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Title details for Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - Available

Armageddon in Retrospect

And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace

by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Mark Vonnegut
Audiobook
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The late, great Kurt Vonnegut wrestles with the horrors of his age in this collection of unpublished writings that showcase his trademark humor and humanism. Varied in form and tone, the pieces are united in theme as they reflect on facets of war and peace. Vonnegut is by turns funny and poignant, serious and irreverent as he discusses the fantasies of Army men, the harrowing firebombing of Dresden, and the attraction of violence to young boys. An early letter to his parents describing his own experiences in war is a uniquely personal peek at the psychological genesis of all his future writings, in which he would learn to express his moral outrage through comic absurdism.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    April 1, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781481537681
      • File size: 151627 KB
      • Duration: 05:15:53

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 9-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Kurt Vonnegut was a versatile author whose books addressed a wide range of subjects. Published posthumously, ARMAGEDDON IN RETROSPECT is an engaging compilation of 12 of the authors' most compelling writings, focused primarily on the topics of war and peace. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the essays is their variety, ranging from a letter Vonnegut wrote to his family when he was taken prisoner by the Germans during WWII to his final speech. Vonnegut does not mince words, and the material is thought-provoking, captivating, and humorous. Rip Torn is a somewhat unusual choice to narrate Vonnegut's essays. Torn's voice has a raspy twang that can be distracting, yet Vonnegut offers his opinions in such a compelling fashion that the listener can easily focus on the content rather than the delivery. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 25, 2008
      When Kurt Vonnegut died in April 2007, the world lost a wry commentator on the human condition. Thanks to this collection of unpublished fiction and nonfiction, Vonnegut's voice returns full force. Introduced by his son, these writings dwell on war and peace, especially the firebombing of Dresden, Germany. The volume opens with a poignant 1945 letter from Pfc. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. to his father in Indianapolis, presenting a vivid portrait of his harrowing escape from that city. The fiction, full of his characteristic humor, includes stories about time travel and the impossibility of peace in the world (“Great Day”) and, in the title piece, a kind of mock Paradise Lost
      , Dr. Lucifer Mephisto teaches his charges about the insidious nature of evil and the impossibility of good ever triumphing. In his final speech, Vonnegut lets go some of his zingers (jazz is “safe sex of the highest order”) and does what he always did best, tell the truth through jokes: “And how should we behave during the Apocalypse? We should be unusually kind to one another, certainly. But we should also stop being so serious. Jokes help a lot. And get a dog, if you don't already have one.” So it goes.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:9-12

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