Between Time and Timbuktu or Prometheus-5

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Jill Krementz (Photographer)

An experimental television play composed of excerpts from Vonnegut's novels and stories, with photographs by Jill Krementz.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Plays, Classics, Humor, Drama, Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

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 as a journalist before joining the U.S. Army and serving in World War II.

After the war, he attended University of Chicago as a graduate student in anthropology and also worked as a police reporter at the City News Bureau of Chicago. He left Chicago to work in Schenectady, New York in public relations for General Electric. He attributed his unadorned writing style to his reporting work.

His experiences as an advance scout in the Battle of the Bulge, and in particular his witnessing of the bombing of Dresden, Germany whilst a prisoner of war, would inform much of his work. This event would also form the core of his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-Five, the book which would make him a millionaire. This acerbic 200-page book is what most people mean when they describe a work as "Vonnegutian" in scope.

Vonnegut was a self-proclaimed humanist and socialist (influenced by the style of Indiana's own Eugene V. Debs) and a lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The novelist is known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973)

Reviews

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who’ve worked their way through Kurt’s fourteen novels, five short story collections, four non-fiction collections and assorted insubstantial curios, your last act of barrel-scraping lies with his short-lived career as a playwright. Happy Birthday, Wanda June is your other option (or perhaps you’ve done that already? top of the class!) and sadly, in addition to an old novella from the 40s Basic Training, someone has released his COLLEGE NEWSPAPER work as an e-book in an act of madness (although no trace of this exists on the Devil’s Marketplace in the UK, sigh of relief). This teleplay was released in hardcover at the height of Kurt’s popularity, so is clearly a bibliography bolsterer, but not without its merits. The teleplay appears to be an imaginative reprise of some of the best SF concepts and messages from his short stories and novels, notably Cat’s Cradle and ‘Harrison Bergeron,’ interrupted by stills from the show (and photos by Jill Krementz) to create a not entirely unsuccessful textual-TV hybrid. Given the book takes less than an hour to complete, it’s an inoffensive experiment, and at least the designers attempted something original rather than simply reproducing the play. Beats reading another volume of unpublished bottom-drawer fiction, says this shameless completist.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay I have read a few experimental and hard to classify books in my time but I think this one is one of the more "different" ones I have come across.

Basically this is a screen play of an experiment show covering the blasting off in to space the first poet -astronaut who was a winner of a food jingle content. Yes another classic piece of work by Kurt Vonnegut - although I will admit one of his lesser know pieces.

I think rather than facing the challenge of describing a book without letting spoilers slip in the case of this books is trying to describe it at all. I will be the first to admit I have very limited experience of the works of Mr Vonnegut but I will admit that he loves the subtleties and this books exhibits a number of things - from cameos of character from other works to sending up the whole media of tv and film. I get the feeling here is an author you can spend as much time as you can reading and still find something new every time.

[Paul Dembina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A screenplay for a 1972 US TV production with copious stills from the show, hence the speed at which I read this (less than 24 hours)
Although Vonnegut's name is on this he wasn't the scriptwriter and it shows. Its a cobbling together of characters and scenarios from various of his novels without any common theme. Disappointing

[Brooke Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

KV picture book, fun 🤗!

Fun blend of some of his stories. One step closer to reading every word this man has ever wrote yay

[Yuliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased.

[Erik Graff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Except for Vonnegut's introduction, this is pretty bad. I saw the teleplay with my father on Chicago's public television station, WTTW, in 1972 or thereabouts, then read the published screenplay while travelling by rail from Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana just over a week ago. The show worked at the time, the transcript of it doesn't except as a reminder of the original program and that only "worked" because it is virtually all taken, hodge-podge, from Vonnegut's beloved novels.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

While many Vonnegut lovers have divided opinions of this book I loved it just as much as I have ever loved any of his works. It was different for sure, but it was a wonderful way to relive pieces of his novels and stories and see them be brought together in a new way. Any chance I get to experience more of Vonnegut I will always readily take.

[Jamjun Rorsoongnern · Rating 3 out of 5]

The foreword by Vonnegut knocked my socks off and over-set my expectations. I don’t know if I agree with Vonnegut’s note that Lady Luck was kind to the scriptwriters and production. Don’t get me wrong, the photographs are delightful and add a fun texture to Vonengut’s writing that doesn’t exist in his other works. It’s not horrible, but it’s a watered-down mix of all his hits, almost as if you asked AI to make a Vonnegut screenplay. I wish they had more notes about the writing table or general process, but so it goes. It’s pleasant, more than a net neutral after reading, and a cool collector-ish item, but not something I would really recommend to anyone but a die-hard Vonnegut fan. (please don’t see this as Vonnegut slander, I love the man. this is just the La Croix of his writing)

[Cooper Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, I’ll fully acknowledge my rating is skewed here. I listened to an “audiobook” of it on the way to work…and the only one available was a YouTube video of the play being performed. I was enthralled. It’s a journey through Vonnegut’s work told in a way that, yes, meanders at times, but I thought the way it’s told is rather reflective of how Vonnegut writes.

