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Klinkowitz on Vonnegut: Our Story, Our JourneyAuthor(s): JEFFREY S. COPELANDSource: The North American Review, Vol. 295, No. 1 (WINTER 2010), pp. 44-45Published by: University of Northern IowaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40792339 .

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Klinkowitz on Vonnegut: Our Story# Our Journey JEFFREY S. COPELAND

Kurt Vonnegufs America by Jerome Klinkowitz, South Carolina, 2009,160p, cloth $34.95.

I'm just going to put it bluntly. Kurt Vonnegufs America, by Jerome Klinkowitz, is the best book of its type I've ever read. Period.

But what type of book is it? At first, I struggled mightily with that. . . .

With Jerome Klinkowitz, long consid- ered one of the leading voices in Vonnegut scholarship, behind the pen, I expected close examination and analysis of some of Vonnegufs more important works. In this regard, I wasn't disap- pointed; this is there, from discussion of the multiple levels of Vonnegut playing with innovative literary form in Slaughterhouse- Five to an exceptional foray into Mother Night as a platform for postmodernist views in the context of the tremendous social and political change of the early 1960s. Other major works are covered equally deftly through Klinkowitz's keen critical eye, and these discussions alone would certainly be enough to carry the book. However, the book is much more than that

At the same time, Kurt Vonnegufs America is also part homage to Vonnegut, the friend. From 1972, when Klinkowitz published The Vonnegut Statement, until Vonnegufs passing, the two remained dear friends. Klinkowitz could, therefore, have penned a pretty fair biographical piece, but in a way this would have been disrespectful, and Klinkowitz was wise enough to realize this. It could also have been Johnson and Boswell redux, but because of the direction taken by Klinkowitz, this book is far from that. Rather, Klinkowitz care- fully chooses a blend of short "scenes" of their time spent together and accounts of representative personal correspondence to help explain the personal transformations in Vonnegut through the years and how those

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interfaced with the world view presented in his stories. At all times, the spotlight is on Vonnegut - not Klinkowitz - as it should be. Vonnegut and Klinkowitz had a friendship forged of mutual respect for talent (Klinkowitz, author of over forty books, is no piker). That is perhaps why the friendship lasted so long. That is also why both kept in close contact and shared so much with each other about their different yet inexorably interconnected literary paths - the author and the critic converging, to the mutual gain of both. Again, these "scenes" and telephone calls/letters would have been enough to sustain the book, but again, it is much more than that. . . .

It is obvious the book is also, on the surface level, the story of how the events of the decades from the 1950s through the new millennium shaped Vonnegufs work and, in turn, how Vonnegufs work helped shape events during that same period. This relationship is presented here as both symbiotic and reactionary - on both ends. Klinkowitz works chrono- logically through this time frame, masterfully combining the major social and political changes both in America and abroad with the evolution of Vonnegufs major works. Then, flipping the coin over, Klinkowitz demonstrates how Vonnegufs work offered to those living through these changes a yardstick by which to measure their own thoughts and actions. Klinkowitz is perhaps at his best in this area in his discussion of the timing of Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) against the Tet Offensive of 1968 during the Vietnam War. Klinkowitz states: "A novel about an atrocity such as the fire- bombing of Dresden would not have been received as open-mindedly had not the recent revelations of US atrocities in the Vietnam War, such as the My Lai massacre and the indiscriminate use of napalm, alerted readers to the fact that our side was not always above such things." The discussion here continues,

focusing on the questions raised at this time not just across the younger genera- tion but across their elders' as well, with Vonnegufs work helping to create the environment for the exchange, which was not always pretty. From decade to decade, Klinkowitz masterfully connects the paths from event to literary work - then from literary work to resulting change. This discussion alone could also have carried the book; however, the book is also much more than that

About halfway through my reading, I realized Kurt Vonnegufs America is also an autobiography of scholarship, and quite an enchanting one at that. As noted above, Klinkowitz carefully chooses scenes from his time spent with Vonnegut to help illustrate the changes within Vonnegut, and his works, over the course of years. However, an equally important, and very much understated, undercurrent is also at play here. As Vonnegufs story unfolds, we also see the rise of Klinkowitz's career. Klinkowitz, one of the most important voices in contemporary literary criti- cism, has also authored books ranging from short story collections to examina- tions of WWII fighter pilot narratives. In short, he has covered nearly the whole playing field himself in his writing. Against the backdrop of his interactions with Vonnegut, the story of how Klinkowitz's career and works evolved is also presented. This story is a vibrant one, one full of both the magic and the in-the-trench work of the realm of literary criticism. At the same time, it isn't just Klinkowitz we discover. Kurt Vonnegufs America is also the story of those who are old enough to remember WWII or the Cold War of the 1950s or the Vietnam War or Watergate or the Bush administration's 1990s involve- ment in the Middle East. It is the story of those who remember where they were and what they were doing when

