Pitam se zašto nisam ranije uzeo ovu knjigu u ruke... Jedina (uslovno rečeno) "ozbiljna" knjiga koja me je do sada ovoliko zabavila i iznenadila je naravno Pinčonov roman "Objava broja 49". Ovaj Vonegatov roman apsolutno može da parira Pinčonovom, ali da odmah budem jasan, ne mogu da se odlučim koji od ova dva romana više volim :D

Ako bi trebalo sažeti ovaj roman u nekoliko reči mislim da bi "pohvala ljudskoj gluposti" bio sasvim adekvatan tagline. Na ovih dvestotinjak stranica, Vonegat nam pripoveda o jednoj ponosnoj državici koja ima svog velikog vođu, koji tiranijskom strahovladom (tj. strahom od kuke) upravlja državom, i svetog čoveka koji je napisao mnogo umnih filozofsko-religijskih knjiga i koji je utemeljio veroispovest koja mora da se praktikuje u tajnosti (inače sledi kuka). Na sve to još dodajte jednog poluludog naučnika koji otkriva "smrtonosno oružje" koje može lako da se iskoristi za uništenje širih narodnih masa, i mnoštvo različitih likova i likčina koji dominiraju ovim romanom ili služe kao veoma živopisne epizode...

Kroz svoje likove Vonegat preispituje sve: nauku, politiku, veru, ljubav i primećuje kako su sve ove stvari roba kojom se trguje i kako je lična korist u temelju svega ovoga. Da nije ironije, putem koje pristupa ovim stvarima, Vonegatovog savršenog smisla za humor i onog stava sličnog Ajnštajnovom - da je ljudska glupost beskonačna, verovatno bi se ova knjiga čitala sa grčem na licu. Previše je momenata u njoj kada čitaocu na pamet pada koliko Vonegatova izmišljena država ima sličnosti sa zemljom u kojoj čitalac živi. To samo govori u prilog koliko je Vonegat pronikao u samu srž problema celog čovečanstva.

Evo malo citata:
"Ljudi moraju da pričaju o nečemu kako bi im govorni aparat ostao funkcionalan, tako da imaju dobar govorni aparat kad im dođe da kažu nešto zaista značajno."

"Čovek je sazreo onda kada spozna sopstvena ograničenja."

"Ako nemamo precizne zapise o prošlosti, kako možemo očekivati od ljudi da izbegavaju ozbiljne greške u budućnosti?"
"Istorija!, piše Bokonon. Čitajte i plačite!"

"Čuvaj se onoga ko se marljivo trudi da nešto sazna, a pošto to sazna, samo ustanovi da nije nimalo pametniji, veli nam Bokonon. Taj je toliko ogorčen da je spreman i da ubije neznalice koje nisu do svog neznanja morale da dođu ulažući takav trud."

I naravno nezaobilazna 14. knjiga Bokononova "Kakvu nadu jedan razborit čovek može gajiti za čovečanstvo na Zemlji kad se ima u vidu iskustvo iz poslednjih milion godina?" koja se sastoji iz samo jedne reči: "Nikakvu." :D

Zar ne zvuči sve ovo poznato? Ako uključite TV ili prelistate vesti imamo i danas žive primere za sve ovo. Vonegat je apsolutno u pravu da za ljudski rod nema nade i da nikada nećemo naučiti svoju lekciju. Možda je armagedon stvarno i jedino realno rešenje za ljudsku glupost. Teri Pračet je jednom napisao kako je izazivanje armagedona opasna stvar i da ga ne bi trebalo praktikovati kod kuće... Da je Vonegat danas živ i da u svojim rukama ima čuveni led-devet, mislim da bi ga bez ikakvog dubljeg razmišljanja svesno iskoristio, a zatim i od sebe napravio kip. Taj kip, naravno, ne bi pokazivao šipak... već srednji prst!

Apsolutno čista desetka!

To pierwsza książka Vonneguta, której początek tak bardzo mnie zainteresował. Niestety tak jak przy dwóch poprzednich gdzieś zatraciłam umiejętność rozumienia o co chodzi.

