Customer Reviews

Bagombo Snuffbox

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since most of the stories in "Bagombo Snuff Box" were previously uncollected in book form, the arrival of this collection is a treat for all Vonnegut fans. As a writer of "slick fiction" for the magazine market of the 1950's and early 1960's, Vonnegut tailored his stories for a general readership; while the experimentalism of novels like "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Breakfast of Champions" is nowhere on display, Vonnegut's craftsmanship is well-documented by these stories. "Bagombo Snuff Box" should be treated much like The Beatles Anthology collections; neither is for the casual fan, but both are indispensable for completists. The stories included in this collection are a cut below the stories in "Welcome To the Monkey House" (it's easy to see why they were left out of Vonnegut's first collection), but each is an enjoyable read, with several stories ("Thanosphere", "Custom-Made Bride" and "Souvenir") standing out for their voice and originality. This is also required reading for any serious students of Vonnegut, as many of the themes explored in his major works are given an early run-through in these stories. "2BRO2B" reads almost like a first draft of "Welcome to the Monkey House" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" from the Monkey House collection. The stories are also interesting as snapshots from a by-gone era, particularly in their treatment of women. One of the strongest characters in the collection is Sheila White, of "Lovers Anonymous," a talented, ambitious woman whose sublimated talents places a strain on her marriage. While the impact of the story is lessened by a careless final sentence, Vonnegut should be credited for sneaking a potentially subversive theme into a mainstream publication. A reader's reaction to "Bagombo Snuff Box" will probably mirror his or her expectations. Anyone expecting cutting-edge Vonnegut will be disappointed. Fans who like to read everything a favorite author has written will be thrilled to add this to the collection. Since I put myself into the latter category, the arrival of "Bagombo Snuff Box" is like a Christmas present in July. Thoroughly unexpected, and completely enjoyable.

Title of this review is a quote from Mr. Vonnegut in this book. The ONLY reason I stopped at 4 stars is that any author who writes with this much skill at the start of his career, must become better and better as his skills mature, and his experience increases. This is the first time I have read Mr. Vonnegut's work, and this collection of short stories has made me a fan that looks forward to the Author's work as it developed. Before you even reach the first story, Mr. Vonnegut provides a biography which is worth the cost of the book if you place a high value on humor, and regardless of whether you agree, social commentary wrapped in a wickedly subtle, and occasionally not so subtle manner. His definition of reading is the best I have ever read, and his description of his time as a salesman for Saab is priceless. Developing so much interest for a reader in the span of a short story is a remarkable feat for any author. Mr. Vonnegut together with John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner, to name a few literary masters, brought these stories to life when magazines ruled and TV was a nightmare (for the most part) yet to come. Together with artistic legends like Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth, these stories were entertainment for much of America. In spite of all the advances in communications, picking up a book with talent like this, will always endure. Thanks Mr. Vonnegut!

Kurt Vonnegut fans will want to read this, but... if you're new to the man, start elsewhere. Diehard Vonneguttians will enjoy this collection as it contains some worthwhile stories, but, mostly, it shows how his trademark caustically witty style developed. These stories aren't great in themselves, but they point the way. Certainly his literary merit based on his novels alone is beyond question - one of the 20th century's greatest and most important authors, Vonnegut helped shape the way many people, including myself, think. However, these stories are not great in themselves, certainly not compared to the high standard Vonnegut has since set for himself. Still, fans will want to read this book, as it contains some interesting stories, lays the foundation for his later masterpieces, and, indeed, completes their collection. New readers should start elsewhere.

This book offers an entertaining set of Vonnegut's previously uncollected short stories, most of which were written in the 1950s and early 1960s. While the quality of the tales is not as good as those in his previously published Welcome to the Monkey House, anybody who is a fan of Vonnegut's work, or even someone who simply likes good stories, will enjoy this book.

