Kurt Vonnegut is most known as an American literature author. Recognized for his success writing “satirical depictions of modern society” that emphasized the “absurdity of the human condition”(galegroup.com). His most famous novels being The Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five (biography.com). Vonnegut’s struggles began at an early age growing up with German heritage in an anti-German society. His family’s loss of wealth shaped him in a way that lead him to be the writer that he is today (notablebiographies.com). As a young man Vonnegut experienced several tragedies such as the loss of his mother and becoming a prisoner of war in World War II. However, there were many things that Vonnegut had going for him. He married his childhood sweetheart and together they raised six children. Later divorced and remarried he adopted a seventh child (biography.com). Vonnegut speaks of his family including his two siblings and his several children in his writings and throughout his life.

      There were other sides of Vonnegut that were not only based on his experiences as a writer. He had a love for art which rubbed off on several of his children who later became artists. We can see his communications and ‘fatherly advice’ given to his children through letters in which they communicated, especially his daughter Nannette (Popova). These letters can be seen in the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. He promoted creativity in every form and in a letter to a high school class he stated:

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“What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience BECOMING, to find out what’s inside you, to MAKE YOUR SOUL GROW.”

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      Kurt Vonnegut was more than simply a writer he was a father, an artist, a politician, an innovationist and a teacher. He explored the theatre producing his own plays such as Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Encyclopedia Britannica). The play would go on to win Vonnegut ‘The Drama Desk Award for The Most Promising Playwright’ in 1971 (ibdb.com). He studied chemistry, biology and anthropology at several different colleges throughout his life and would go on to lecture and teach (Enc. Of World Bio.). Kurt Vonnegut was an inspirational individual who never stopped at writing even in his later years. Vonnegut would experience a deep depression and even attempted suicide in the 80’s but still continued his writing although not as frequently and he would go into non-fiction writings (biography.com).

     Kurt Vonnegut will forever go down in history as a genius author of his time. Many of the novels and short stories he published during his life time still ring true today and are in fact timeless. Vonnegut was well known for his writings but his art and other interests can be explored in the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library and Museum in Indiana (vonnegutlibrary.org). Kurt Vonnegut published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays and five works of non-fiction during his career (Grossman).