Thursday, April 12, 2007
Remembering Kilgore Trout
As you have no doubt heard by now, Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday. With the exception of his friend Issac Asimov, Vonnegut is the only novelist whose works I have read extensively. I got onto a pretty big Vonnegut kick about ten years ago. It has subsided in recent years, but I picked up Galapagos last year and it brought me right back to the excitement I felt as a younger man reading his unique voice for the first time. Here are some more interesting reflections on the man and his works.
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2 comments:
While not my favorite Vonegut book, SLAUGHTER HOUSE FIVE did mention Kilgore Trout and his book, VENUS ON THE HALF SHELL which showed up on my rack (that's Navy speak for bed) in 1977 while deployed in the Mediteranian aboard the USS Independence.
The back cover picture of the author was a close up of someone with a beard, long hair and sunglasses. For years I wondered who wrote the book, only to find out about 15 years ago it was written by Vonneguts friend and fellow author, Theodore Sturgeon.
HMMM... trout, sturgeon; coincicence, I think not!
Trout showed up in many of Vonnegut's novels. There is some debate as to whether or not he is used as a stand-in for Sturgeon or Vonnegut himself. Perhaps both are true.
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