Kurt Vonnegut in 1990 (Photo by Don Cochrane) During his lifetime, Kurt Vonnegut always felt unappreciated -- much like his fictional alter-ego, Kilgore Trout in "Breakfast of Champions." The literary establishment may have looked down its nose at him, but Vonnegut's fans in the counterculture considered him a prophet and visionary, a humanist who used his absurdist novels and stories to try to make sense of a universe that seemed random and absurd. Born on November 11, 1922, Vonnegut's life was indeed full of randomness and absurdity. His mother committed suicide on Mother's Day, 1944. Some years later, within days of each other, his brother-in-law was killed in a horrific train accident and his sister Alice died of cancer. During World War II, he was held as a P.O.W. in a slaughterhouse during the Dresden firestorm, an experience that he worked into his celebrated novel "Slaughterhouse Five." After the war, he worked in a string of odd professions that included managing the first Saab dealership in the United States. In a graphic sense, Vonnegut's life was his work. In such novels as "Cat's Cradle," "Mother Night," and the short story collection, "Welcome to the Monkey House," Vonnegut explored the way humans retain their humanity even in the face of uncontrollable and catastrophic events. His concerns -- dehumanizing technology, the need for connection under mindless bureaucracy and violence -- mark him as one of the 20th century's great humanist writers. Suggested Sites... Vonnegut.com - official site, dedicated to Kurt Vonnegut's life, works, and philosophy. Kurt Vonnegut Quotes - quotes by Vonnegut from his writings and interviews. The Vonnegut Web - critical bibliography and an in-depth summary of Vonnegut's life. Vonnegut Art Works - drawings and paintings by Kurt Vonnegut

Directory categories: Kurt Vonnegut, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing, 20th Century People, World War II Prisoners of War, Humanism

Archived under: Authors, Biographies, Birthdays, Counterculture, Fiction, Literature, Science Fiction, Writers, Writing

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Dracula, Prince of Wallachia Long before Lestat, Bill Compton, Angel, and Edward Cullen took their first bites, there was the original vampire: Dracula. Unlike the aforementioned bloodsuckers, Dracula didn't wrestle with his conscience, delve into politics, help the helpless, or (God forbid) sparkle. Both the "real life" and fictional Draculas were violent and merciless -- not brooding, self-aware emo kids. The "real" Dracula is believed to be a Wallachian (not Transylvanian) prince named Vlad Tepes who lived during the mid-15th century. Vlad lived during a time of great political turmoil for his homeland. The ever-expanding Ottoman Empire was determined to conquer Romania and Vlad led the resistance to turn them away. Vlad used guerilla warfare and what amounted to martial law to keep the Turks out and the local nobility from rebelling. He became known as "Vlad the Impaler" for his particular brutal torture and execution tactics. According to legend, anywhere from 50,000 to 200,000 were killed by Vlad's forces, leading to his reputation as a bloodthirsty tyrant. But Vlad's actions should be placed in the context of the violent and war-torn era in which he lived. In fact, many modern Romanians consider him to be a national hero. The Dracula of fiction was probably inspired by the legend of Vlad Tepes. It is debatable how aware writer Bram Stoker was of old Vlad's biography; he may have just liked the sound of "Dracula" for his villain. And Dracula was quite a villain. In between murdering and brainwashing, Dracula also plots world domination. He is apparently defeated by Dr. Van Helsing and his allies at the end of Stoker's novel by being stabbed in his coffin. However, as Hollywood has shown us, this death certainly wasn't permanent. In the Universal Studios Dracula films of the 1930s and '40s (made famous by Bela Lugosi) and the Hammer Films movies of the '60s and '70s (with Christopher "Saruman" Lee), Dracula always lives to kill another day. The popularity of these films further cemented Dracula's place in pop culture history. The last few years have seen vampires come back into vogue, thanks primarily to the TV shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "True Blood," and "The Vampire Diaries," and the Twilight books and movies. But Dracula has largely been absent, save a cameo on "Buffy" and a role in the 2004 film "Van Helsing." But as we all know, Dracula always comes back. This year, Bram Stoker's great grand-nephew will publish "The Undead," a sequel to "Dracula" based on Stoker's original notes and material not included in the original novel. With this release and the ceaseless popularity of vampire books, movies, and TV shows, it probably won't be long before Dracula rises again. But please: no sparkling.   Suggested Sites... Dracula: 1897 Original Text - read the original 1897 version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" online at Internet Archive. Dracula's Castle - visit Dracula's Castle in Brasov, Romania and learn about other Dracula-related places in Romania. Romania Tourism; Dracula - discover more about Dracula (a.k.a. Vlad Tepes) and learn more about Dracula's place in Romanian history from the official tourism website of Romania. The Dracula Society - the foremost organization devoted to learning more about the real and fictional Dracula, as well as other supernatural beings.

