Kurt Vonnegut, the writer who had no faith in humanity

The world was about to miss the writing of Kurt Vonnegut (Indianapolis, 1922-Manhattan, 2007).

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
11 November 2022 Friday 10:31
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Kurt Vonnegut, the writer who had no faith in humanity

The world was about to miss the writing of Kurt Vonnegut (Indianapolis, 1922-Manhattan, 2007). The author, who was born on a day like today one hundred years ago, did not trust that his stories would get anywhere despite the fact that he managed to publish the first of them at the age of 28 in the renowned magazine Collier's Weekly. That lack of self-esteem was instilled in him by one of his teachers, who blamed him that his writings were not good enough to dedicate himself to it. However, fate was on his side and he got a job at the writers' workshop at the University of Iowa. Since then, the letters accompanied him. He also made science fiction because, as he himself wrote in Cuna de gato, "every person here has some specialty, something to give to the rest." And hers was that.

Precisely the aforementioned work has just been published by Blackie Books. Jan Martí, chief editor of the publishing house, considers that “it is one of his best books and perhaps the funniest that has been written about the end of the world. An irreverent satire on the irresponsibility of nuclear scientists and power-hungry governments, a very topical topic.

The truth is that Vonnegut never hid his lack of faith in humanity. In his first novel, La pianola (1952), he already proposed an apocalyptic scenario in which the human race was replaced by machines. There he already began to use black humor to digest the horror that he narrated. “In the face of fear or misfortune, one can cry or laugh. I prefer to laugh because you don't have to mop later”, the author would say. This resource, which he would use throughout his career, is especially present in what is considered his masterpiece, Matadero Cinco. The title refers to the place where the protagonist is locked up along with other prisoners of war during World War II.

Considered one of the great classics of the 20th century, the story made the leap to the big screen in 1972 at the hands of the filmmaker George Roy Hill and won, among many other awards, the jury prize of the official section of the Cannes festival . The actor Michael Sacks was in charge of giving life to the soldier Billy Pilgrim, a quiet young man who does not feel special interest in the world around him, despite the fact that he has lived through a most turbulent time. His alienation is such that he is not even aware of the terrible bombing of Dresden, his city, by the allies. An attack that Vonnegut himself experienced in his flesh, since he was in the German town when these events occurred.

It is curious that a film was made precisely of the story that Vonnegut felt the most dread being transferred to the audiovisual. The writer was not too fond of the idea of ​​a big star embodying his main character who, by the way, is his alter ego. A good friend warned him that if he decided to tell that story, he would be Hollywood meat. Aware of this, he promised himself that he would narrate it differently from the others and that he would talk about the sale of children to participate in a war, since most of the soldiers at the front were minors. Hence he proposed an alternative title, The Children's Crusade.

Despite the fact that over the years it became the great anti-war novel par excellence, as well as a key emblem of the 1960s counterculture, it must be said that when it was published it left readers and critics baffled. Something similar happened with his next book, Breakfast of Champions. Not only because of his characteristic and crazy black humor that he used in both, but also because of his simple style, full of short phrases that, despite everything, used to hit the nail on the head. Something that many considered a gross provocation. Time, however, would end up turning him into the cult author he is considered today.

“In addition to his novels, his famous university lectures, his mythical phrases, the recent documentary that premiered this year (Kurt Vonnegut: Through Time) and, after all, his vision of the world have gone viral. so unique, full of skepticism but also of tenderness and above all empathy”, specifies Jan Martí to understand the phenomenon and “unique character” that is Vonnegut. A writer who made science fiction his main tool to answer such classic questions as who we are and where we come from.