My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction
For this unusual collection of vintage Vonnegut, the author selected 24 of his stories, written between 1954 and 1961 and published in magazines, and added a new Preface for the occasion.
Paperback, 357 pages
Published
August 1st 2000
by Berkley Publishing Group
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
6,080)
A collection of Vonnegut's earliest work for '50s/60s periodicals.
As the Master himself points out in the marvellous introduction, these are embryonic stories, stylistically clumsy and written purely for financial gain.
This doesn't make the work any less playful and Vonnegutian, though the bulk of these stories have a more moralistic feel to them, and only shades of the postmodern hilarity he would become known for is evident throughout.
Thanasphere and 2BRO2...more
As the Master himself points out in the marvellous introduction, these are embryonic stories, stylistically clumsy and written purely for financial gain.
This doesn't make the work any less playful and Vonnegutian, though the bulk of these stories have a more moralistic feel to them, and only shades of the postmodern hilarity he would become known for is evident throughout.
Thanasphere and 2BRO2...more
This book is a collection of some of Vonnegut's earliest short stories, written for weekly and monthly magazines. They're interesting as a perspective on this era, when "serious" literary authors, or at least burgeoning ones, wrote for magazines, as well as writing full-length novels. They're also an interesting look into Vonnegut's earliest writing style (although he admits in a postscript that he could not help editing the ending of many of the chapters). That being said, they're not...more
I picked this book up at the beginning of the year. Having read Timequake a while back, I thought it was about time I read some more of Vonneguts work, this seemed to be a good place to start. A great collection of all his early short stories which had been published in various American literary magazines over the years, it's a wonderful insight into his beginnings of a novelist. The detail of emotion and feeling which he puts into the many personalities in the book leaves you with no doubt tha...more
I so loved reading and teaching "Welcome to the Monkey House" and am so glad to find this collection published in 1999 at the behest of Peter Reed, a professor friend of Vonnegut. It's a compilation of stories written for money in the likes of The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, The Atlantic and Redbook. Note that some were bought and published by the early incarnation of Cosmopolitan - long before it became the soft porn it appears to be today.
Vonnegut was sounding the sa...more
Vonnegut was sounding the sa...more
Again, an audiobook, so I guess you can consider it cheating.
First off, I generally give three stars to most story collections that I've enjoyed. Typically in any author's collection there are stories I love and some that don't strike me as being quite as good. For me it's really hard to rate collections unless they are absolutely outstanding from top to bottom (rare) or terrible from top to bottom (also rare).
Second, Vonnegut is one of my favorite writers. As such, this '...more
First off, I generally give three stars to most story collections that I've enjoyed. Typically in any author's collection there are stories I love and some that don't strike me as being quite as good. For me it's really hard to rate collections unless they are absolutely outstanding from top to bottom (rare) or terrible from top to bottom (also rare).
Second, Vonnegut is one of my favorite writers. As such, this '...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Creative Writing 101:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things-reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, mak...more
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things-reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, mak...more
These short stories, previously published in various magazines, held my attention for the most part. One great passage is from the story Poor Little Rich Town:
"A village isn't like a factory, where you can walk in and see what's being made at a glance, and look at the books and see if it's a good or bad operation. We're not manufacturing or selling anything. We're trying to live together. Every man's got to be his own expert at that, and it takes years."
That's nice - ...more
"A village isn't like a factory, where you can walk in and see what's being made at a glance, and look at the books and see if it's a good or bad operation. We're not manufacturing or selling anything. We're trying to live together. Every man's got to be his own expert at that, and it takes years."
That's nice - ...more
maybe i'm really not a short story person and then again maybe vonnegut's a better novelist than a short story writer but it took me months to get through this collection and there were few stories that i found myself really wanting to finish except to get on to the next one. i was consistently disappointed and found myself on an 8 hour flight where i'd rather watch something called "wildhogs" than read vonnegut. i didn't even think that was possible.
This is a collection of short stories that are all kind of... well... boring except for one, which is absolutely incredible. That story is called 2BRO2B. This story is a crazy futuristic dystopian society that turns out so creepy it rocks! You could probably find this story without buying the whole book. It would be worth your time to skip the others. They are okay, but nothing special.
I was on a little Vonnegut spree and the bookstore down the street didn't have the next novel in stock. Rather than abandon reading them in chronological order, I picked up this collection of stories for magazines in the 50s and early 60s. I already knew I didn't like his stories from back then, not even "Harrison Bergeron", which everyone loves, but I couldn't stop myself.
