Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a famous American author "known for works blending satire, black comedy, and science fiction" (Kurt Vonnegut). Although Kurt Vonnegut is most widely known as a science fiction writer, what if his readers knew that he didn 't consider himself that at all? He once said he "learned from the reviewer" that he was a science fiction writer. Regardless of what Kurt Vonnegut considers himself, he is one of the most sought-after science fiction writers in history. Plagued by the Great Depression, World War II, the suicide of his mother, and a long list of other dramatic events, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. lead a difficult life. Even though these events sound terrible, it is not unreasonable to call them the core of his literary success.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. lived a prosperous life until the time when the Great Depression struck the United States. Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Vonnegut was born into a family with two older siblings; he had a brother, Bernard Vonnegut, and a sister, Alice Vonnegut (Rider). In his early years, Vonnegut and his family lived well. "Vonnegut 's early life was extremely privileged" (Rider). Although, this all took a drastic turn when the Great Depression struck in the late 1920s. Kurt Vonnegut 's father especially took a hit. His father, Kurt Vonnegut Sr., "was a well-to-do architect whose fortunes, job opportunities, and mental health fell off drastically with the Great Depression" ("Kurt Vonnegut"). Although the depression did not affect Vonnegut 's mother as much as it did his father, it was tough for her as well. Kurt Vonnegut 's mother, Edith Lieber Vonnegut, was a daughter of a wealthy local family in Indianapolis, Indiana (Rider). Therefore, she was not as well conditioned for the minimal lifestyle she was forced to experience. As a child, Vonnegut took example from his Uncle Alex, who taught him to enjoy the finer, simpler things in life; this went on to
Cited: Bleiler, E.F.. Science Fiction Writers. New York: 2982. Draper, James P., ed. World Literature Criticism. Vol. 6, 1500 To The Present ed. Detroit: 1992. Gale Research Inc., 15 Nov. 2006 "Kurt Vonnegut." NNDB.14 Nov. 2006 . Kurt Vonnegut Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 14 Nov. 2006 . Zworykin, Victoria. "Kurt Vonnegut." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 1998 ed.