Wonderful and quintessentially Vonnegut: funny fused with melancholy. Simultaneously a dim, realistic baring of humanity's faults and a bright, optimistic celebration of our virtues. It's told in the quaintly charming voice that Vonnegut mastered to soften the delivery of some very critical views about people and society. It's a metafictional skewering of organized religion and "Big Science" and it's a warm reminder that our species must preserve close, intimate connections between individuals if we hope to survive.

5 stars out of 5. I can find absolutely no fault* in this book. It works as entertainment and it works as edification.


___
*not entirely true, as there are some off-putting words, relics of the time of publication that are no-nos now

Another satirical masterclass from Vonnegut. Another stunning jewel in Vonnegut's crown.

I wouldn't say it's even his best written, and it wouldn't even crack into my top three Vonnegut books (that just shows how good he is), but in terms of characters—I've always believed midgets are so under-used in novels and here we get two—Newt & Zinka, his trademark wit and irony when it comes to mocking man and war, science and religion, then it ticks enough boxes to leave Vonnegut fans in dreamland.

Makes a great entry point too for the Vonnegut newbies; specifically younger readers, as it's a breeze to read compared to other more complex works. A breeze to read maybe, but its themes are still more like that of a tornado. Generally, for well known novels that have thousands of reviews, I just keep things brief.

What can I add that hasn't been said already? —

Man has, is right now, and will continue to act with the mentality of a cow turd, I guess.

[9/10] an impressive achievement. I came to the story with a fresh mind, having intentionally avoided discussions and spoilers and with little previous experience of Vonnegut opus (I think I have only read The Sirens of Titan long before this, and thought it was OK in a Golden Age of SF way)

I find it incredible how modern and connected to 2011 issues the story feels. For most of the first half of the book I wondered why this is considered SF, as it dealt mostly with social commentary and character sketches. It became clear later on, once ice-nine gets a part in the story.

I must say I find Vonnegut style of short sketches very appealing - I don't know why but I imagine him like a George Carlin type of entertainer : apparently a cynic, but one who cares deeply for his fellow humans and so he screams at them his tough love and denunciations [sp], and he offers laughs to keep from crying. He democratically attacks all "grandfalloonas" from politics, nationalism, religion, atheism, communism, military thinking, authoritarianism - I could go on with all the "-ism"s on the books. But I also see Vonnegut as the ultimate humanist - by creating his wacky religion he appeals at us to be human, to be kind and express ourselves through love (or "boko-maru" according to the prophet Bokonon)

Is this the solution? I'm trying not to spoil the ending, but what I got out of the book is a wake up call and another eye-opener, if we really needed one, to the path we are engaged on due to the stupidity and complacency of humans as a race.

One aspect of the book that I want to make note here is the quotable value of the text: I started with a line here and there, with a Bokonianism definition, and by the end of the book I wanted to write down whole chapters. Here are some examples:

"Hello, fellow anthropoids and lily pads and paddlewheels!"
---------------
"Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."
---------------
"The highest possible form of treason," said Minton, "is to say that Americans aren't loved wherever they go, whatever they do."
---------------
"Pay no attention to Caesar. Caesar doesn't have the slightest idea what's really going on."
--------------
"A pissant is somebody who thinks he's so damn smart, he never can keep his mouth shut. No matter what anybody says, he's got to argue with it. You say you like something, and, by God, he'll tell you why you're wrong to like it. A pissant does his best to make you feel like a boob all the time. No matter what you say, he knows better." [note: this is the best definition of an internet troll that I have come across]

best moment in the book for me was a discourse by the American Ambassador on the subject of honoring the dead soldiers of past wars.
A must read for speculative-fiction fans, and for any other kind of reader.

