Than Death.
1st trade ed. Putnam, 1991.
Ltd. signed ed. Putnam, 1991. 200cc no./sgd./slipcase.
Timequake. Work-in-progress. To be published by Putnam in 1995?
3. How can I write to Him?
I'm told he can be reached at this address:
Kurt Vonnegut
c/o Donald Farber
Farber Rich and Simmons
150 E. 58th St,
New York, NY 10155
4. Is he on the net? Does he read this newsgroup?
Perhaps in keeping with his take on technology as presented in "Player
Piano" and others of his novels, Kurt doesn't seem to be at all into
"this internet thing." Not completely unexpected, really. Thanks
to our own John Dinsmore, though, he has read this FAQ (version 2.0,) and
had this to say about it, in a letter dated Nov 5, 1995:
"The internet stuff is spooky. I am of course not on line.
I do remember ham radio operators though, usually in attics or
basements, pallid, unsociable, and obsessed, inhabiting a
spirit world, and harmless."
Way off. Doesn't sound like me at all. Nope. Nuh-uh. No way.
My computer is in a room on the *ground floor*, thank you very much!
5. What about his *uncollected* short stories?
Vonnegut has written many many short stories for a wide variety of
magazines and newspapers. His book "Welcome to the Monkey House" is a
collection of only 22 of his "best." Here is the list from Klinkowitz and
Somer "The Vonnegut Statement" (1973) of as many of his other stories as
they were able to discover. Vonnegut has said that there are still a
few that these two guys weren't able to find out about (and he hopes they
never do,) but I'd say this is about as complete a list as we're going to
get for now. :-)
This was posted by William J. Herbst (wjh...@is2.nyu.edu):
"Ambitious Sophomore" Sat. Eve. Post (May,1,1954)
"Any Reasonable Offer" Collier's (1/19/52)
"Bagombo Snuff Box" Cosmopolitan (10/54)
"The Boy who Hated Girls" Sat. Eve. Post (3/31/56)"
"Custom-Made Bride" Sat. Eve. Post (3/27/54)
"Find Me a Dream" Cosmopolitan (2/61)
"Lovers Anonymous" Redbook (10/63)
"Mnemonics" Collier's (4/28/51)
"A Night for Love" Sat. Eve. Post (11/23/57)
"The No-Talent Kid" Sat. Eve. Post (10/25/52)
"The Package" Collier's (7/26/52)
"POOR Little Rich Town" Collier's (10/25/52)
"The Powder Blue Dragon" Cosmopolitan (11/54)
"A Present for Big Nick" Argosy (10/54)
"Runaways" Sat. Eve. Post (4/15/61)
"Souvenir" Argosy (10/52)
"Thanasphere" Collier's (9/2/50)
"This Son of Mine..." Sat. Eve. Post (8/18/56)
"2BRO2B" Worlds of If (1/62)
"Unpaid Consultant" Cosmopolitan (3/55)
6. Who wrote "Venus on the Half-Shell"?
This has been by far the most frequently asked question of the newsgroup.
The book is attributed to Kilgore Trout, a fictional author appearing in
many of Vonnegut's works. In actuality, the book was written by Philip
Jose-Farmer. There have been reports from numerous sources that this is
the case, and that Vonnegut and Jose-Farmer themselves have each
identified Jose-Farmer as the real author. No, Kurt didn't write it.
No, Kilgore Trout is not a real person. A later publication of the work
even correctly names Jose-Farmer as the author. If you're looking
for it, I'd recommend looking under both the names Trout and Jose-Farmer;
if you find it under Vonnegut, it's been misfiled.
On the subject, Chris A. Hall (ch...@sutro.SFSU.EDU) writes:
In the introduction to his story "The Phantom of the Sewers" in
"Riverworld and Other Stories," Farmer talks about his occasional habit
of writing "fictional author" stories as a method of breaking writer's
block. According to him, "Venus on the Half-Shell" was the very first
of these attempts. He also says that that was him on the back cover
under all that hair (actually pieces of a wig glued to his face.)
I have not read the book, and there have been mixed reviews of it in the
newsgroup.
7. Can someone tell me where to find "Canary in a Cathouse"?
Well, the short answer is "lots of luck." Though listed under "by the
same author" in thousands of recent publications of KV's books, this book
has been out of print for years, and is rumored to be selling for over
$100 a copy now. It isn't worth going after unless you are a serious
collector, because all it really is is 11 of the 22 stories that are also
in "Welcome to the Monkey House," plus one extra, entitled "Hal Irwin's
Magic Lamp."
So what are the twelve stories in "Canary in a Cathouse"? Courtesy of
Jeff Rhodes (ir00...@interramp.com), they are:
"Report on the Barnhouse Effect"
"All the King's Horses"
"D.P."
