Overview information

Vonnegut: The Man Without a Country

Deng Jinming

Mr. Vonnegut, who is in his eighties Sir, a book has been published.

When this old hippie wrote "Slaughterhouse-Five", China's "recalcitrants" were still wearing open-top pants. Decades have passed, and the old guy's anger has not diminished at all. In his new book "Man Without a Country," he cursed the United States. He scolded the Bush administration as "having the most terrifying psychopathic personality"; he scolded Bill Gates, believing that it should be his "life generation and transformation, not the damn computer"; he scolded American culture, believing that "American culture "There are two things that Martians will never understand. That is, what is oral sex and what is golf?" He scolded the war launched by the United States, scolded the so-called democratic politics of the United States, and scolded the environmental problems caused by science and technology, as long as he could not see it. He is used to scolding when he opens his mouth, just like Jiao Da in Jia's house.

New York State Writer

But Americans are very interesting. The more you scold him, the more you like him. Instead of blocking Mr. Feng's mouth with "soil and horse dung", they treated him as a guest. In 2000, the old man was elected as the "New York State Writer"; in 2002, on the old man's 80th birthday, the mayor of New York declared that day as New York's "Kurt Vonnegut Day". The American people will buy into the old man’s fault even more. As soon as "Man Without a Country" was released in the United States, it was on the New York Times bestseller list, where it stayed for eight weeks and sold 250,000 copies in one go.

Evaluate the author

Who dares to say that Vonnegut is old? He can also curse, smoke, draw graffiti, and shoot commercials. In 1995, the old man drew a self-portrait as a promotional poster for the famous alcohol advertisement "Absolut Vodka". The poster was named "Absolute Vonnegut" based on the homophony of "Vonnegut" and "vodka". In this self-portrait, Mr. Feng plays with a rope by himself. On the table next to him is a bottle of vodka with a cat head as the cork, which alludes to Mr. Feng's famous work "Cat's Cradle". This is just one of many graffiti drawings by the old man. In "Man Without a Country", there is a self-portrait of an old gentleman painted on letter paper at the age of eighty-two, with thick curly hair, a Bavarian beard, a cigarette always hanging from his mouth, and Vonnegut's The iconic signature, indispensable among which is a "meter" symbol. Vonnegut explained the symbol this way: "I drew my anus in my signature." That was Vonnegut's style. He can like the paintings of Paul Klee and Georges Braque, and think that Tostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" can tell people everything about good and evil, right and wrong; and he also dares to claim that after "9.11" , terrorists are "very brave people" and "they die for their dignity."

Single spirit

Avoiding controversy is not Vonnegut. He was able to survive the death pile of "Slaughterhouse Five". He was a German-American and he was born on November 11th - this seemed to determine his black humor, his dissident posture and his The bachelor spirit. Yes, "people without a country" are actually "bachelors", that is, hippies, a kind of humanist and liberal who are anti-war, anti-government, and anti-modern technology from a completely personal standpoint. When you read "Man Without a Country", you may not believe in the simplicity of Vonnegut's idealism, or you may question his judgment on today's America and modern life, but you cannot help but be impressed by the frankness, frankness, and straightforwardness of his words. And real and moving. Yes, it’s him. As soon as you read his words, you’ll know it’s him. He’s the guy who came from the 1960s movement in the West. He’s just like “it can’t be steamed, boiled, pounded, fried, or crackled.” "Copper Pea" remains the same for decades.

Strong for straight speech

As a collection of Vonnegut's essays on literature, art and current politics, "Man Without a Country" has a strong American style and strives for straight speech without being Subtle and refined. Elegant Europeans may sneer at this hippie writing that is not serious but is actually very serious, and this open and unobstructed road style. But Americans love it, just as they always love Big Macs and Hollywood movie endings.

Black humor is born when Americans want to be a little subtle. This typical Feng style of black humor can be found in "Man Without a Country". For example: "Evolution is so creative, this is how we capture giraffes", or "There is no reason why good cannot defeat evil, as long as the angels can organize themselves like the mafia." In fact, black humor is also a style that is only popular in the United States. The United States has immigrants, hippie culture, jazz rock, the American dream, liberal democracy and big stick policies, American single-mindedness and American logical confusion. This is a country with such paradoxes and frequent jokes. The people of this country are so capable of ridicule and self-deprecation. It is not surprising that Vonnegut is welcomed.

