Literature · 1922–2007
Born: 11 November 1922 · Died: 11 April 2007 · Age at death: 84
Kurt Vonnegut died aged 84. He was born on 11 November 1922 and died on 11 April 2007.
American novelist of Slaughterhouse-Five, inspired by surviving the bombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war
Did you know?He survived the firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war by sheltering in an underground meat locker.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote about terrible things with dark humour and kindness. As a young American soldier he was captured and held in Dresden. He survived the firebombing of the city in 1945 by sheltering in a meat locker. It took him more than 20 years to turn that into Slaughterhouse-Five. The novel mixes war, time travel and aliens. His plain sentences and running jokes, like "So it goes", make serious ideas easy to read. He became a hero to readers who distrusted war and big institutions.
Kurt Vonnegut ( VON-ə-gət; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works over fifty years; further works have been published since his death.
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“So it goes.”
Profile
American novelist, 1922–2007
Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis on 11 November 1922.
He was a prisoner in Dresden.
Cat's Cradle appeared in 1963.
Slaughterhouse-Five followed in 1969.
Career highlights
Did you know?"So it goes" became his famous phrase.
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