Kurt Vonnegut
L'auteur américain Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) a laissé derrière lui des oeuvres hors du commun et inclassables. Roi de l’humour noir et de la satire, Vonnegut a écrit de la science-fiction mais pas seulement. Au cours de sa longue carrière de plus de 50 ans, il a publié 14 romans, trois recueils de nouvelles et cinq recueils d'essais. Son experience traumatisante durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale a marqué sa vie et son art. Il aurait eu 100 ans le 11 novembre 2022. Biography
1922, 11 November: Birth of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in Indianapolis, Indiana
1940: Vonnegut starts a 2-year degree at Cornell University
1943: He enlists in the US army. He is sent to study engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. 1944: Vonnegut is sent to Europe where he fought and served in the Battle of the Bulge. He was then captured and made prisoner of war in Dresden before escaping.
1945: Back from the war, Vonnegut marries Jane Marie Cox, his high school girlfriend, with whom he had three children. The couple also adopted Vonnegut’s sister’s three children when she passed away in 1958. 1952: Publication of his first novel Player Piano which revolved around the theme of corporate culture. 1969: Publication of his best seller Slaughterhouse-Five, a semi-autobiographical science fiction-infused anti-war novel. 1984: Unsuccessful suicide attempt. The writer struggled with an on-going problem of depression. 2005: Publication of his last book A Man Without a Country, a collection of biographical essays. April 11, 2007: Kurt Vonnegut dies at the age of 84 from head injuries due to falling at his home in New York a few weeks earlier. degree diplôme (licence) / to enlist s’enrôler, s’engager / engineering ingénierie / to serve servir (dans l’armée) / Battle of the Bulge Bataille des Ardennes / high school (équivalent du) lycée / to pass away décéder / novel roman / Player Piano Le pianiste déchaîné / to revolve around tourner autour de / Slaughterhouse Five or the
Children’s Crusade Abattoir 5 ou la Croisade des enfants / to infuse imprégner / to struggle avoir des difficultés / on-going persistant / A Man without a Country Un homme sans patrie / injury blessure.