But Vonnegut is not just that. His black humor is more rooted in the unbearable weight of personal life history. The first two articles in "Man Without a Country" are the best written texts in the whole book. Vonnegut recalled the bombing of Dresden during World War II. His masterpiece "Slaughterhouse-Five" tells the story of a slaughterhouse in Dresden, Germany. Some American soldiers captured by Germany were imprisoned in this slaughterhouse. The candles and soap used by prisoners of war were made from human fat, and killing people here was as easy as slaughtering livestock. Even though the German Nazis had been defeated at that time, the British army still carried out a large-scale bombing of Dresden. As a result, 135,000 people died and Dresden was reduced to ruins. Vonnegut was one of seven surviving American prisoners of the day and witnessed the destruction of Dresden. He wrote, "I have seen this city before, after coming out of the air raid shelters, and then after seeing it after the bombing, and one of the reactions must have been laughter. God knows, it is a soul looking for relief." According to Vonnegut, even the most innocent jokes, let alone jokes without laughter, are based on the mild pain evoked by fear. In real life, when a person is so helpless in suffering that any comfort is useless, the only thing he can do is laugh.

In 1944, Vonnegut's mother committed suicide on Mother's Day while he was away from home. His brother-in-law later died in a car accident, and within hours his sister died of cancer. Vonnegut once attempted suicide but gave up. Joking may be the best way to calm down. At least Vonnegut can still make fun of himself. When he was young, Vonnegut ran a Swedish car sales company that later went bankrupt. Vonnegut joked: "I am now convinced that that long-ago failure as a businessman explains a profound mystery. "Why don't the Swedes give me the Nobel Prize for Literature?" But who knows, maybe the eighty-year-old Vonnegut will be able to make it to Stockholm to call him.

Cheers, Mr. Vonnegut

Li Juan

American writer Kurt Vonnegut is regarded as a representative figure of "black humor" One of them, his works such as "Slaughterhouse Five", "Cat's Cradle", "Prison Bird", and "Breakfast of Champions" are already familiar to Chinese readers. In 1997, after Vonnegut published "Timequake", he announced that he would stop writing and would not write another book. Many people thought that Vonnegut would bid farewell to the literary world. In September 2005, Seven Stories Publishing House released his collection of essays and reviews, A Man Without A Country. Within weeks, the book was on the bestseller lists on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online bookstores. The publisher immediately decided to increase the print run from the original 50,000 copies to 110,000 copies.

Since Vonnegut previously announced that he would stop writing, "Timequake" currently on the market is considered to be Vonnegut's last work; now, this "Man Without a Country" has arrived China, Vonnegut Sr. has undoubtedly brought another surprise to Chinese readers. The American version of "Man Without a Country" has a brown-gray cover with Vonnegut's self-portrait, and his swiveling, huddled signature is also very eye-catching. Now that it has come to China, the binding has turned into a bright and dazzling yellow. Just as this bright color stimulates the eyes, the content of this work is also very interesting to read.

Vonnegut's last major novel, "Timequake," was about a glitch in the space-time continuum in the universe. "The universe trembled as it lost its own mind." "The time suddenly shrunk by ten years", so human time became chaotic and had to live the original life again. Vonnegut himself claimed to be a character in the novel, "playing a minor role." If the previous "Timequake" still has a science fiction framework as a whole, this book "Man Without a Country", which is composed of column articles, is written in an unscrupulous and careless way. Most of the content in "Man Without a Country" comes from his twice-monthly columns in the Chicago left-wing magazine "Contemporary", which were compiled and concatenated by the editor into the current collection. Opening this book, we will find that Vonnegut remains as unruly as ever. His sense of humor rooted in cruel reality is very familiar to readers, and "Vonnegut-like" quotes can be seen everywhere. Topics include social systems, wars, environmental pollution, raw material crises, the Bush Administration, etc. There are discussions on literature and art, views on war, criticism of the current political situation, and some emotions and emotions when looking back on a certain period of one's past. The discussions were pungent, the condiments were vigorous, and in some places the scolding could be said to be free-flowing and unobstructed.

Deep Concern

Although many of his comments are often sharp-handed and merciless, his seemingly cold and stern attitude actually reveals his deep concern and sense of care. . This enthusiasm is mixed with laughter and curses, which hurts the readers' nerves. Vonnegut, who personally experienced the bombing of Dresden, wrote "Slaughterhouse Five". In "Man Without a Country", he added: "Of course, regarding war, I will not talk about its other aspect. The reason is that it is indescribable. Vonnegut called himself a "man without a country" not only because of his German identity, but also because he had witnessed the hatred and fighting between countries and races. I'm afraid that for him, he would rather observe the world from a human perspective. He majored in biochemistry in college, and his novels often contain science fiction elements. Although I feel resentful that others classify me as a science fiction writer, it is undeniable that the compassion set off by wild imagination and bold fiction undoubtedly has some more lasting significance. In this way, he can indeed be regarded as a "person without a country."