"The Manned Missiles"
"The Euphio Question"
"More Stately Mansions"
"The Foster Portfolio"
"Deer in the Works"
"Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp"
"Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog"
"Unready to Wear"
"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
8. Where can I find Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp? (Or "But I've just got to read
everything he's ever written!")
Well, if you can't find "Canary in a Cat House" (see #7 above -- "lots of
luck,") check your local library. It can also be found in the June, 1957
issue of Cosmopolitan, on pages 92-95.
9. Who is Kilgore Trout?
Kilgore Trout is perhaps Vonnegut's fictional alter ego. He is mentioned
in many of KV's books as a little known science fiction writer who is
usually published in pornographic magazines and books with pictures of
"wide open beavers," although his stories have nothing to do with the
accompanying photographs. Frequently, Vonnegut will give a synopsis
of an amusing story written by Trout, as read by one of Vonnegut's main
characters. Trout himself is a main character only in one of Kurt's
novels, "Breakfast of Champions," where Vonnegut actually writes himself
in to his own book, and allows Trout to meet him.
10. Can you name any resources for finding rare and used Vonnegut books?
There is one who posts to this newsgroup from time to time. He is:
John Dinsmore & Associates, Booksellers
1037 Castleton Way South
Lexington, KY 40517-2724 USA
(606) 271-8042 Daily 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time
email: dins...@uky.campus.mci.net
current catalogue: http://www.cyberspc.mb.ca/~scott/jda/
Modern First Editions and Fine Art
11. Didn't Vonnegut write a story using the name "Kilgore Trout" as a
pseudonym?
No. See question #5, "Who wrote 'Venus on the Half-Shell'?"
12. What is "Timequake"?
This is still a work in progress that is supposed to be Vonnegut's next
and final novel. It was originally due to be published by Putnam in
1994, but then got pushed back to 1995, and is now "indefinite." Some
people have the mistaken impression that it was published but then
yanked from the shelves, or published and now just really hard to find.
Not so.
I read an interview of Vonnegut last November in which he said that
he is frustrated with it, unhappy with how it's coming, continually
rewriting this part or that. He said that it's his last book and he
doesn't want it to be a flop, he really wants to end his writing career
with a bang.
In any case, there's no telling when this will be published, or if it
ever will. All we can do is hope, and keep our eyes and ears peeled!
13. What is "The Eden Express"?
Kurt's son Mark Vonnegut wrote a book, "The Eden Express," about his
episode with schizophrenia. I haven't read it, and there have been mixed
reviews of it in the newsgroup.
14. What books have been written about Vonnegut?
Here's a list of some of them, courtesy of Mic Platt
(m...@darkwing.uoregon.edu):
"The American Absurd: Pynchon, Vonnegut, and Barth" (Hipkiss)
"Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut" (Allan, Ed.)
"Critical Essays on Kurt Vonnegut" (Merrill)
"The Critical Response to Kurt Vonnegut" (Mustazza, Ed.)
"Discrimination, Affirmative Action, and Equal Opportunity: An Economic
and Social Perspective" (Block & Walker, Eds.)
--Kurt Vonnegut is a contributor to this book
"Forever Pursuing Genesis: The Myth of Eden in the Novels of Kurt
Vonnegut" (Mustazza, Ed.)
"Happy Birthday, Kurt Vonnegut." (Jill Krementz)
--issued on the occasion of KV's 60th birthday, November 11, 1982.
"Kurt Vonnegut, Fanatacist of Fire and Ice" (Goldmith)
"Kurt Vonnegut" (Lundquist)
"Kurt Vonnegut" (Klinkowitz)
"Kurt Vonnegut, Jr." (Reed)
"Kurt Vonnegut, Jr." (Schatt)
"Kurt Vonnegut: The Gospel from Outer Space (or, Yes we Have No Nirvanas)"
(Mayo)
"Kurt Vonnegut, Jr....a checklist" (Hudgens)
"Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: A Descriptive Bibliography and Annotated Secondary
Checklist" (Pieratt & Klinkowitz)
"The New Realism of Heller, Kesey, and Vonnegut: A Study of Catch-22, One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Slaughterhouse 5" (Gilligan)
"Rhetoric, Identity, and Morality in Selected Leter Novels of KV"
(Gholson)
"Sanity Plea: Schizophrenia in the Novels of KV" (Lawrence P. Broer)
"Slaughterhouse Five: Reforming the Novel and the World" (Klinkowitz)
"Understanding Kurt Vonnegut" (Allen)
"Vonnegut: A Preface to His Novels" (Giannone)
"Vonnegut in America: An Introduction to the Life and Work of KV"
(Klinkowitz & Lawler, Eds.)