Directory categories: Count Dracula, Vampires, Vlad Tepes, Bram Stoker, Romania

Archived under: Biographies, Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, European History, Fiction, Horror, Horror Films, Literature, Movies, Mythology and Folklore, Paranormal, TV, Vampires, Villains

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If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled. Humility is rarely a virtue associated with notable artists (Kayne West take note), but P. G. Wodehouse was not a man to let his many successes give him delusions of grandeur. When the gritty socialist Irish dramatist Sean O'Casey bestowed the "performing flea" moniker on Wodehouse, he took it remarkably in his stride. While many would have considered the label an insult, a damning indictment on a literary career that spanned almost 80 years and at least five different genres, Wodehouse chose instead to adopt the slur as the title for a collection of letters to a friend he was later to publish. Wodehouse acknowledged that he "went in for light writing" and that consequently he was "sneered at and looked down on by the intelligentsia." But when you can count amongst your fans such modern literary bigwigs as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, and Terry Pratchett, then you must have been doing something right. Nowadays perhaps most of us remember Wodehouse for his tales of Jeeves and Wooster, the hilarious accounts of a dim-witted self-indulgent toff who is continually rescued and extricated from an abundance of social blunders by his sage and worldly -- but crucially also socially inferior -- butler. The characters were joyously brought to screen by ex-Cambridge Univeristy Footlights duo Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. (Note to all readers that enjoy Mr. Laurie as the curmudgeonly House but have not seen his irrepressible performances in Jeeves & Wooster, then please do so... immediately.) Perversely, it appears that the vehicle that brought his work into the lives and hearts of many (the aforementioned TV adaptation), is not something that Wodehouse himself would have approved of. I would, however, be presumptuous enough to assume that he would have relished the irony. You see, Wodehouse was a theatre man who had little interest in movies and television, much less seeing his works adapted for the media. Of course, there were offers for syndication, and lucrative ones at that: television, theatre, comic strips, and even advertising. But Wodehouse knew that Jeeves' place was between the pages of a book. So how did he handle the offers to crowbar his characters into any and all media vehicles? A huge thespian hissy fit? Of course not. In his own words: "It only needed Jeeves' deprecating cough and his murmured 'I would scarcely advocate it, sir.'" Suggested Sites... P.G. Wodehouse at Project Gutenberg - a selected archive of the man's work. The Wodehouse Society - what I suspect would today be called "The Official Fanclub." P.G. Wodehouse Books - your complete guide to P.G. Wodehouse. Biblia Wodehousiana - The Wodehouse Bible.

Directory categories: Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, Yahoo! Groups about P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and Wooster TV Show, Authors, Literature

Archived under: Authors, Books, England, Fiction, Literature, P.G. Wodehouse, TV

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Couldn't you just bite these two on the neck? (Photo from Yahoo! Movies) If you’ve been in a movie theater lately, chances are you’ve heard a chorus of teenage girls screaming at the trailer for the new "Twilight" movie, "New Moon." But it's not just adolescents who are giddy over the series -– fans of all ages will be convening in Dallas, Texas, from July 30th to August 2nd for the first-ever "Twicon." And lest you think that a convention about vampires who sparkle in sun is silly, it’s certainly not the first fan gathering of its kind. "Harry Potter" fans, or "Potterphiles," have been convening for years now -- most recently in San Francisco at the cleverly-titled Azkatraz." Then there are "Xena" fans, "Star Trek," a slew of other science fiction conventions, and countless comic book conventions. "Twilight" fans, like any other fandom, have their fair share of hardcore devotees (sometimes known as "shippers"). Fans express their undying love for Edward and Isabella by writing "fanfic" (short for fan fiction) or creating fan art. Then there are the fans who bring a little reality to the party by poking fun at the diehards or by parodying the movies and books themselves. This year's Twicon might not be filled with giant Wookiees or people dressed like Spock, but it's sure to feature some oddities of its own. But just remember, if you or someone you love starts wearing fake fangs and body glitter to channel their "inner vampire," it might be time to stage an intervention. Suggested Sites... Twicon 2009 - everything you need to know about this year's Twicon. The Twilight Saga - official move site. Stephenie Meyer - official site for the author. TwiFanatics - movie news, fan fiction, gossip, pictures, and more. Yahoo! Movies: Twilight - movie info and more.