"Cat's Cradle" is one of Kurt Vonnegut's less subtle satires, as he lays his views out there in a very obvious manner for all to see. One of the dominate themes of this text is that when science is weaponized it is always wrong, period. He also goes after his usual suspects: religion, God, and man's inhumanity to man.
Stylistically "Cat's Cradle" is told in a much more linear format than most Vonnegut texts. In fact, it is told completely in chronological order which is a very unusual device for Vonnegut novels. It is also very funny, but in a very dry, dark humor sort of way. Many parts of the book also feel like a precursor to his "Slaughterhouse-Five", which was published six years after this novel. There are some shared characters, and a shared setting, the city of Ilium, NY.
"Cat's Cradle" is at its most biting when Vonnegut depicts the arrogance and selfishness of humanity. The callousness with which the characters (practically all of them) treat the world ending due to man's carelessness is truly frightening. How aloof man can be about his destructive powers. The massive irony of this text is that the world ends by accident! We don't set out to destroy it, we are just careless with our ability to do so, and when one is arrogant and careless...well you know what that can yield. There are no real villains in this piece, just sloppy and short sighted people. Vonnegut seems to be reserving his harshest judgment for the character of Frank Hoenikker. Frank resents that people were not nice to him when he was younger. Yet his treatment as a teenager does not engender sympathy in him, but rather bitterness, and does not lead him to be kind to others. To be that blind and unobservant about your own life is something that Vonnegut seems quite disgusted with in this text.
Religion also gets its share of jabs in this book, but unlike many readers I don't see Vonnegut as knocking religious faith, as much as I see him saying that he understands why people need it, he just does not put much stock in it. Like most of Vonnegut's oeuvre, God plays a huge thematic role, and on page 225 of this text Vonnegut gives an interesting and keen observation of the role that God holds for many people. The question is also asked in the text, what is God up too? The answer given is apparently nothing, although Vonnegut does not go so far as to state this. He leaves the role of faith wide open for his readers.
Vonnegut also plays with a theme that dominates many of his books, which is the idea of predestination. His invention of the religion of Bokononism is a lovely idea for a religion, although it does not hold up to intense scrutiny, unless you make a lot of allowances for it. And that is the point. Isn't all religion like that to a certain extent?
The ending of this novel is nihilistic and hopeful all at once. I am not sure what I think of it, I am almost positive I don't agree philosophically with it, and I am absolutely sure it is the perfect ending for "Cat's Cradle". At its heart this is a book about how much stuff (most stuff) we don't really understand. A character occasionally asks "See the cat? See the cradle?" when there is nothing to see. There is nothing there, and thus the text's satirical question/ comment on religion and science, which both are in the explanation business. Page 183 in the book aptly brings this home for the reader. Making sense of the world is what science attempts, and in the arena where it matters most it has failed. What next? "Cat's Cradle" dares to ask this question.

„Nu fi fraier! Închide cartea asta imediat! E plină de minciuni!"

Să vedeți cum a fost. Mi-am făcut mai demult un caiet cu citate din înțelepții mei preferați. Zilele trecute l-am răsfoit și am căzut peste trei extrase din Kurt Vonnegut. Toate erau din Leagănul pisicii. Asta mi-a amintit cît de tare mi-a plăcut cartea. Apoi mi-am zis: „Ia să văd io ce-mi mai amintesc din romanul ăsta minunat!”. Mi-am controlat minuțios memoria. N-am o ținere de minte ieșită din comun, dar memorez cu ușurință ceea ce-mi place. Spre mirarea mea, din Leagănul pisicii nu mai țineam minte aproape nimic. Asta după două lecturi, ultima din aprilie 2014. Mi-am zis din nou: „Ceva nu-i în regulă, ce s-o fi întîmplat cu memoria mea din 2014 și pînă astăzi? Nu cumva am devenit amnezic fără să-mi dau seama?”.

De obicei, o carte bună se ține minte măcar în liniile ei principale. Nu reții, firește, toate amănuntele, nici nu are rost, dar intriga e imposibil s-o uiți aproape cu desăvîrșire. De aceea se și vorbește de cărți memorabile. Pentru susiscălitul, Leagănul pisicii era / este un roman excelent (de asta sînt sigur), dar greu de ținut minte. Mi-am propus, în consecință, să-l recitesc și să caut motivele uitării mele. Pînă una-alta, aș menționa că romanul e scris cu vervă și cu un umor ascuțit. E o satiră a unei lumi mult mai interesată de „cercetarea științifică pură” decît de sufletul oamenilor. Intriga e ușor de rezumat. Romanul e scris la persoana întîi.

