Armageddon in Retrospect

published	April 1st 2008 by Putnam Publishing Group
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0399155082 (isbn13: 9780399155086)
pages	240
description	The first and only collection of unpublished works by Kurt Vonnegut since his deatha fitting tribute to the author, and an essential contribution to the discussion of war, peace, and humanitys tendency toward violence.<...more [close] The first and only collection of unpublished works by Kurt Vonnegut since his deatha fitting tribute to the author, and an essential contribution to the discussion of war, peace, and humanitys tendency toward violence. Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. Imbued with Vonneguts trademark rueful humor, the pieces range from a visceral nonfiction recollection of the destruction of Dresden during World War IIan essay that is as timely today as it was thento a painfully funny short story about three Army privates and their fantasies of the perfect first meal upon returning home from war, to a darker, more poignant story about the impossibility of shielding our children from the temptations of violence. Also included are Vonneguts last speech as well as an assortment of his artwork, and an introduction by the authors son, Mark Vonnegut. Armageddon in Retrospect says as much about the times in which we live as it does about the genius of the writer. [close]
date added	10-11-07 edit book

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Joshua rated it:

04/27/08

Read in April, 2008

It’s a dark world we live in today; our country is involved in war, terrorism lurks in many corners of the world, and nuclear capability is commonplace in almost all countries. For a society that has advanced as far as the human race, it’s sad to think that we haven’t really come that far at all. As a result, it can be argued that Armageddon has never been closer.
Many writers may believe this, but few if any, have the talent and the ability to express in words the ideas about war and...more It’s a dark world we live in today; our country is involved in war, terrorism lurks in many corners of the world, and nuclear capability is commonplace in almost all countries. For a society that has advanced as far as the human race, it’s sad to think that we haven’t really come that far at all. As a result, it can be argued that Armageddon has never been closer.
Many writers may believe this, but few if any, have the talent and the ability to express in words the ideas about war and society that Kurt Vonnegut is known for. Vonnegut’s new book, a collection of short stories published posthumously, writes about the issue of war with a profound sense of longing for peace and the betterment of mankind in a simplistic style that is sure to influence everyone who reads it.
Most of the stories are fiction, but there is also a non-fiction piece which really speaks to the reader about who Kurt Vonnegut the man was. Another glimpse of Vonnegut’s feelings about war comes from his son who writes in the introduction that “He tried always to be on the side of the angels. He didn’t think the war in Iraq was going to happen, right up until it did. It broke his heart…because he loved America and believed that the land and people of Lincoln and Twain would find a way to be right. He believed…that America could be a beacon and a paradise.”
As the title suggests, and as much of Vonnegut’s writing is known for, war is the topic of the short stories found in this book. Sometimes this theme is present at the surface, as in the story Brighten Up, which tells of the daily life of a soldier trapped in a POW camp, and sometimes the theme is more difficult to find, disguised by symbolism and vague hints as in the story Unknown Soldier, a few simple pages about a couple’s baby that dies during infancy. But throughout each story, there is the overlaying theme about war, and it is always present if not always seen, and gathering like storm clouds on the horizon.
Some Vonnegut fans may not be impressed by Armageddon in Retrospect, the stories having the same style and message that many of Vonnegut’s earlier works are known for. The message to be found between the words is at its most base element, a diatribe against war and the hypocrisy of civilization. Yet it is for this same reason that other Vonnegut fans will cherish this collection. He may be preaching to the choir, but when a particular sermon has the type of power that Vonnegut’s words carry, its bound to work more then once.
Each of the stories in Armageddon in Retrospect has a tendency to take the reader on an emotional roller coaster, making them loathe the human race in one moment, then building up their hopes for a brighter future, only to dash them again as they flip the page to the next story. But this elemental mood shift and longing that can never quite be fulfilled is characteristic of human nature, and one that few people can express in words.
Kurt Vonnegut had this ability to point out both the best and worst in mankind, to express it in words so that everyone could read it and learn from it. There has perhaps never been a writer who had such a firm grip on humanity and what it all means, while admitting that he never knew what it all meant. Armageddon in Retrospect is the last chance humanity will ever have to learn from Kurt Vonnegut, and for as much as there is to learn, readers should take it.

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