Bagombo Snuff Box is a collection of short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut in the 1950s and 60s and compiled in the 1990s. These are stories he wrote for literary magazines that were once plentiful. These stories supported his family while he was trying to write novels and are some of his earliest works. Some are very good, others not so much. He refers to writing them as an "unpaid internship" and they are therefore responsible for "Slaughterhouse 5," "Breakfast of Champions," and so much more. They are worth reading in their own right, but also for the sense of history.

In Tabachera din Bagombo avem douazeci si trei de povestiri, unele absurde, triste, altele amuzante sau cu final neasteptat. Unele m-au facut sa zambesc in timp ce altele m-au plictisit, dar fiecare poveste vine insotita de o invatatura.

Un exemplu poate fi chiar povestirea care a dat numele cartii: un barbat vrand sa-si impresioneze fosta sotie, casatorita cu trei copii, extenuata cu treburile casnice si fara mari satisfactii, ii aduce in dar o tabachera vrand sa pozeze in tipul aventurier, fara griji si care si-a petrecut viata calatorind in locuri exotice, cand, de fapt, are o viata cenusie si plictisitoare. Nimic nu este ceea ce pare.

Mi-a placut mult introducerea autorului prin care ne dezvaluie cu modestie ca scria aceste povestiri la inceputul anilor 50 pentru a-si putea intretine familia: "Eram convins ca nu fac nici cat o ceapa degerata. Nu voiam decat sa-mi intretin familia."

Cu toate acestea, respectivele povesti au pus temelia pentru operele viitoare, precum Abatorul cinci.

Daca esti in cautare de o lectura usoara, relaxanta si daca iti plac prozele scurte, aceasta carte este pentru tine!

Not bad but not great.
Maybe I expect too much out of Vonnegut. These stories were perfectly fine, if a bit dated. Most of these stories are full of bumbling but well meaning men, and women who are far smarter, but content with them. Pretty classic middle america middle century post war kind of vibe where they love cars and household amenities and watches. Can be hard to relate to, and these lack some of the absurdity that I usually love. There were several stories that deal with the increasing presence of women outside the household and it never goes in quite the way you might think.

All in all, not bad, pretty gentle and generally happy stories with a bit of philosophy.

An interesting and varied - if at times a bit dry - collection of Vonnegut's stories, where he sets out to do his favourite thing; get the reader to reset their moral compass, take off the mask of pretension and find themselves.

As he describes himself, writing is the process of making one's soul grow and that aim comes through here.

This collection is drawn mostly from the early years of Vonnegut's writing career when he was finding his voice and producing short stories for various periodicals. It's a bumpy beginning- I really did not care at all for the first four or five stories in this book. But then he begins hitting his stride and there are some real gems inside. And best of all, Vonnegut sends the reader away in his singular fashion with an eight page coda to his days as a magazine contributor that is truly a heartfelt valentine to the Midwestern United States.

Kurt Vonnegut does not disappoint. Most of this collection of short stories first appeared in magazines a long time ago, but despite age, keep their independence and express Kurt's unique outlook on life and humanity in general. Reading these stories reminds me of characters I have met in the past. Although I can be certain Kurt never met them or even heard about them, he has found these common features that connect us as humans and paint them in a way it drags out of your memory, persons you had long forgotten.

How does one rate a collection of short stories? Should I rate each story then average them out? Or should I invent some amalgamated, conglomerated, overall valuation based on gut feelings and my present mood? I find it so much easier to rate nonfiction. Nonfiction seems much less arbitrary and capricious.

Here’s the compromise—I’ll list all the stories along with where & when they were originally published. Then, I’ll give the whole thing five stars (because it’s Vonnegut) minus one star (because I don’t want to seem too obsessive).

