Katherine Burger Interview

Chances are that if you’re familiar with Kurt Vonnegut, you’ll have come across references to Knox Burger, before. Burger published Vonnegut’s first short story, “Report on the Barnhouse Effect” and has been celebrated by a range of authors, including Kurt. Vonnegut has suggested that Burger “discovered and encouraged more good young writers than any other editor of his time” and the author’s short story collection, Welcome to the Monkey House, is dedicated to Burger.

Katherine Burger, the daughter of Knox Burger, was kind enough to answer a few questions for the blog, relating to her father and Vonnegut, as well as her home on Bethune Street, which readers of Mother Night will no doubt know as Howard Campbell’s NY apartment. Katherine currently lives in Campbell’s “home” and you can find out more about this fictional setting – and real life building – by reading the interview. If you’d like to find out more about Katherine’s work as a playwright and artist, make sure to visit KatherineBurger.net.

It would be wonderful if you could tell me a little bit about yourself, such your work as a playwright, and how you find living in New York?
I am a playwright and visual artist. My website is katherineburger.net. I also am the Director of the Artist In Residence Program at the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock NY, and live there almost half the year. New York City is an amazing place, but full of stimuli and rather exhausting. It's nice to live in the (relatively) quiet woods for the summer.

Your father was the first person to publish a story by Kurt Vonnegut and Welcome to the Monkey House is dedicated to him. Did Vonnegut and your father work together throughout their lives? 
My father wasn't Kurt's agent. Their relationship was more one of friendship, after some early literary business. They first met at Cornell. My family spent summers with the Vonneguts when my sister and I were children, and Knox and Kurt remained friends all their lives.

Forthcoming Posts on Kurt Vonnegut Settings

As you may have noticed, it’s been a little while since the last novel addition to the blog. Recent posts have included information on London Bubble Theatre Company’s Sirens of Titan adaptation, as well as a new batch of Kilgore Trout stories.

Over the next few weeks, a guide to the settings in Jailbird will be posted on the blog, as well as some exclusive information on the settings in Bubble’s Sirens of Titan play – which was very kindly provided by Owen at the theatre company.

Last but not least, an interview with Katherine Burger – artist and daughter of Knox Burger, Vonnegut’s lifelong friend – will also be making its way online soon. So, make sure to keep reading the blog over the next few weeks to keep up to date with all the latest Kurt Vonnegut related developments.

Kilgore Trout in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Today's post is another from Marek Vit's wonderful Kurt Vonnegut Corner, detailing the Kilgore Trout stories in God Bless You, Mr Rosewater. The original post used to be located here: www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4953/kt_ros.html, but as Geocities is no longer available, Marek has allowed me to repost the stories here. I hope you enjoy them!

The page numbers referred to in this post are from the following edition of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: New York: November 1978; Dell Publishing Co.

2BR0TB
Trout's favorite formula was to describe a perfectly hideous society, not unlike his own, and then, toward the end, to suggest ways in which it could be improved. In 2BR0TB he hypothecated an America in which almost all of the work was done by machines, and the only people who could get work had three or more Ph.D's. There was a serious overpopulation problem, too.

All serious diseases had been conquered. So death was voluntary, and the government, to encourage volunteers for death, set up a purple-roofed Ethical Suicide Parlor at every major intersection, right next door to an orange-roofed Howard Johnson's. There were pretty hostesses in the parlor, and Barca-Loungers, and Muzak, and a choice of fourteen painless ways to die. The suicide parlors were busy places, because so many people felt silly and pointless, and because it was supposed to be an unselfish, patriotic thing to do, to die. The suicides also got free last meals next door.

And so on. Trout had a wonderful imagination.

One of the characters asked a death stewardess if he would go to Heaven, and she told him that of course he would. He asked if he would see God, and she said, "Certainly, honey."
And he said, "I sure hope so. I want to ask Him something I never was able to find out down here."
"What's that?" she said, strapping him in.
"What the hell are people for?"
(pages 20-21)

The Sirens of Titan Review – London Bubble Theatre Company

Back in June, we covered the London Bubble Theatre Company’s announcement of a new adaptation of The Sirens of Titan. Early information about the production suggested that visitors would have “an opportunity to stroke the Harmoniums of Mercury, and a chance to learn how to survive on Goofball oxygen supplies” and Bubble’s production of Vonnegut’s early novel promised interactivity and enjoyment.

Given that The Sirens of Titan has been described by Douglas Adams as a “tour de force” and by Esquire as not only asking “the ultimate question about the meaning of life”, but answering it, you’d be forgiven for thinking Bubble had taking on a production they might struggle with. However, given that the theatre company performed the Odyssey last year, it seems that Bubble has no qualms with creating bold and what could be considered adventurous performances. Indeed, given that Vonnegut even penned his own take on the Odyssey (initially entitled Penelope, before becoming Happy Birthday Wanda June), it makes sense that Bubble has now gotten to grips with this often-extraordinary American writer.