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Kurt Vonnegut , Jr

Early Life

Kurt Vonnegut , Jr . was born on November 11 , 1922 in Indianapolis Inidiana . After a brief stint in Butler University where he was told by a professor that his stories do not pass merit , he enrolled himself in Cornell University and majored in chemistry and biology . Not long afterwards , he enlisted in the US Army and was drafted for Germany Vonnegut 's involvement in the war as an advance scout during the Battle of the Bulge and as prisoner of war has influenced the tone and perspective

of his works . He witnessed the aftermath of the 1945 bombing of Dresden , Germany , and was even required as a POW to dispose of the victims of war

After the war , he enrolled in the University for Chicago to study anthropology . After gaining his degree , he transferred to New Yourk and worked as a publicist for a national appliances company . It was also the time when he started submitting his short stories to publications and journals . In 1951 , he left his post as publicist and devoted his time entirely to his writing career

His Writing Life

Vonnegut did not make an immediate impact to the reading population during the 1950s . He used a style of fantasy yet unappreciated by the masses . His use of various fantastic elements as basis for his stories labeled him as a science fiction writer , a genre not taken seriously during that era . Soon afterwards , when people began to suffer from unrest and disillusionment due to the war with Vietnam in the 1960 's his works gained repute . Among his most notable works are the famed novels Slaughterhouse Five , Breakfast of the Champions and Cat 's Cradle His works often portray a satiric representation of the idiosyncrasies of war , technology and political dissonance in society . He died on April 11 , 2007 due to brain injuries caused by a fall . He was 84 years old References

Gale , T (2006 ) Encyclopedia of World Biographies Special Review Retrieved April 12 , 2007 from Book Rags Website http /www .bookrags .com /biography /kurt-vonnegut-jr

Smith , D (2007 April 11 ) Kurt Vonnegut : 1922 - 2007 . New York Times Retrieved April 12 , 2007 from Seattle Post Intelligencer Website http /seattlepi .nwsource .com /books /311325_vonnegut12 .html

Pearl S . Buck

Early Life...

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