He was a great storyteller, but he wrote his books in a way that it felt like he was telling a story to you orally. Sometimes it’d go off the beaten path. Sometimes there would be little anecdotes or asides. And that’s how “Between Time and Timbuktu” is. And I love it for that.

Absolutely not a good gateway into Vonnegut—requires you to have read a LOT of his work—but extremely fun for hardcore fans.

[S Shah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written as a script to a teleplay with monochromatic photo reproductions on every page, including some pages with only images, it makes for an unchallenging read. The concept here seems to have been to present a medley of Kurt Vonnegut's ideas to a television audience framed as a man unable to control his interdimensional time travel. Anyone sufficiently familiar with Vonnegut's work will recognize the dramatization of short scenes from his previous novels. As such, there is no real conclusion other than to serve as a Kurt Vonnegut primer for a television science fiction audience. We may finally stump YouTube now that this play has piqued my curiosity in the theatrical production.

[Jarret Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly funny read that loosely links into one narrative (i.e., script for a public television dramatic special) ideas and characters from his more famous stories. Simply put: I laughed out loud reading this at my local coffee house, with other patrons looking at me inquisitively. I thought about ideas long after I put the book down. Throughout, it reminded me of how much I love everything Vonnegut, and how important he has been to my worldview. I was thrilled when I found a used copy of this rarity, and it will sit on my shelf among my most prized books.

[M.R. Dowsing · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the script of a TV production based on bits and pieces of Vonnegut's work, including 'Harrison Bergeron', 'Cat's Cradle' and others, with some input from Vonnegut, who also provides an introduction. The book contains many black and white stills taken by Jill Krementz (Vonnegut's wife). It's an interesting curio rather than a satisfying read, and it only took me about an hour to get through the whole thing. The original TV production can be found on Youtube.

[Rhuddem Gwelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not really worth 3* as a book - it might have been great as a TV play but I never saw it - but it is Kurt Vonnegut. Sort of. He didn't write it, as such. Some TV people plucked out a few gems from his books and tossed them together in a script and gave it to some actors. It's very possible that it worked on the screen but it wasn't much of a reading experience. Still, Vonnegut gave it his OK, so - OK

[Brad Reiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another play, so it was a quick read due to it's format. This one has way more pages with just pictures than Happy Birthday Wanda June. The story is sort of a mix of previous Kurt Vonnegut Jr. story elements. The way the main character jumps around from happening to happening, seems almost psychedelic. I'd like to seek out the movie presentation of this.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

yeah yeah bias whatever. i found the story quite prettily crafted and a well-made consolidation of some of vonnegut's biggest hits. i can also imagine how the 90-minute movie would be much, much more enjoyable of a piece of media. i will know somebody loves me when they sit down with me to watch it in its entirety. the stills printed within these pages are already quite beautiful

[Zola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I identify as a Vonnegut fan but this little one did not hit for me. There were definitely some existential gems and nice phrases in there, but I think the format felt too thrown together (which is totally part of its point), while I wanted more of a plot. However, it definitely represents itself as exactly what it is. If you’re into that!

[Kealan O'ver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to know what to make of this as it's a script to an obscure TV movie that wasn't written by Vonnegut but based loosely on elements from his work. Easy reading though and takes all of about 20 minutes to finish

[Laramie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick read given that it was a script. An interesting compilation of Vonnegut characters and fun to see familiar faces and stories, but I’m not sure it would translate to an audience not familiar with Vonnegut.

[Chris Cowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mish mash of Vonnegut's ideas and characters come together for this absurdist romp. It may have worked better as the TV play but as a read it wasn't great. The accompanying photographs didn't add much but this may have been partly due to their poor quality reproduction in my edition.

[Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this play. I also saw the PBS adaption of it for television when it first aired.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. I am reading his books in order written so I was familiar with all the characters in the story. I would like to see the tv production

[Lana McCormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much - although it moves quickly and is a super quick read; it's quirky - and I like quirky.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The weirdest most delightful little taste of Vonnegut. Been too long.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this. Lacking Vonnegut’s humour.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

no thanks not for me

[Jasmine Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The only way you can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud that didn't even get to sit up and look around."

[John Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cherish this book, as well at the PBS special it's based on. I'll bet I watched the latter at least two dozen times.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little thing to read. It's a compilation of some of Vonnegut's works and I think it's done well. The pictures make me think it was a fun thing to make.

[Lauren Replogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked the little guy in the corner of the pages

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mildly diverting curiosity solely for Vonnegut completists. Hello there!