Vonnegut is known as the "Word Cartoonist". He not only has sharp words, like comic lines, but also likes to draw. He always liked to add his illustrations to his written works, and "Breakfast of Champions" is a typical example, where Vonnegut's satire comes alive on the page. "The Man Without a Country" also contains his handwritten "mottos". In the "Author's Notes", Vonnegut explains their origins. These individual pages of illustrations make this collection like a distinctive text collage.

Vonnegut's works are known for their "black humor". The absurdities he writes make people laugh, and then not laugh again. In the last section of "Man Without a Country", which is section 12, Vonnegut says that although "humor is a way to protect yourself from the cruelty of life", "I may never be able to joke again - Because it's no longer a satisfying defense mechanism. Some people are very funny, and some people are not. I used to be that way, but maybe not anymore. Too many blows and disappointments for humor to work anymore. "This kind of sincere self-disclosure is touching, but as a reader, who can accept that Mr. Vonnegut will never joke again?

Vonnegut once graded his works from A to D. He gave A to "Cat's Cradle", "Slaughterhouse Five" and other works. After "Man Without a Country" was published in 2005, it became a bestseller. Vonnegut, who was over eighty years old, called it "a good glass of champagne in his twilight years." Now that he is 84 years old, will he continue to write? We can't help but wonder - perhaps, Mr. Vonnegut would be interested in another drink? If this question seems redundant, then let us drink this cup with him for the time being.

Cheers, Mr. Vonnegut.

Who can defeat Vonnegut

Li Zhanzhou

A person is talented and able to persevere. Although he lives a long life, his mind is not dizzy and he does not rely on his old age. Then his words are worth listening to.

Kurt Vonnegut is such a wise man. This representative figure of American black humor is over eighty years old and still has high morale. In "Man Without a Country", the real world takes off its shell and mask under Vonnegut's "close gaze". There is no tenderness and tenderness, and everything is thrilling.

As usual, Vonnegut did not yell or curse, nor did he pretend to be serious. He just used the thinking method trained in chemical engineering to analyze it point by point, and used the ridiculing tone that he had used freely in his childhood to expose the conspiracy. . Let's take a look at the targets he is attacking: the psychopathic Bush gang, people without compassion and shame, electronic society, so-called economic prosperity, disharmonious marriages and families, wars for wealth, destructive Vietnam New weapons that are getting stronger and stronger.

Usually, after a person has experienced unforgettable pain, he will reflect on his previous living conditions, and Vonnegut is no exception. On February 13, 1945, in Dresden, 135,000 people were killed by British bombs overnight, and the entire city was devastated. As a survivor, as a prisoner of war, Vonnegut saw the hell created by human power. He began to hate all "bastards" who were anti-human and despised life. After the 9/11 incident in the United States, Vonnegut's hatred became even more intense.

Perhaps the saying "the old man is more powerful" is true. Now the old Vonnegut is more powerful than before. However, this fighting spirit comes from fear. He is worried that the United States is "too powerful": "Now the whole world fears and hates us, just like it feared and hated the Nazis back then." Globalization has become Americanization to a certain extent, and employees of large multinational companies can only speak their native language after get off work. What is a "country"? What are we pushing forward? These issues appear out of date and do not appear to produce any economic benefits. However, the old Vonnegut kept asking and finally came to the following conclusion: "Except for the library and the Chicago magazine "Contemporary", I am a person without a country."

It is precisely because "there is no country ", Vonnegut's criticism seems more unscrupulous and to the point. He no longer needs to be secretive or science fiction, he often goes straight to the topic and defeats the enemy with one move. The writing experience of "science fiction" brought him another kind of detachment: looking at problems from the perspective of "our planet".

The stronger the hate, the stronger the love. Vonnegut's passions include blues music, extended family, humanitarianism, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, and of course the library where justice is buried and the left-wing magazine "Contemporary" that dares to be angry. Vitality has become the supreme theme in his life. He resists the fast pace and false emotions, hoping to find the "Holy Grail" to save mankind from the objects abandoned and crushed by the times.

We don’t know whether it is our honor or our sorrow to have an angry man who is so old and so close to death stand up and blow the horn, and to have a writer who has given up publishing books rearrange his thoughts and words. To gain stronger thoughts and healthier actions, we need to like the old guy, get close to the man that was Vonnegut, and listen to his voice.

At the end of "Man Without a Country," Vonnegut pleads not to "let the last living thing die for us." Vonnegut, the old fellow, was waiting for death, and at the same time he was looking forward to being defeated, and looking forward to the failure of his prophecies about the end of the world.