Continued on page 45

Winter 2010

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The Golden Age of Television (1953-1959), Criterion, 478 mins, $49.95 · In the 1950s, early television showcased live dramas from New York. Borrowing heavily from the traditions of the Broadway stage, these "little" dramas presented offbeat, realistic portraits that dealt with loneliness, alcoholism, the competitive nature of business, and our yearning for love. Collected here in this impressive volume are eight gems, three of which feature Emmy Award-winning writing from a pre-Twilight Zone Rod Serling. His three dramas are gritty and shadowed with defamiliarized moments. The Comedian (1957), the best of the three, is full of energetic bombast and narcissism courtesy of Mickey Rooney, who grabs us by the collar and never lets go. He's a self-absorbed TV personality who ruins his brother's life and stops at nothing to get the next laugh or libidinous want. Patterns (1955) is equally downbeat and has a surprising narrative arc. Here Fred Staples (Richard Kiley) represents a company man who slowly realizes he was hired to eventually squeeze out a company lifer (Ed Begley). Rather than run from the sordid competition, he embraces it and decides to stay in an embattled rela- tionship with his boss (Everett Sloane). Requiem for a Heavyweight (1957), featuring a passionate, personal performance from Jack Palance, tells the story of a faded boxer who seeks to keep his identity and authenticity in a world of doublecrosses and narrowing opportunities.

Crosscuts BRIEF DVD REVIEWS

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Among the best of the non-Serling scripts: Paddy Chayefsky's Marty (1953); J. P. Miller's Days of Wine and Roses (1958); and Mark Harris's Bang the Drum Slowly (1956). Chayefsky's teleplay is full or a sadness ana poignancy as a lonely butcher (Rod Steiger) struggles with his self-identity. Desperate for love, Marty finds it with a withdrawn schoolteacher, but their connection is almost destroyed by meddling friends and family. Steiger's performance is nuanced, controlled, and heartfelt. Miller's Days of Wine and Roses

is one of the first dramas to tackle alco- holism, and it doesn't opt for easy fixes. Joe Clay (Cliff Robertson) goes through hell before being able to heal himself with the help of AA, but his wife (Piper Laurie as Kirsten) hasn't hit bottom and refuses to give up the bottle. Her decline in personal appearance and idealistic spirit is hard to watch, and Laurie is absolutely brilliant, mixing a brittle sensitivity with sharp edges. Finally, in Harris's Bang the Drum Slowly a young Paul Newman brings warmth and down-home charm to his turn as a smart and sensitive baseball pitcher dealing with the fatal illness of his roommate (Albert Salmi). Harris's tele- play, direct and full of plain speaking, resonates love for baseball and humanity. A box set that is real "must- see TV."

TAM.IShow (1964), Shout, 112 mins, $19.95 · Neglected for nearly fifty years this concert film from '64 is finally avail- able on DVD and what fun! Among the best acts featured: the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, ankle- slide hopping, skipping, and splitting before Michael moonwalked and the kids break-danced; the Rolling Stones's Mick Jagger singing with garage swagger and Keith Richards delivering patented Chucka-chunka guitar riffs; Mr. Berry himself still motor- vating over the hill with Maybelline; the Beach Boys harmonizing on "Surfer Girl" and Dennis Wilson whacking the skins and tins like a punk rocker on "I Get Around"; and Lesley Gore's swinging style - sassy, jaunty - damn, it's her party. Shakes my boogie foot, baby! D

KLINKOWITZ / Continued from page 44

they read Breakfast of Champions; WampeterSy Foma & Granfalloons; and Cat's Cradle. This reviewer is in this group. In Kurt Vonnegufs America, I saw myself. I saw myself, as a sophomore in college, staying up until three in the morning to finish the last of Breakfast of Champions - because I just couldn't sleep until I found out how all would converge. I saw myself in my first year teaching high school, sharing The Sirens of Titan with my Honors English class.

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The deeper I read into Kurt Vonnegufs America, the more I saw myself at each juncture of my professional career against the canvas presented by Klinkowitz. I'm betting others in this age bracket will also see themselves and have the same experience with Kurt Vonnegufs America I had, and they will treasure it.

In the end, I finally decided Kurt Vonnegufs America is an intersection of journeys. It is part Vonnegut's journey and personal transformation through the social and political events of his day.

It also intersects with fresh critical discussion of Vonnegut's work, from a scholar holding a unique view of this work. It is also an intersection with a fine autobiography of scholarship. Ultimately, however, Kurt Vonnegufs America is a mirror. In that mirror can be found the faces of those who were touched by Vonnegut's writing through the stages of our own lives and careers. What Klinkowitz has done is write our story, our journey, with Vonnegut as both the medium and the message. And done it beautifully. Π

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