Directory categories: "Twilight" Saga, "New Moon" Movie, Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Fan Fiction, Vampires

Archived under: Books, Celebrations, Celebrities, Children´s Literature, Comic Books, Communities, Conventions, Cultures, Entertainment, Events, Fan Fiction, Fanatics, Festivals, Fiction, Harry Potter, Horror, Monsters and Creatures, Movies, Mythology and Folklore, Reading, Society and Culture, Star Trek, Star Wars, TV, Vampires

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Dust-jacket of the original edition of "Catcher in the Rye" "It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road." For nearly 60 years, its bound pages have served as a quasi-bible for angst-ridden and disenfranchised adolescents. Dog-eared, loose-leafed copies have been sullenly passed from tormented teen to tormented teen on campuses and in libraries across the globe. And though it's one of the most frequently-taught books in high school and college classrooms, it's also been one of the most controversial and banned books of the last half-century, mostly due to its profanity, sexual content, and blatant encouragement of rebellion. I'm speaking, of course, of J.D. Salinger's masterpiece "The Catcher in the Rye," and its quintessential anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. First published on July 16, 1951, as a novel for adults, Salinger's fictional account of the days young Holden spends in New York City after being expelled from Pencey Prep immediately struck a chord with disaffected, brooding teens and still does today. It's frequently listed as one of the best novels of the 20th century and still consistently sells around a quarter of a million copies a year. Given its popularity, it remains one of the most surprising and conspicuous stories never adapted for the stage or film. Everyone from Samuel Goldwyn to Steven Spielberg has made a bid for a screen version, and actors ranging from Jerry Lewis to Leonardo DiCaprio have yearned to add Holden to their resumes, but to no avail. The famously-reclusive author has refused every offer for rights to his book and, as Joyce Maynard famously averred, "The only person who might ever have played Holden Caulfield would have been J.D. Salinger." That hasn't stopped filmmakers from trying, however. Many critics have noted significant "Catcher" influences in such films as "Six Degrees of Separation," "Field of Dreams," "Rushmore," "Rebel without a Cause," "Charlie Bartlett," and many others. Salinger is so protective of "Catcher in the Rye" that, despite being 90, ailing, and deaf, he recently sued writer "John David California" over an unauthorized "Catcher" sequel titled "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye." Some call him crazy, but we understand that he's just trying to keep those "goddamn phonies" from possibly ruining one of the 20th century's most enduring and endearing protagonists, and quite possibly, a mirror of himself. Suggested Sites... Salinger.org - dedicated to reclusive writer Jerome David Salinger. Includes bibliography, characters, opinions, anecdotes, and more. Jerome: The J.D. Salinger Fanlisting - fanlisting for the author of "Catcher in the Rye," "Nine Stories," "Franny and Zooey," and others. Exploring "The Catcher in the Rye" - indexes the nearly one hundred characters and the various topics in "The Catcher in the Rye." Also features "Catcher" fan fiction, art, observations, and news. The Onion: New Terminator Movie Brings J.D. Salinger Out Of Hiding - J.D. Salinger's take on the "Terminator" franchise. Fictional, but very funny. YouTube.com: Catching Salinger - Pencey Prep - scene from the documentary "Catching Salinger," featuring an interview with a former classmate of Salinger's.

Directory categories: J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Literature, Banned Books

Archived under: 1950s, Anniversaries, Authors, Books, Censorship, Counterculture, Fiction, Movies, Recluses, Teens, Writers, Writing

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