Yet like all good fiction, Vonnegut's work is as valuable for its insights as for its ability to entertain. While the stories collected here are in a variety of genres, one theme does emerge from them - the hunger for distinction. From the title story to "The Package", "The Powder-Blue Dragon" to "Runaways," many of the stories are about people seeking something that distinguishes them from the rest of their world, usually somthing that is artificial or external to who they are. That these searches usually end in folly for the characters appears to illustrate Vonnegut's point - it is who we are as people that matters, not the trinkets we buy or the poses we adopt. Though hardly radical today, it is a point that offers an interesting contrast to the consumer-driven age that spawned such tales.

I believe this to be an excellent collection of short stories from the "early Vonnegut days," if you will. To those who thoroughly enjoyed his novels, it may be a disappointment because the short stories don't necessarily carry the same weight as his novels. However, one must remember that short stories are just that, short stories. For me, someone who loves to read, but rarely has the time, it is easy to get a quick Vonnegut dose by reading one of these excellent stories!

This is for readers who still enjoy a good short story, period. This is an outdated medium but persists nonetheless. If you are looking for sci-fi fantesy, you will find little here. If you looking for true Vonnegut humanism and irony, there is more than you bargained for. The author rests his stories on his history...WWII most notably. If you are smart enough to make the transferance you will enjoy the stories. I am savoring each and every one.

I bought this book after picking it up in an airport bookstore. I was killing time, waiting on a delayed flight, and, as happens more often than not, I was sucked into the closest bookstore. I snatched up a copy of "Bagombo Snuff Box" and opened it to the middle. The first phrase that my eyes fell upon read "Haley looked ashen." My name's Hayley, and I was absolutely wiped out that day and feeling a bit queasy at the prospect of juggling my job and the company I was picking up for the following week. I probably did look ashen. Needless to say, the book came home with me and my guest.

This sort of synchronicity is what I love about Kurt Vonnegut. He breeds chaos and terror and confusion among his characters and then allows those same characters epiphanies of the simplest and most true ideas. Unfortunately, I didn't find that synchronicity again in "Bagombo Snuff Box" after my brief encounter in the airport. The stories do hail from early in Vonnegut's career. Kilgore Trout is nowhere to be found, and the plot twists are just that-- twists when we've grown to expect intricatly contortionist pretzels. It's not all bad though. Vonnegut's voice does shine through, but it's not nearly as raspy as that to which we're all accustomed.

Vonnegut was an all- American original. He was a man who in Thoreau's phrase truly marched to the sound of his own drummer. In these early stories he has not become fully Vonnegut but is well on the way. These stories are mostly magazine- pieces of a kind which contain the realistic looks into life, and ironic surprises characteristic of much work of that kind and time. The work also contains Vonnegut's reflections on that time of his life, the whole business of story- writing and creative- writing which he recommends even if commercial opportunities for publication have grievously decline. One senses that in the writing of Vonnegut there is the voice and the heart of a very humane and humorous human being who is readily aware of life's incongruities, but is always somehow protesting that the world should be a lot more innocent and kinder than it is.

These stories may not be Vonnegut's finest work, but for those who know and care for his work they should be real treats.

These short stories, harking back to another age and a near-extinct genre, offer what amounts to fifteen-minute power naps, delivering Vonnegut's refreshing wit and unique perspective in small doses potent enough to be memorable. Though written fifty years ago for popular magazines such as Colliers, Cosmopolitan, and Playboy, many of these stories still hit right on the mark, satirizing and lampooning such sacred American values as spirituality, industry, and consumerism. If you have long been a fan of Vonnegut, I highly recommend this collection. For a first-time reader, some of his earlier, more renowned novels would be recommended before enjoying these little desserts.

once again, one of our century's pre-eminent authors (believe the hype!) regales us with warm, witty & wonderful tales, all at once biting & inviting! These early works of a master are so engaging, not only for the voyeuristic thrill of reading a great author find his true voice, but for the simple tenderness & tremendous intelligence found therein. read & enjoy!