Authors note on the illustrations for a man without a country, by kurt vonnegut a special message to readers of the franklin librarys signed first edition of. Hocus pocus by vonnegut, kurt and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut seller rare book cellar published 1990 edition first edition. If luck and time are the two prime movers of the universe, we are lucky in our time to have a kurt vonnegut to prod us, scold us, astonish us. Hocus pocus has 12 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Tongue in cheek and the comedy of reality give way to the problematic ways of life he is so good at communicating.
Vonneguts novels, hocus pocus is a retrospective firstperson narrative in which several time and story lines gradually converge. Eight of us met at the stupendous new vonnegut library to talk about kv s 1990 novel hocus pocus. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. As an example of the futility of peoples efforts to stop at least some of the trouble, the main character, eugene debs hartke, teaches at tarkington, a college at the end of one of the finger lakes in western new york. Kurt vonnegut, hocus pocus told from the point of view of eugene debs, professor at tarkenton collegevietnam war vetprison warden outsider philosopher. Most had never been read and probably never would be read, so there was nothing to stop him from tearing out their. From the new york times bestselling author of slaughterhousefive comes an irresistible novel that combines clever wit. Read hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut available from rakuten kobo. If luck and time are the two prime movers of the universe, we are lucky in our time to have a kurt vonnegut to prod us, scold us, astonish us, unnerve us, entertain us and make us. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut booksamillion online book. Just as the main character, eugene debs hartke is fired from his teaching job for having overly pessimistic ideas, vonneguts book itself pulls americas skeletons out of its closet. An army intelligence scout during the second world war, he was captured by the germans and witnessed the destruction of dresden by allied. Hocus pocus is the tenth book in rachels best vonnegut reading order.
Ive read hocus pocus, slaughterhouse5, mother night, cats cradle, breakfast of champions and armageddon in retrospect, so im thinking either sirens of titan or god bless you, mr rosewater. Eugene debs hartke is a vietnam veteran known as the preacher because he doesnt utter profanities. His parents died in a freak accident in niagra falls without ever knowing what hit them. Hocus pocus takes on an absurdists perspective of human history. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of the kurt vonnegut memorial library, its staff, or its management. There were a lot of little punches by vonnegut, but none were knockouts. Vonneguts latest is his most insistently antiwar novel since slaughterhousefive, and is haunted by vietnam. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut, 9780099877103, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Master of postmodern satire, kurt vonnegut jr patterns trajectories.
Vonnegut is again on target, and this time he hits the bullseye. Hocus pocus is the story of eugene debs hartke, a vietnam veteran, who after leaving the army became a teacher at a private school and then a prison. Buy this book while awaiting trial for an initially unspecified. Praise for hocus pocus hocus pocus is the most topical, realistic vonnegut novel to datehe is a satirist with a heart, a moralist with a whoopee cushion. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut overview from the author of timequake, this irresistible novel cleveland plain dealer tells the story of eugene debs hartke vietnam veteran, jazz pianist, college professor, and prognosticator of the apocalypse. Hocus pocus is vintage vonnegut, witty, startling, satiric. Hocus pocus is an often funny, broad and wideranging commentary on race, class, war and its aftermath, nationalism and provincialism, economics and education, ignorance and enlightenment. The sirens of titan 1959, mother night 1962, cats cradle 1963.
If luck and time are the two prime movers of the universe, we are lucky in our time to have a kurt vonnegut to prod us, scold us, astonish us, unnerve us, entertain us and make us laugh. Hocus pocus is a grim, depressing, yet terribly funny, fictional autobiography of general eugene debs hartke, a person who never masturbated and uttered neither blasphemy nor profanity in his life. Kurt vonnegut was born in indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at cornell university. The life belongs to eugene debs hartke, soldierturnedteacher. September 9, 1990, sunday, late edition final section 7. Bluebeard hocus pocus timequake appendix a special message to readers of the franklin librarys signed first edition of bluebeard four essays on artists origami express.
Hes a vietnam veteran, a jazz pianist, a college professor, and a prognosticator of. Now, being a kid from the 1980s when i saw hocus pocus i thought of the disney movie, in fact i thought this book might be novel version of the film, well, its not, and reading. With hocus pocus he returns fullsize and industrial strength to the powers of his best early work. Kurt vonnegut booklist kurt vonnegut message board. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut 1991, paperback for sale. Vonnegut, as usual, is very creative in more subtle ways. Its whimsical, cynical, humorous, compassionate, psychologically and sociologically incisive, hyperrealistic in some respects and surrealistic in others, narrated by a male protagonist who is presumably a standin for vonnegut himself, and lamenting of how royally human beings fuck up anything they involve themselves in. Vonnegut was covering a lot of ground with this novel. Now, being a kid from the 1980s when i saw hocus pocus i thought of the disney movie, in fact i thought this book might be novel version of the film, well, its not, and reading it changed my life.
After you have read one of kurt vonneguts gleefully pessimistic novels, his words go on. Kurt vonneguts hocus pocus nytimes the new york times. Protagonist eugene debs hartke, west point graduate, vietnam. It is told by one eugene debs hartke and purportedly written in prison on scraps of paper, each scrap a thought. Although it is set in the near future, hocus pocus is the most topical, realistic vonnegut novel to date, and shows the struggle of an artist a little impatient with allegory and more than a little impatient with his own country. While i wasnt blown away by hocus pocus, it was moderately better than timequake. He wrote in a library housing some eight hundred thousand volumes of interest to no one else. Kurt vonnegut 1990 hocus pocus ralph audiobook youtube. Hocus pocus is not only poignant and provocative, it is outrageous and very funny indeed.
From the new york times bestselling author of slaughterhousefive comes an irresistible novel that combines clever wit with keen social observation. Kurt vonneguts hocus pocus concerns the overthrowing of a prison by the largely black prison inmates and their subsequent attempt to form a free independent republic of former prisoners in the small college town adjacent to the prison which they overtake during their initial outbreak. Though the style of the book is difficult to get used to at first it tells a very interesting story of a vietnam war veteran, professor, and prison employee. The main character tells his story in such a way that it doesnt seem to span 300 pages. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut, 9780099877103, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. The late john gardner called the novels of kurt vonnegut jr. He was looking at issues of race, war, economics, politicis, education, money, culure, prison reform, ptsd. In an editors note at the beginning of the book, vonnegut claims to have found. The book takes place at tarkington college where eugene has become a teacher.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. I came upon kurt vonnegut is the most unusual way, i found hocus pocus in a box left in the attic from the previous tenant of a lake house in lincoln city, oregon. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. He was looking at issues of race, war, economics, politicis, education, money, culure, prison reform, ptsd, marriage, death, intimacy, and more. Vonnegut enters the 90s with a satire that has both the savage bite and the sympathetic heart that first drew us to him.
Editors note the author of this book did not have access to writing paper of uniform size and quality. Indeed vonneguts hocus pocus may seem controversial to some, for it talks about things that a large majority of americans would be more comfortable ignoring. After a prison break, he is mistaken for one of the ring leaders and ends up awaiting trial, dying of tb, contemplating his life and trying to count the number of women he has slept with. Hocus pocus 1997 read online free book by kurt vonnegut. Jay mcinerney, the new york times vonneguts best novel in yearsfunny and prophetic, yes, and fabulous too, as cunning as aesop and as gloomy as grimmhes up to something special in hocus pocus.
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