A Man Without a Country

By Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "For all those who have lived with Vonnegut in their imaginations . . . this is what he is like in person." - USA Today In a volume that is penetrating, introspective, incisive, and laugh-out-loud funny, one of the great men of letters of this age-or any age-holds forth on life, art, sex, politics, and the state of America's soul. From his coming of age in America, to his formative war experiences, to his life as an artist, this is Vonnegut doing what he does best: Being himself. Whimsically illustrated by the author, A Man Without a Country is intimate, tender, and brimming with the scope of Kurt Vonnegut's passions. Praise for A Man Without a Country " This] may be as close as Vonnegut ever comes to a memoir." - Los Angeles Times "Like that of] his literary ancestor Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut's] crankiness is good-humored and sharp-witted. . . . Reading A Man Without a Country is] like sitting down on the couch for a long chat with an old friend." -The New York Times Book Review "Filled with Vonnegut's] usual contradictory mix of joy and sorrow, hope and despair, humor and gravity." - Chicago Tribune "Fans will linger on every word . . . as once again Vonnegut] captures the complexity of the human condition with stunning calligraphic simplicity." - The Australian "Thank God, Kurt Vonnegut has broken his promise that he will never write another book. In this wondrous assemblage of mini-memoirs, we discover his family's legacy and his obstinate, unfashionable humanism." -Studs Terkel

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081297736X
• ISBN13: 9780812977363
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Condition

Looking forward to reading - thank you!

Getting Educated

After reading Mr. Wolfensburger's review, my Vonnegut juices got stirred up. How is it possible for a person to be "educated" in this country through college and not have even heard of Kurt Vonnegut Jr, much less having never read any of his books? Start off with "Slaughterhouse Five", then "Breakfast of Champions", then any and all of the rest of them. After you finish Vonnegut, continue with Joseph Heller's "Catch 22", and go on to Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". After these warmups of how this country functions, you can begin your education.

The perfect epilogue.

Kurt finally concludes the half-century journey on which he has taken us with this hilarious, heartfelt, charming epilogue. Vonnegut gives us literary polaroids of his childhood and day-to-day life, places us at the dinner table with Mark Twain, Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, and Eugene Debs, and manages to answer the question: "What does it mean to be human?" All the while single handedly battling George W. Bush, H-Bombs, and the "Guessers."