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Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction - Kurt Vonnegut
Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction
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Look at the Birdie is a collection of fourteen previously unpublished short stories from one of the most original writers in all of American fiction. In this series of perfectly rendered vignettes, written just as he was starting to find his comic voice, Kurt Vonnegut paints a warm, wise, and... show more
Look at the Birdie is a collection of fourteen previously unpublished short stories from one of the most original writers in all of American fiction. In this series of perfectly rendered vignettes, written just as he was starting to find his comic voice, Kurt Vonnegut paints a warm, wise, and funny portrait of life in post—World War II America–a world where squabbling couples, high school geniuses, misfit office workers, and small-town lotharios struggle to adapt to changing technology, moral ambiguity, and unprecedented affluence. Here are tales both cautionary and hopeful, each brimming with Vonnegut's trademark humor and profound humanism. A family learns the downside of confiding their deepest secrets into a magical invention. A man finds himself in a Kafkaesque world of trouble after he runs afoul of the shady underworld boss who calls the shots in an upstate New York town. A quack psychiatrist turned "murder counselor" concocts a novel new outlet for his paranoid patients. While these stories reflect the anxieties of the postwar era that Vonnegut was so adept at capturing– and provide insight into the development of his early style–collectively, they have a timeless quality that makes them just as relevant today as when they were written. It's impossible to imagine any of these pieces flowing from the pen of another writer; each in its own way is unmistakably, quintessentially Vonnegut. Featuring a Foreword by author and longtime Vonnegut confidant Sidney Offit and illustrated with Vonnegut' s characteristically insouciant line drawings, Look at the Birdie is an unexpected gift for readers who thought his unique voice had been stilled forever–and serves as a terrific introduction to his short fiction for anyone who has yet to experience his genius. Read "Hello, Red" and "The Petrified Ants," two of the stories from the collection, as single-story e-books before Look at the Birdie goes on sale. Available wherever e-books are sold.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9780385343718 (038534371X)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages no: 251
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Das also ist des Pudels Kern
Das also ist des Pudels Kern rated it
4.0 Ein dreifach Hoch auf die Milchstraße
Kurt Vonnegut wirft einen Blick auf unterschiedliche Menschen, unterschiedliche Gesellschaften, hält dabei zynisch, bissig, humorvoll, präzise und warmherzig, aber schonungslos fest was falsch läuft und zeigt Dir am Ende doch immer den Silberstreif am Horizont. Wundervolle Kurzgeschichten (und ein...
jonafras
jonafras rated it
3.0 Look At the Birdie
Some amazing writing in here, as I'd expect; nevertheless, most of the stories feel kind of unpolished. Still great fun to read, especially if you're a fan of Vonnegut. It's especially interesting to see how his characteristic style developed in various ways through his various works. Worth a look.
LeahSL
LeahSL rated it
4.0 Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction
Vonnegut can give you a glimpse of the majesty of the human experience while simultaneously feeding your cynicism. After reading this book of his work before Sirens of Titan and even Player Piano, it's clear that he could do that from day one as a writer. Thank god he quit GE!
Kaethe
Kaethe rated it
You know, there's a reason why this pieces weren't published in his lifetime. I don't want to read them all so that I can explain, in detail, the failings of each. I prefer to revel in the really good stuff.
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