The introductions serve as a warning that these stories aren't very good. Vonnegut says that he rew...more
The introductions serve as a warning that these stories aren't very good. Vonnegut says that he rew...more
تو دهه پنجاه و اوایل دهه شصت میلادی، وونهگات برای مجلات و روزنامهها داستان کوتاه مینوشته. بعد از شهرتی که به واسطه رمانهاش به دست میاره، سراغ داستانهای اون دورهش میرند و یه منتخبی از اون داستانها رو تو کتاب به خانه میمون خوش آمدید چاپ میکنند. داستانهایی که تو این کتاب اومده، باقی داستان کوتاههای وونهگاته که تو به خانه میمون خوش آمدید چاپ نشدند. داستانهایی که به قول خود وونهگات اگه شهرت رمانهاش نبود، هیچوقت کسی سراغشون نمیرفت.
داستانها در کل ضعیفند. خیلی از داستانها رسما ...more
داستانها در کل ضعیفند. خیلی از داستانها رسما ...more
This is another Vonnegut short story collection. My guess is that these are the Welcome to the Monkey House rejects. There are a couple of good stories (Thanosphere, 2BR02B) and a few that are decent, but most of them are just "meh".
I found the stories dated and very much in the blithe and shallow style of magazine stories from the 1950s --which is basically what they are. Some of the stories have a dash of SF in them, others a small town, very american, folksy humor derived from Mark Twain via Ring Lardner. The stories are peopled with overzealous high school band directors, boasting salesmen, hungry and morose real estate agents, couples lost in their gadgety, new-fangled houses, all of whom have very little depth to them...more
This was my first venture into Kurt Vonnegut and I am incredibly disappointed that I didn't read his books years ago. Vonnegut has a great writing style and interesting subjects. I am usually not a fan of the short story collection - even my favorite authors like Stephen King and Barbara Kingsolver bore me with short stories - Vonnegut's collection was delightful and intriguing and held my attention throughout. Interestingly, this collection was compiled with stories that didn't make the cut on ...more
This about what I expected. I'm turning (actually, I don't know why I used the present tense - I HAVE turned) into a Vonnegut completionist. Not too much longer to go until I've finished all of his books.
Ta da!
Anyway, this is a nice little collection of short stories written before KV started working on novels. This was before he really developed his distinct style, and these stories, though neat, are rather plain. It is interesting, though, to read a stories of his that ...more
Ta da!
Anyway, this is a nice little collection of short stories written before KV started working on novels. This was before he really developed his distinct style, and these stories, though neat, are rather plain. It is interesting, though, to read a stories of his that ...more
I am not the biggest fan of Vonnegut's novels, the exception being Player Piano. I find them hard to finish. He usually has some interesting science fiction concepts, but the novel plots themselves seem to drag on and on and, at least for me, never seem to get anywhere.
This short fiction is quite the opposite. The science-fiction still shows through in some (Thanosphere), but not all of the stories. The characters are usually less rounded, but you still feel a sense of catharsis with...more
This short fiction is quite the opposite. The science-fiction still shows through in some (Thanosphere), but not all of the stories. The characters are usually less rounded, but you still feel a sense of catharsis with...more
Some of the social criticism and story-setting is as creative and timeless as anything Vonnegut would ever write. Take Thanasphere or 2BR02B, two distopic comedic tragedies that tackle the supra-nuclear threat of overpopulation, about 2B people ago: "Science had given humanity forces enough to destroy the earth, and politics had given humanity a fair assurance that the forces would be used (Thanasphere, which means 'death ball' in Greek)," and from 2BR02B (to be or naught to be) "...more
It is a collection of separate short stories, something like 10...20 pages each.
You get the very essence of the story, and it leaves you with a feeling that you didn't miss anything important just because it is short.
Because of the short range, it leaves a lot to your imagination, he only gives the reader what is necessary.
This was my firt book from Vonnegut, and I loved it. Some stories are just good, but there are some brilliant ones, like:
-A Present for Big...more
You get the very essence of the story, and it leaves you with a feeling that you didn't miss anything important just because it is short.
Because of the short range, it leaves a lot to your imagination, he only gives the reader what is necessary.
This was my firt book from Vonnegut, and I loved it. Some stories are just good, but there are some brilliant ones, like:
-A Present for Big...more
Did you like "Slaughter House Five" and "Cat's Cradle"? Were you like me and totally blown away by the 4th wall breaking in "Breakfast Of Champions"? Well then scale back your expectations before you crack open "Bagombo Snuff Box".
These are stories written back in Vonnegut's magazine days, and as such are far more reserved than the stories he would later become a legend for.
Not to deny it's good qualities. For Vonnegut completists i...more
These are stories written back in Vonnegut's magazine days, and as such are far more reserved than the stories he would later become a legend for.
Not to deny it's good qualities. For Vonnegut completists i...more
Brian
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
big Vonnegut fans, short story loves, and aspiring writers.
