Love, Kurt: The Vonnegut Love Letters, 1941-1945

Well curated and helpful in understanding this seminal writer

My daughter has always been a fan.

First off, I am partial to anyone who had to serve in the 106th Infantry as Kurt did during the fateful days 76 years ago. I grew up hearing \”so it goes\” hundreds of time (Kurt in \”Slaughterhouse Five\” mentions the phrase 106 times). My Dad, who spoke that phrase, also served in the 106th Infantry–being a POW_MIA amputeed by a Nazi surgeon. Shrapnel wounds were visible daily but no stories for more than 50 years. So, yes, I read the Vonnegut books, read about the 106th and the Battle of the Bulge often. if I can glean anything from these books, it is well worth the price. I bought \”Love Letters\” for new information which I could relate to my Dad and what was going on when I was conceived at an Army Hospital 6 months after Patton freed the Nurnberg Prison Camp. What I learned from \”love letters\” was worth 5 times the cost. Reading love letters by someone who even stated that they were \”no body\’s business\’ except Jane and him (all war letters were censored) proves ironic now that they will be read by thousands. But they were Vonne-Good!, And maybe someday we will invent a religion that does not believe in \”Convert them or Kill them.\” Here\’s to a better world.

\”What I say in letters to you is particularly no one\’s business,\” Kurt Vonnegut wrote to the woman he loved, never imagining that his future daughter would publish his missives in a book. I feel bad for him, especially since he never intended for his hormonal ramblings or ecstasies about sex to be submitted to the public eye, but I enjoyed reading this collection. It was interesting to see how much he loved his first wife, and to see his development as a writer. These letters are organized chronologically, and each chapter begins with biographical information about his life and some photographic reproductions. Going into this, I knew very little about Vonnegut, and I was primarily interested in this as a collection of WWII letters. As such, it did not disappoint, but I also enjoyed learning more about him, his life, and his writing aspirations. One of my favorite entries from the section about his postwar experience was a rejection letter that he received. He doodled and wrote on it in amusing ways, and it made me laugh out loud. This book made me laugh a lot, actually. Even though I\’m not familiar with most of Vonnegut\’s work, I connected with his writing voice and enjoyed his clever turns of phrase, amusing observations, and unique way of looking at the world. I also enjoyed his many doodles. These letters are photographically reproduced, not just presented as transcripts, and I loved his drawings in the margins, his interesting handwriting, and his dramatic signatures. It was also interesting to see reproduced telegrams and Red Cross letters from the war. Other reviewers complain that Vonnegut seemed creepy to them in these letters, and I can see where they are coming from. His declarations of love can seem obsessive, especially in the early letters, when he was trying to get Jane\’s attention. However, even though many of his statements seem like red flags at face value, I often read them as him being playful and facetious. It\’s a matter of context, and even though I get why other people found some of his statements disturbing, I just saw this as dramatic and silly, especially since so many of the letters are written in a very lighthearted tone. As I previously mentioned, Vonnegut writes dramatic things about sex. He effuses about how attracted he is to his girlfriend and then wife, and often tells her how much he longs to make love to her. I would have found this all extremely uncomfortable and off-putting when I was a teenager, but from an adult perspective, it\’s part of life, and part of letters from war. He occasionally makes some comments that could be construed as explicit, depending on someone\’s sensitivity level, but most of his comments more intimate than lewd. Even though I would DIE of mortification to have these letters reach the public eye if I were him or his partner, none of this is pornographic. I enjoyed reading this book, and it was a fun surprise to see that the letters were reproduced directly, not just transcribed. However, this also made my digital edition difficult to read, because the print was small on my laptop screen. Even though Vonnegut\’s handwriting is very legible, the lines are often small and cramped to conserve space, and when it\’s a thin sheet of paper with writing on both sides, the markings that appear through on the other side make it even more difficult to read it. I read a digital version of this book, and I would encourage future readers to pursue a hard copy of this book instead of reading the Kindle edition, because the writing is very small on a screen, and I got a serious case of eye strain from trying to get through it. If someone wants to read a digital edition of this book, they need to be prepared for the struggle and for the fact that they may have to skim over or skip some of the letters. Despite the complications that I experienced while trying to read this book, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to people who are fans of Vonnegut, and to those who enjoy reading historic letter collections and letters from WWII. It\’s an enjoyable collection, and even though it\’s very unfiltered and intimate at times, making me wonder what in the world Vonnegut would think of the letters\’ publication, it\’s a very engaging reading experience.

Witty and fun to see how Vonnegut\’s writing style has progressed but….. he was kinda stalk-ery. He gives poor Jane no room to breathe. They were in colleges states apart and not in a committed relationship but he still proposes to her and talks about their future together in nearly every letter. I would have enjoyed this collection much more if we would have had more of Jane\’s letters in response to Kurts. As it is their is only one surviving letter from Jane and she is just as witty and well written as him. It is also sad that Kurt possessed this much love for Jane at the beginning but still ended up leaving her. The letters are broken into years and their daughter Edith, provides a brief snapshot of what is happening in their lives as well as some photos. Personally, the best letters are the ones he writes while he is overseas fighting in WWII. Interesting read – but probably only of interest for Vonnegut diehards.

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