Look at the Birdie is a collection of fourteen previously unpublished short stories from one of the most original writers in all of American fiction. In this series of perfectly rendered vignettes, written just as he was starting to find his comic voice, Kurt Vonnegut paints a warm, wise, and often funny portrait of life in postโWorld War II Americaโa world where squabbling couples, high school geniuses, misfit office workers, and small-town lotharios struggle to adapt to changing technology, moral ambiguity, and unprecedented affluence.
Vonnegut explores the relationship between scienceโs pursuit of truth and the stateโs need to control it in โThe Petrified Ants,โ a darkly whimsical story about two Soviet researchers who stumble upon an amazing discovery, only to learn that natural history is also written by the hand that wields the power.
โThe Petrified Antsโ and the thirteen other never-before-published pieces that comprise Look at the Birdie serve as an unexpected gift for devoted readers who thought that Kurt Vonnegutโs unique voice had been stilled foreverโand provide a terrific introduction to his short fiction for anyone who has yet to experience his genius.
Other stories from Look at the Birdie available as single-story e-books:
On sale August 25, 2009
"Hello, Red"
On sale October 20, 2009:
"Confido"
"FUBAR"
"Shout About It from the Housetops"
"Ed Luby's Key Club"
"A Song for Selma"
"Hall of Mirrors"
"The Nice Little People"
"Little Drops of Water"
"The Honor of a Newsboy"
"Look at the Birdie" (Short Story)
"King and Queen of the Universe"
"The Good Explainer"