While not nearly as stunning a collection as, "Welcome to the Monkey House," "Bagombo Snuff Box," offers up something completely different an very inspiring in its own right: an author finding his voice. I think this is the book that has proved to me that good writers are not born, but rather talent, craft, and practice helps to make them. Many of these stories don't glide off of the page the way that Vonnegut's famous novels do. In fact, many of these stories are told in ...more
I really enjoyed these short stories. These aren't sconce fiction except for one or two stories. It demonstates Vonnegut's mastery of storytelling. He could make a rock sound intersting. I love his introductions and epilogues. It really delves into the root of all of his stories and demonstates he doesn't take himself too seriously. These are the stories he had written before and during his first major novel, player piano. Many of the characters, plots and settings are revisited in depth in his ...more
[Quoted from this book:]
The wooden doors opened with a shriek of rusty hinges. A snappy autumn gust showered the band with leaves. Plummer stood in the great opening, winded and perspiring, harnessed to a drum as big as a harvest moon!
“I know this isn’t challenge day,” said Plummer, “but I thought you might make an exception in my case.”
He walked in with splendid dignity, the huge apparatus grumbling along behind him.
Mr. Helmholtz rushe...more
The wooden doors opened with a shriek of rusty hinges. A snappy autumn gust showered the band with leaves. Plummer stood in the great opening, winded and perspiring, harnessed to a drum as big as a harvest moon!
“I know this isn’t challenge day,” said Plummer, “but I thought you might make an exception in my case.”
He walked in with splendid dignity, the huge apparatus grumbling along behind him.
Mr. Helmholtz rushe...more
I bought Bagombo Snuff Box after determining the local library didn't have it. I'm on a Vonnegut kick at the moment and was looking forward to reading something new.
Unfortunately, this collection doesn't quite compare with Welcome to the Monkey House, IMHO. Most of the stories are from earlier in his career, when he was writing short stories for magazines to support his family. It's certainly not hack writing, but the trademark Vonnegut touch of optimistic cynicism isn't always evid...more
Unfortunately, this collection doesn't quite compare with Welcome to the Monkey House, IMHO. Most of the stories are from earlier in his career, when he was writing short stories for magazines to support his family. It's certainly not hack writing, but the trademark Vonnegut touch of optimistic cynicism isn't always evid...more
I don't care if you ever read this book, and in fact, though I know I did (and apparently gave it three stars several years ago), I don't remember anything from it except for the intro. Please allow me to reproduce a small chunk of that here:
Kurt Vonnegut's Creative Writing 101:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should w...more
Kurt Vonnegut's Creative Writing 101:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should w...more
Brandy
added it
Thoroughly enjoyed taking "Buddhist Catnaps" with Kurt V. Not only did he turn me onto reading short stories, but it was interesting seeing a different writing style by him than I'm used to with his later novels. Also it was neat to reflect on the topics he wrote about for his 1950s & early '60s audiences. My favorites in this collection were The Package, Poor Little Rich Town, and Lovers Anonymous.
After the last 2 books I read this is like a breath of fresh air, and Vonnegut's prose, simple elegant and effective shows he is a master of the short story. These are tales of middle America in the 50s and 60s, but range from the whimsical to the overtly cynical, and told with a light and delicate touch. i had read some of his other novels but not the short stories and strongly recommend this collection.
Raccolta uscita negli Stati Uniti e ancora inedita in Italia, presenta una serie di racconti scritti negli anni Cinquanta e pubblicati su varie riviste.
È un Vonnegut ancora piuttosto acerbo; non tanto nella forma, che resterà tutto sommato abbastanza semplice anche nei capolavori seguenti, quanto nel tono.
Meno caustico che in futuro, qui il buon vecchio Kurt non sembra aver ancora sviluppato appieno il tono sarcastico e la battuta secca che lo contraddistinguono, limitandosi ad alcune ...more
È un Vonnegut ancora piuttosto acerbo; non tanto nella forma, che resterà tutto sommato abbastanza semplice anche nei capolavori seguenti, quanto nel tono.
Meno caustico che in futuro, qui il buon vecchio Kurt non sembra aver ancora sviluppato appieno il tono sarcastico e la battuta secca che lo contraddistinguono, limitandosi ad alcune ...more
My initial reaction to most of the stories was, "Quaint". A good portion of the soul of these is a reaction to a war that seems to live only in secondhand memory; mostly in the yellowed pages of stories like these. But then, they are poignant without trying to be so, and artfully done, yet with an unpolished hand. You may seek this book out only because of a "completist" sentimentality, buy you'll keep reading it because it rings true, even if the sounds it makes are sometime...more
A collection of the early work of Vonnegut. Most of these stories were found in fiction mags. Most of these stories Vonnegut uses the same structure and background. Most stories take place in schools or in a recalling of the war. Great read, if it wasn't for how some stories were very similar I would have enjoyed it more than Monkey House.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Kurt Vonnegut, Junior was an American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist. He was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003.
He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked a...more
More about Kurt Vonnegut...
He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked a...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.”
—
52 people liked it
“Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.”
—
28 people liked it
More quotes…
