Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

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Emmy-award-winning director Robert B. Weide started work on a documentary chronicling the life and stories of author Kurt Vonnegut in 1988. Some 32 years later, Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time will be released next month on November 19, 2021.

Through the many years of making the documentary, Weide developed a close friendship with the late author. Filming as the opportunity presented during the three decades, Vonnegut spoke of life, laughter, depression, and friendship — the karass we build through impermanent lives with those we care most about.

Building the Monkey House

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Credit: WNET-TV/ PBS via Wikimedia Commons

Credit: WNET-TV/ PBS via Wikimedia Commons

I just finished reading an essay by Gregory D. Sumne called Building the Monkey House: At Kurt Vonnegut’s Writing Table. Using several drafts of Vonnegut’s short story Welcome to the Monkey House culled from the author’s papers, Sumne illustrates Kurt Vonnegut’s writing process through analyzing the evolution of the story from draft to draft. It proves fascinating to see how dramatic the story morphs with each version, and how much material fell away to arrive at the classic story. Sumne’s essay is included in Welcome to the Monkey House, the Special Edition, along with the final version of one of Vonnegut’s signature pieces of writing.

Professor Sumne also wrote a book about Vonnegut’s writing called Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut's Life and Novels. I think that will definitely be a future read.