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Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is widely celebrated as a modern literary gem. This groundbreaking work transformed Vonnegut from an overlooked science fiction writer into a renowned literary figure.
The story centers on Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes 'unstuck in time,' blending his experiences as a bumbling soldier, his postwar life as an optometrist, and his time as an exhibit in an alien zoo. Vonnegut masterfully combines humor and depth, exploring themes of humanity and its inventions. In 1994, Vonnegut reflected, 'The central theme of my work over the past four and a half decades has been the cruelty of mankind’s creations toward itself.' Discover 15 lesser-known facts about this 1969 classic (dates being irrelevant to Tralfamadorians).
1. Kurt Vonnegut struggled to begin writing Slaughterhouse-Five, making several attempts before finding the right approach.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to begin his 'Dresden book,' Vonnegut finally started what would evolve into Slaughterhouse-Five during a two-year teaching position at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Having abandoned fiction writing and feeling deeply uninspired, he accepted the offer from his former editor George Starbuck, who was a professor of English at the university.
2. Vonnegut attributes the revival of his passion for literature to Iowa’s writing program.
“Writing suddenly felt incredibly significant again,” he remarked. “For someone my age, this was more rejuvenating than a monkey gland transplant.” During his time there, he formed friendships with Nelson Algren, Jose Donoso, and Richard Yates, while mentoring students like Gail Godwin, John Irving, Jonathan Penner, Bruce Dobler, John Casey, and Jane Casey.
3. Vonnegut received a substantial book advance.
Publisher Seymour Lawrence, impressed by Vonnegut’s book reviews during his break from fiction, offered him a $25,000 advance to dedicate himself fully to his Dresden book and two additional novels.
4. Slaughterhouse-Five achieved immediate success.
Released on March 31, 1969, Slaughterhouse-Five quickly became a surprising bestseller. It remained on The New York Times bestseller list for 16 weeks and saw five reprints by July.
5. The novel received glowing reviews.
Much of the book’s rapid acclaim can be attributed to two highly positive reviews; one in The New York Times Book Review, which graced the front page of the section, and another in the Saturday Review.
6. Vonnegut’s public speaking efforts played a key role in securing the glowing reviews for Slaughterhouse-Five.
Robert Scholes, the author of the Times review, was a colleague of Vonnegut’s at the University of Iowa. As Jerome Kinkowitz notes in Vonnegut in Fact, “There’s a clear link between the first two major reviews of Slaughterhouse-Five: both critics had attended Vonnegut’s public talks and were profoundly moved by the authenticity of his narrative voice. Public speaking wasn’t Vonnegut’s primary career path; rather, his lecture at Notre Dame’s Literary Festival (heard by Granville Hicks) and his teaching role at Iowa (where Robert Scholes worked) were temporary solutions to financial struggles after his usual publishing avenues dried up.”
7. Slaughterhouse-Five faced school bans in the 1970s...
In 1972, Slaughterhouse-Five was banned from public schools in Oakland County, Michigan. A local judge condemned the book as “depraved, immoral, psychotic, vulgar, and anti-Christian.” The following year, a North Dakota school board burned 32 copies of the novel in a high school furnace.
“My books are being removed from school libraries nationwide—labeled as obscene,” Vonnegut shared with The Paris Review. “I’ve read letters in small-town newspapers that equate Slaughterhouse-Five with Deep Throat and Hustler magazine. Who could possibly find Slaughterhouse-Five arousing?”
8. ... And decades later, it continues to face bans in schools.
In 2011, Wesley Scroggins, an assistant professor at Missouri State University, urged the Republic, Missouri, school board to ban Vonnegut’s novel. In a local newspaper article, he stated, “This book is filled with excessive profanity, enough to embarrass even a sailor. The ‘f word’ appears on nearly every other page. The narrative includes scenes of naked men and women caged together for observation and portrays God warning people not to disrespect his son, Jesus Christ, whom he describes as a loser.” The board unanimously voted 4-0 to remove the book from the high school curriculum and library.
9. A library distributed free copies of Slaughterhouse-Five in response to the ban.
Following the ban, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis distributed 150 free copies of Slaughterhouse-Five to students in Republic, Missouri, who wished to read it.
10. Slaughterhouse-Five stands alongside other frequently banned books.
The American Library Association ranked the novel as the 46th most banned or challenged book during the first decade of the 21st century.
11. Vonnegut praised the film adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five.
The 1972 film adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five, directed by George Roy Hill and featuring Michael Sacks as Billy Pilgrim, earned Vonnegut’s approval. He described it as “flawless.”
12. A character in Slaughterhouse-Five was inspired by a real-life soldier.
The character “Wild Bob” is modeled after William Joseph Cody Garlow, the grandson of Buffalo Bill Cody and a commander in the 423rd regiment during World War II. Vonnegut, a private in the same regiment, was captured alongside Garlow on December 19, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge.
13. Slaughterhouse-Five blends reality with fiction.
While Vonnegut incorporates non-fiction elements and real-life accounts into the novel, the pornographic postcard carried by Roland Weary, depicting a woman with a pony between doric columns, is entirely fictional. Similarly, the tale of photographer André Le Fèvre is invented, though the name may derive from André Lefèvre, a renowned French scoutmaster akin to a Boy Scout leader.
14. Vonnegut’s experience as a POW deeply influenced Slaughterhouse-Five.
In a “Special Message” for the Franklin Library’s limited edition of Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut reflected, “The Dresden bombing, a costly and meticulously planned atrocity, was ultimately so pointless that only one person benefited from it—me. I wrote this book, which brought me fame and fortune. In a way, I earned two or three dollars for every life lost. What a business I’m in.”
15. The iconic phrase from Slaughterhouse-Five recurs frequently.
The melancholic refrain, “So it goes,” is repeated 106 times throughout the text.