Un narator, John (Jonas), își propune să scrie o carte despre ziua în care a fost bombardată Hiroshima. Își începe ancheta cu unul dintre „părinții bombei atomice”, fizicianul Felix Hoenikker. Cum numitul savant a murit, corespondează cu fiul lui, Newt / Newton, un pitic. Și așa John află că, în dimineața atacului, Felix Hoenikker era în pijama și juca „leagănul pisicii”, complet nesimțitor la tragedia pe cale să se întîmple. Mai aflăm că premiantul Nobel a lăsat moștenitorilor o invenție malefică: „apa-nouă”. Cam asta e prima parte. În partea a doua, John ajunge în republica San Lorenzo aflată pe insula cu același nume. Trebuie să ia un interviu unui miliardar. Aici îi întîlnește și pe cei trei copii ai lui Felix Hoenikker. Se îndrăgostește mortal - dragoste la prima vedere - de Mona Aamons Monzano, fiica adoptivă a dictatorului Miguel „Papa" Monzano, o mulatră cu părul blond, cu o ereditate finlandeză. Pe insula San Lorenzo trăiește și un înțelept nihilist, numit Bokonon, „profetul proscris al insulei”, căutat cu înverșunare de autorități și venerat de toți locuitorii republicii fără excepție. Învățăturile lui Bokonon sînt, în realitate, niște adevăruri triviale, formulate adesea în versuri. Ideea principală a profetului e că omul - ca specie - a fost dintotdeauna un idiot.

Din păcate, odraslele lui Hoenikker au primit ca moștenire bucăți din „apa-nouă”. O moleculă din acest elixir al morții poate îngheța instantaneu orice lichid. De altfel, „apa-nouă” va provoca, în urma unui accident grotesc, sfîrșitul republicii și moartea locuitorilor (se sinucid la îndemnul lui Bokonon). Oceanul îngheață brusc, se pornesc tornade pustietoare, are loc o apocalipsă prin îngheț. Mona Aamons Monzano și John / Jonas au norocul să găsească un adăpost, buncărul dictatorului (deja) defunct. Supraviețuiesc. Cînd Mona constată că poporul din San Lorenzo s-a sinucis în unanimitate, procedează la fel. Cuprins de tristețe, John își propune să ajungă pe culmea muntelui McCabe. Aici îl întîlnește, desigur, pe indestructibilul Bokonon.

În mod cert, romanul are prea multe personaje: dr. Asa Breed (frate cu Marvin Breed, patronul unui magazin de obiecte funerare), domnișoara Faust, poetul Sherman Krebbs, Angela, Franklin și Newt (fiii lui Emily și Felix Hoenikker), Julian și Philip Castle (tată și fiu), Claire și Horlick Minton (ultimul e ambasatorul Statelor Unite în San Lorenzo) etc. Populația romanului e excesivă. Cititorul se pierde în atîtea digresiuni biografice și, dacă nu e foarte atent la desfășurarea firului epic, pățește ca mine...

P. S. De unde vine titlul:

„- Leagănul pisicii nu-i altceva decît nişte fire încrucişate între degetele cuiva, iar copiii se uită, se tot uită la fire...
- Şi?
- Nici urmă de leagăn sau de pisică!”

P. P. S. Am recitit nota de mai sus și mi-am dat seama cu stupefacție că iar am uitat romanul lui Vonnegut. Asta e lucrarea diavolului...

This book satirises the issue of personal responsibility for the energy, weapons, policies etc. that scientists create - with 'John' seeking to write a book about a Nobel laureate responsible for developing the atom bomb, which takes him on a very dangerous adventure. Unfortunately badly dated in both content and style in my opinion. 4 out of 12

Fun 'fact' from Wiki (copied in 2012) - "After World War II, Kurt Vonnegut worked in the public relations department for the General Electric research company. GE hired scientists and let them do pure research, and his job was to interview these scientists and find good stories about their research. Vonnegut felt that the older scientists were indifferent about the ways their discoveries might be used."