"The Vonnegut Encyclopedia: An Authorized Compendum" (Marc Leeds)
--with a foreword by Kurt Vonnegut
"The Vonnegut Statement" (Klinkowitz & Somer, Eds.)
Also:
"Justly Proud: A German American Family in Indiana" (Beverly Raffensperger
Fauvre) -- about the old Indianapolis of the Vonneguts. Kurt
Vonnegut contributed some material. It was due to be released on
October 7, 1995.
15. Have any bands been influenced by Vonnegut's writing?
Yes. Plenty of them. We keep getting posts to the group about various
artists who use Vonnegut characters (and other Vonnegutian nouns) as names
and/or song titles. Here's the list so far:
The Karabekians (Netherlands)
Billy Pilgrim
Kilgore Trout
The Nixons do a song called "Foma."
Guitarist Joe Satriani does a song called "Ice Nine" (On his album
"Dreaming #11.")
The Grateful Dead publishes their music under their own company,
"Ice Nine Music." They also used to own the movie rights for
"Sirens of Titan" before KV recently bought them back.
There is also a band called Deadeye Dick, and Ben Colmery
(barb.c...@umich.edu) reports that he heard Casey Kasem specifically
say that they drew their name from the Vonnegut novel of the same name.
Finally, English folksinger Al Stewart wrote a song called "Sirens of
Titan" in 1975. Here are the lyrics, courtesy of Peter Wieriks
(pete...@knoware.nl):
Sirens of Titan
I was drawn by the sirens of Titan
Carried along by their call
Seeking for a way to enlighten
Searching for the sense of it all
Like a kiss on the wind I was thrown to the stars
Captured and ordered in the army of Mars
Marching to the sound of the drum in my head
I followed the call
Only to be Malachi Constant
I thought I came to this earth
Living in the heart of the moment
With the riches I gained at my birth
But here in the yellow and blue of my days
I wander the endless Mercurian caves
Watching for the signs the harmoniums make
The words on the walls
I was drawn by the sirens of Titan
And so I came in the end
Under the shadow of Saturn
With statues and birds from my friends
Finding a home in the end of my days
Looking around I've only to say
I was a victim of a series of accidents
As are we all
"I adored Kurt Vonnegut, and Slaughterhouse Five and Sirens of Titan are
his best books, so I just decided to put Sirens into a song. The line 'I
was a victim of a series of accidents' comes from the book." -sleeve
notes from Al Stewart on 1992 CD reissue.
16. Where's the "flying fuck" quote from?
A favorite quote among at least a faction of the newsgroup readership,
the quote is thought to have originated in "Slapstick" (1976.) It
appears numerous times in that book, and actually becomes a bit of a
plot point. The quote is "why don't you take a flying fuck at a rolling
doughnut? Why don't you take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooon?"
(pp 163, among others.) But it was also found (by Kevin Brophy
(kev...@drk.com) in "Slaughterhouse-Five." "'Go take a flying fuck at a
rolling doughnut,' murmered Paul Lazzaro in his azure nest. 'Go take a
flying fuck at the moon.'" (pp 147) This is the earliest known
appearance of the quote to date.
17. Have any movies been made from his books?
Perhaps the best one (according to almost everyone including Kurt) was
George Roy Hill's 1972 "Slaughterhouse Five." The 1984 Jerry Lewis /
Madeline Kahn film "Slapstick (Of Another Kind)" is widely regarded as
just plain terrible. Displaced Person (DP) is a short film that I
haven't been able to get any info about. Glenn saw it some years ago,
and reports that it was pretty good. The 1971 "Happy Birthday, Wanda
June," is a film that Vonnegut doesn't like at all; he even tried to have
his name removed from it. As he writes in "Palm Sunday," "This proved to
be impossible, however. I alone had done the thing the credits said I
had done. I had really written the thing." (chap 18, pp 311) Finally,
"Mother Night" is new from Fine Line Features, due out on November 8th,
1996. Read about it in question #18 -- "Isn't there a new movie coming
out based on 'Mother Night'?"
For TV movies, there was the 1972 "Between Time and Timbuktu" which was
done by PBS, and also a pair of movies made by Showtime at some point:
"Who am I this time?" starring Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken, and
"Harrison Bergeron," starring Sean Astin and Christopher Plummer. I have
seen these in video rental stores in the USA; they are both very good and
worth seeing, even with "Harrison Bergeron" being quite expanded with only
very basic and thematic resemblance to the short story.