Thanasphere, Collier's Weekly 1950
The Boy Who Hated Girls,* Saturday Evening Post 1956
Souvenir, Argosy 1952
A Present for Big Nick, Argosy 1954
Custom-Made Bride, Saturday Evening Post 1954
Hal Erwin’s Magic Lamp,* Canary in a Cat House 1957
Lovers Anonymous, Redbook 1963
Bagombo Snuffbox, Cosmopolitan 1954
The Cruise of Jolly Roger, Cape Cod Compass 1953
This Son of Mine…, Saturday Evening Post 1956
2 B R 0 2 B, Worlds of If 1962
The Powder Blue Dragon,* Cosmopolitan 1954

*According to Vonnegut’s coda, both The Boy Who Hated Girls and The Powder Blue Dragon were extensively rewritten before being published in this collection.

Vonnegut is quite reflective and musing upon the war experience, death ("Thanasphere" ), dead lives in need of a trickster ("Bagombo Snuff Box"). In this collection, the stories are emended and improved as explained in the afterword which also touches on the lost market of short stories for magazines. I know I have read at least some before. In this collection or elsewhere? Still what resonates with me the most is the accurate picture of the regrettable hubris of immaturity via the Marittima-Frascati in "The Powder-Blue Dragon".

2.5 stars.
2BRO2B was amazing but the rest of the stories were pretty dull... I felt like I dragged my body through the book. Or maybe I just don’t appreciate Vonnegut like I did when I was younger... I’m not sure...

تو دهه پنجاه و اوایل دهه شصت میلادی، وونه‌گات برای مجلات و روزنامه‌ها داستان کوتاه می‌نوشته. بعد از شهرتی که به واسطه رمان‌هاش به دست میاره، سراغ داستان‌های اون دوره‌ش میرند و یه منتخبی از اون داستان‌ها رو تو کتاب به خانه میمون خوش آمدید چاپ می‌کنند. داستان‌هایی که تو این کتاب اومده، باقی داستان کوتاه‌های وونه‌گاته که تو به خانه میمون خوش آمدید چاپ نشدند. داستان‌هایی که به قول خود وونه‌گات اگه شهرت رمان‌هاش نبود، هیچ‌وقت کسی سراغ‌شون نمی‌رفت.
داستان‌ها در کل ضعیفند. خیلی از داستان‌ها رسما رو پایه‌ی نتیجه اخلاقی بنا شدند. اون چند تا داستانی هم که سوژه جالبی داشتند رو پایان عجولانه‌ خراب‌ کرده. به زحمت تونستم کتاب رو تموم کنم. هر بار کتاب رو برمی‌داشتم، امیدوارانه یه داستانش رو میخوندم، ناامیدم میکرد تا بار بعد که برم سراغش.
کتاب ۳۹۶ صفحه‌ست با قطع پالتویی و قیمت ۷۰۰۰ تومن که به نظرم بخاطر همین قیمت نامعقولشه که انقدر کم خونده شده. من هم خوشبختانه این ولخرجی رو نکردم و کتاب رو هدیه گرفتم.

I much preferred Vonnegut's other short story collection (Welcome to the Monkey House. This collection comprises his earliest fiction, when he was first learning how to tell stories and before he wrote the novels that made him famous. Missing from the stories are Vonnegut's overly cynical nature and his incredibly sarcastic delivery and humor (i.e., what made Vonnegut popular). I found this collection fascinating because it was like taking a peak into the author's early career and that gave me a sense of where he started off compared to where he ended up with classics like Slaughterhouse-Five, but unless you're a huge Vonnegut fan, as I am, I'd read his other stories and pass on this set.

A collection of slice-of-life and sci-fi short stories set in post WWII America.
Written early in Vonnegut’s career, these definitely aren’t on the same level as his later work, though I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.
Vonnegut balances humour, absurdity and sentiment throughout. There’s a strong anti war theme in most of these stories. These narratives about how people move forward after surviving war and what’s most important in life, whether that be something as small scale as personal personal relationships or as grand as the future of the planet.
The slice of life stories are realistic and touching. Vonnegut was able to make seemingly mundane stories funny and full of life.
However, my favourites in the collection were the two sci-fi stories.
Particularly the first story ‘Thanasphere’ is a work of immaculate beauty. A ghost story in space, it’s by far the most philosophical.
I love how even when covering very heavy topics, Vonnegut’s writing never becomes preachy or pretentious. He presents his unique way of seeing the world in honest and interesting ways. These stories are equally entertaining and thought provoking.