Rediscovering Vonnegut (Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut)

In the summer of 1973, I read Breakfast of Champions and then in quick succession, Cat’s Cradle, Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse Five, Welcome to the Monkey House, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, and others, even Venus on the Half Shell by Kilgore Trout.

Sometime in the early 1980’s, after trying to read his “Hi Ho” Slapstick novel, my engagement with his work subsided. While grateful for his influence, I tried to dismiss his work, suggesting that is was succumbing to the will of corporate publishing – all books stylistically bending to the sales success of Breakfast of Champions. Then I pretty much forgot about him, until now.

Now in 2018, because I “needed something to read,” I downloaded a $1.99 Galapagos and rediscovered his brilliance. Galapagos, while not perfect of course, is a funny, enthralling, unusual, and altogether masterful work of fiction.

I feel no need to summarize or write a formal review as you can find thousands online. It’s obvious I’m not the only one influenced by Vonnegut’s work. For me, in this spec of online space, it’s enough to say, one more human being is encouraging you to read, or rediscover, Kurt Vonnegut.

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