Cat’s Cradle (1963) is perhaps less famous than Slaughterhouse-Five (1969). It is also less complex, less pomo in style, less “busy, busy, busy”, as Bokonon would say. In short, less of a cat’s cradle. But there is a certain quality to this book that makes it one of Vonnegut’s most profound and enjoyable novels. For the most part, the plot is fairly linear and arranged in the classical form of a Swiftian-Voltairian fable. It is told by a first-person narrator/writer/protagonist (“Call me Jonah”, cf. Moby-Dick) who is, at the start of the story, doing some research on the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. One thing leading to another, he ends up on a Caribbean island with a group of improbable and bizarre characters... Anyway, to hell with the plot and characters, just read the fucking book!

Despite the apparent simplicity of the story, and without drawing too much attention to itself, all the quirks we know and love about Vonnegut’s writing are here: short, fast-paced, scrappy chapters, icy irony and black humour, catchy paragraphs, punchlines, a motley of weird situations, eclectic bits of science and philosophy, a marquetry of dialogues, letters, indexes, poems and calypso songs, spoof excerpts from the utopian Books of Bokonon, metafictional mise en abyme of the book within itself, etc.

The themes that form the bedrock of most of Vonnegut’s novels are all here too: human craziness, the belief in pipe dreams (granfalloons in Bokononist parlance), art and religion (happy lies that make life barely bearable), free will and determinism (zah-mah-ki-bo), the absurdity of existence. More importantly, the novel lays out, toward the end, the imagery of apocalyptic destruction (pool-pah) — annihilation falling from the sky, bunkers, mass graves — that harks back to Vonnegut’s personal experience during the carpet bombing of Dresden in February 1945. Famously, the author further developed this atrocious episode in the quasi-autobiographical sections of Slaughterhouse-Five. Which led him to conclude:

Perhaps, when we remember wars, we should take off our clothes and paint ourselves blue and go on all fours all day long and grunt like pigs. That would surely be more appropriate than noble oratory and shows of flags and well-oiled guns. (LoA, p. 167)

And so, despite Vonnegut’s steadfast vitality and jocularity, Cat’s Cradle is still a story that goes from Hiroshima to Dresden and could indeed have been titled The Day the World Ended. Vonnegut’s novel is, in many ways, a cautionary tale on the menace of nuclear Armageddon — the allusion to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis is only thinly veiled —, and still holds (liquid) water today, as we face an impending climate disaster to boot. In a word: the cradle of humankind is screwed!

Side note and final irony: Cat’s Cradle earned its author a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago.

بعد از مدتها داستان خوبی خواندم و از ذهن فعال وونه گات لذت بردم. به نظرم ترکیب جالبی از طنز تلخ و کنایه به پیشرفتهای معاصر بشر تا دین و سیاست را به هم آمیخته بود تا روایتی آخرالزمانی بیافریند و برای بشر یک موقعیت آلترناتیو خلق کند. موقعیتی که به نوعی در قرن پیش بوجود آمده و تا پیش از آن تفاوتی با تاریخ ما نداشته. شگفتی کار وونه گات هم همین است که موقعیت جدید با تمام رادیکال بودنش توی ذوق نمی زند و خواندنی و سرگرم کننده است

چیزی که شاید میتوانست برای من جذاب تر باشد سرعت کمتر گذار از روایت دنیای خلق شده به وضع آخرالزمانی است. حس میکنم سرعت اتفاقات آن قدر در فصل های پایانی زیاد است که خواننده هضم نمیکند. مثل فیلمی که خوب باز کرده و به سرعت باید جمع کند

i like all the same authors as the red flag guy in movies who falls for a manic pixie dream girl

“She believed that God liked people in sailboats much better than He liked people in motorboats. . . She was a fool, and so am I, and so is anyone who thinks he sees what God is Doing.” - Cat’s Cradle, chapter 3
_______________________________

“All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies. . . Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book. . .” Cat’s Cradle, chapter 4