Midwest in the Making: Kurt Vonnegut Jr,

I’ve heard arguments that fame and creativity lie within the streets of New York or Hollywood. However, what about Indianapolis?

One of my favorite authors and in my opinion a satirical genius was from the Midwest. Who you may ask? Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Photo from: http://www.luc.edu/law_library/books/images/breakfast

Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1922. He is known for blending satire, dark humor and science fiction into a giant ball of craziness. Some of his best-known novels include “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “Cat’s Cradle."

My favorite Vonnegut book is “Breakfast of Champions.” It is about a seemingly normal yet horribly deranged car dealer and fast-food franchise owner named Dwayne Hoover. Hoover becomes obsessed with the writings of Kilgore Trout, a pulp science fiction novel, and he takes them for literal truth. Trout is headed to a convention where of course he will run into his most loyal fan, and probably only fan, Dwayne Hoover.  I won’t give away the ending, but “Breakfast of Champions” perfectly displays Vonnegut’s crazy writing style and witty humor. It also includes ridiculous illustrations drawn by Vonnegut himself.

Vonnegut was also known for his humanist beliefs and was president of the American Humanist Association. He was deeply influenced by early Socialist labor leaders, especially two Indiana natives: Powers Hapgood and Eugene V. Debs. These two men are often quoted in Vonnegut novels as characters named Leon Trotsky and Debs.

Vonnegut’s success and insane creativity just go to show you that it doesn’t take the New York lights to breed genius. Next time you doubt the Midwest, grab a Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel and relish in the craziness of Middle America.