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Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Hardcover | Pages: 234 pages

Rating: 3.94 | 10941 Users | 890 Reviews

Mention Based On Books Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace

Title	:	Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace
Author	:	Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 234 pages
Published	:	April 1st 2008 by G. P. Putnam's Sons (first published 2008)
Categories	:	Fiction. Short Stories. Writing. Essays

Commentary In Favor Of Books Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace

War is a funny thing. That's what Vonnegut would have us believe. He is right. He also realizes that there is nothing funny about war. It's a conflicting juxtaposition and yet it is true. Armageddon in Retrospect sat in the to-be-read pile for a good long while. I haven't read much Vonnegut since school, when probably about 9 out of 10 Vonnegut readers read his work, but I do enjoy reading him. Nonetheless, I dreaded this. The title alone told me it would be dreary and the title, for the most part, didn't lie. That's not to say Vonnegut doesn't bring the funny. He almost always does, however, most of the stories compiled herein are about war, often about his experiences in Dresden. The bombing of Dresden in WWII was tragic. As much as Vonnegut tries to spin some bitter-sweet humor off of this topic, the bitterness always remains in the sour undercurrent. Starting with an interesting intro from his son, there's a speech, a letter from young Vonnegut to his family and about a dozen short stories. About half of those stories are about a captured prisoner or a people under a conquering army's subjugation. Apparently this was the sum of the author's wartime experience. Making sense of it all, coming to grips with this new reality and that of his own country's disregard for innocent life comprises much of the subject matter. It is essentially Slaughter House Five played out again in variation. One story, "The Unicorn Trap" steps well outside of the WWII setting, sending us back to peasant life in 1067 England. However, it's the same old, same old, this time with the Normans as conquerors. Armageddon in Retrospect was the first thing published after his death and that always rings morbid. The overall mood brings my rating down to 3 stars, but Vonnegut's superb writing and humor save the day, as usual, and so I'll go with 4 stars.

Declare Books As Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace

Original Title:	Armageddon in Retrospect
ISBN:	0399155082 (ISBN13: 9780399155086)
Edition Language:	English

Rating Based On Books Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace

Ratings: 3.94 From 10941 Users | 890 Reviews

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Vonneguts harrowing essay on the Dresden bombing, Wailing Shall Be in All Streets, is the highlight and centerpiece of this collection, and one of the best works of anti-war art Ive readsomething like the literary equivalent of Francisco Goyas Disasters of War series. This previously unpublished work is undated, but has the immediacy and urgency of an open wound. Dresden was the last major German city to escape bombing because there was nothing combative about it; it was a city of hospitals and

War is a funny thing. That's what Vonnegut would have us believe. He is right. He also realizes that there is nothing funny about war. It's a conflicting juxtaposition and yet it is true. Armageddon in Retrospect sat in the to-be-read pile for a good long while. I haven't read much Vonnegut since school, when probably about 9 out of 10 Vonnegut readers read his work, but I do enjoy reading him. Nonetheless, I dreaded this. The title alone told me it would be dreary and the title, for the most

its a no from me dog.

Love Vonneguts included illustrations. Bought this book used at a dilapidated antique store in a small kayaking town in Colorado. Folded into the pages I found the following items: -1 partially finished Flat Stanley (only pants)- US Airways ticket from Philadelphia to Denver- 3 sudoku squares, with answers taped to back- bookmark from Tattered Cover Book Store - pink post it reading TOM. Book for you. Also please pick up mail Sat. Thank you

Rip Torn was the reader in this audiotape. I thought he was great in the movie Cross Creek, but here he was just plain reading weird. And not a funny weird, more of an insulting one. I thought the fiction pieces were unpublished for a reason. The nonfiction was excellent. Vonnegut tries too hard to be Mark Twain. Maybe he should just come out and shout, "Hey, Everybody, look I'm just like Mark Twain!"

Never trust my rating on a Vonnegut. I love this man.

I remembered Vonnegut being funny and clever. I didn't remember his satires being so humanitarian and dare I say sweet? Very few other people show such clear vision of their societies' absurdities, and even fewer can use humor to make such vision bearable for so many readers. Perhaps it's because these stories draw from his wartime experiences, and who (now) could see the bombing of Dresden, for example, as anything but ludicrous? This book starts with the last speech he'd written; if nothing