Showtime also breifly had a science-fiction series called "Kurt Vonnegut's
Monkey House" made up of 25 minute episode adaptions of various Vonnegut
short stories, and this even included introductions by Kurt himself. I'm
told there is one more Showtime tape containing four of these stories:
"All the King's Horses," "Next Door," "The Euphio Question," and
"Fortitude," and additional stories adapted in the series include "More
Stately Mansions" with Madeline Kahn, "EPICAC," with Alley Sheedy, and
"The Foster Portfolio." If anybody has any more concrete info about
these or any other Vonnegut related movies, please email me.
For more info about some of these KV movies, be sure to check out the KV
info at the Internet Movie Database.
<http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Vonnegut+Jr.,+Kurt>
Maybe some of our loyal readers can fill in some of the blanks they have
with even more specific info about these movies.
18. Isn't there a new movie coming out based on "Mother Night"?
Yes! It's true! It is distributed by Fine Line Features, and is
scheduled to open on November 8th, 1996. "Mother Night" is directed
by Keith Gordon, and the screenplay is by Robert Weide, who posts to
the newsgroup from time to time. The main cast is as follows:
Nick Nolte .... Howard Campbell
Sheryl Lee .... Helga Noth
John Goodman .... Wirtanen
Alan Arkin .... Kraft
David Straitharn .... O'Hare
Kirsten Dunst .... young Resi Noth
You can read about it at the Fine Line Features web page, which has
a plot summary and a picture. <http://www.flf.com/scr2scn/mother.htm>
Bob Weide is now working on a documentary on Kurt Vonnegut which he
hopes will be on PBS in a year or so and needs funds, and is also adapting
"The Sirens of Titan" for the screen as well, at the request of Vonnegut.
I for one can't wait for the new movie, and hope that these other
projects also proceed unfettered.
19. Has Vonnegut been in any movies?
He appears for approximately five seconds in "Back To School" starring
Rodney Dangerfield. He delivers an essay about himself that Dangerfield
paid him to write. The essay is later graded 'F,' because "whomever
wrote this obviously knew *nothing* about Vonnegut!" (paraphrase)
Bob Weide also reports that Vonnegut does make a cameo appearance in the
new "Mother Night" movie! For more on "Mother Night," again, see
question #18 above.
20. Are there any web sites about Vonnegut?
Boy, are we glad you asked! Check them out:
Kevin Boon's Kurt Vonnegut Home Page has been growing steadily - lots of
jpegs and some other neat stuff.
<http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/boon/vonnegut/kv.html>
Robert Daeley also has a thorough collection of material on Kurt, as
well as many other authors in his authors database.
<http://www.empirenet.com/~rdaeley/authors/vonnegut.html>
The Michigan State University Celebrity Lecture Series includes an
internet presence, and they have an image, a sound file, and a brief
story about the lecture Vonnegut gave there in 1992.
<http://web.msu.edu/lecture/vonnegut.html>
Eric Scheur's page houses the text of two of Vonnegut's short stories,
and the full storybook (text and pictures) from KV's children's
book "Sun, Moon, Star."
<http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~eds>
The Internet Movie Database has movie info on Kurt Vonnegut, peruse it at
<http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Vonnegut+Jr.,+Kurt>
The Indiana Historical Society houses a "Kurt Vonnegut and
Slaughterhouse-Five" essay.
<http://www.spcc.com/ihsw/kv.htm>
Brian Rodriguez has a Vonnegut page with all the links, including a
link to the Vonnegut newsgroup, and answers to a few questions not on
this FAQ. (yet! :-) )
<http://sunsite.unc.edu/brian/vonnegut.html
Marek Vit also has some interesting things, including some essay's he's
written, and some favorite quotes.
<http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4953/vonn.html>
Finally, of course, you all must know about the usenet newsgroup
alt.books.kurt-vonnegut!
21. What has been the funniest post to a.b.k-v to date?
Well, IMHO, it was this one, from Corddry (cor...@aol.com):
> Does anybody recognize this quote from a Vonnegut novel?
>
> "Go take a flying fuck at a rolling Karass! Go take a flying fuck at
> the Dupraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!"
>
> I think it was in a book called "Venus in the Half-Shell" by a guy named
> Kilgore Trout which is actually Steven King's first pen name under which
> he published "The Body" which was made into a great movie called
> "Slaughterhouse Five", starring Karen Black, Bruce Davidson, and a man
> called Rory.
Then again, I suppose I could be wrong. :-)
That's it for now. If there is any information that you feel should be in
here, or if you think something is wrong or out of date, please email me at
geo...@blarg.net
Any and all information and/or suggestions for improvement will be welcomed!
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Maintained by George A Cooley (geo...@blarg.net, geo...@mit.edu)
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