Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. (1922– ), U.S. fiction writer. Vonnegut writes dark and humorous science-fictionalized novels of life with little purpose. His works portray societal, religious, political, and scientific systems as unavoidably destructive. His first novel, Player Piano (1952), is a study of technology in modern society. Mother Night (1961), Cat's Cradle (1963), and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965), explore the morals and social conventions in America. Slaughterhouse Five (1969), ruminates on the compulsion humans have to impose devastation on themselves, and suggests that this be accepted with resignation and humor. Other works include Breakfast of Champions (1973), Deadeye Dick (1982), Galapagos (1985), Bluebeard (1987), Hocus Pocus (1990), and Timequake (1997).