Still asking the embarassing questions the new york times. Notes signed with a drawing selfportrait by the author dated nov. The background is a jailbreak which takes over the town. Aug 05, 2018 hocus pocus is the tenth book in rachels best vonnegut reading order. Hocus pocus is based out of delhi and provide services throughout india. Accessories such as cd, codes, toys, may not be included. Kurt vonnegut writes in hocus pocus about how people are mechanistic creatures that are filled with ignorance. Why did abc family blur out maxs phone number in the television version of hocus pocus. There are no creases, markings or visible signs of wear. Vonneguts title provides the key to his intentions. Hocus pocus professional photo studio in delhi, india. Though the style of the book is difficult to get used to at first it tells a very interesting story of a vietnam war veteran, professor, and prison employee. Even at their leanest, vonneguts stories worked by wheeling massive concernsannihilation, fate, the return of jesus christthrough bloated cartoon worlds. Kurt vonnegut, hocus pocus, signed,1st edition,1st.
Hocus pocus is an often funny, broad and wideranging commentary on race, class, war and its aftermath, nationalism and provincialism, economics and education, ignorance and enlightenment. The last hocus pokus came at the very end when kv devised a method to compute the number of people eugene debs hartke had directly killed in viet nam and the number of women he had seduced. Vonnegut, as usual, is very creative in more subtle ways. Hocus pocus is a grim, depressing, yet terribly funny, fictional autobiography of general eugene debs hartke, a person who never masturbated and uttered neither blasphemy nor profanity in his life. Hocus pocus is perhaps vonneguts grimmest and most powerful indictment of americans and american life, indicative of why fifteen years later he would title his collection of essays a man. Bound in quarter white cloth, white boards, with dust jacket. Bill explained the hocus pocus in this common mathematical puzzle. Overall it is a must read, for vonnegut fans and for any american that wants to live honestly with himherself. As always vonnegut makes sure we get the picture, hes also the first author where i can imagine exactly how the story plays out in my head. In a career spanning over 50 years, vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of nonfiction, with further collections being published after his. In kurt vonneguts novel, hocus pocus, 82 is both the number of women the. Both book and dust jacket are in like new condition. So people getting married think theyre wonderful, and that theyre going to have a baby thats wonderful, when actually theyre as ugly as. Hocus pocus tells the story of the life of eugene debs hartke, a vietnam war veteran and a former college professor who, while awaiting trial in prison and dying slowly of tb cough, cough, considers the final tally of two activities he excelled at throughout his life.
Its whimsical, cynical, humorous, compassionate, psychologically and sociologically incisive, hyperrealistic in some respects and surrealistic in others, narrated by a male protagonist who is presumably a standin for vonnegut himself, and lamenting of how royally human beings fuck up anything. Hocus pocus is a throbbing, unmitigated crime against cinema. Hocus pocus is perhaps vonnegut s grimmest and most powerful indictment of americans and american life, indicative of why fifteen years later he would title his collection of essays a man. If luck and time are the two prime movers of the universe, we are lucky in our time to have a kurt vonnegut to prod us, scold us, astonish us, unnerve us, entertain us and make us laugh. Tongue in cheek and the comedy of reality give way to the problematic ways of life he is so good at communicating. Hocus pocus by vonnegut, first edition abebooks passion for books. It was supposed to be 5559142 but was blurred out to 555. Kurt vonneguyss tracks a man without a country by kurt vonneguys published on 20180123t09. Kurt vonnegut from the author of timequake, this irresistible novel cleveland plain dealer tells the story of eugene debs hartkevietnam veteran, jazz pianist, college professor, and prognosticator of the.
The number 82 is the fortysecond even number and the fiftyninth composite. Vonnegut was covering a lot of ground with this novel. The protagonist in this case is disgraced professor eugene debs hartke, who, like many vonnegut characters, is not guilty of the charges leveled against him but is certainly guilty of other crimes crimes against his conscience being. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hocus pocus. And cure the terrible disease of loneliness by going on a k. Kurt vonnegut, hocus pocus, signed,1st edition,1st printing. Kurt vonnegut hocus pocus is a grim, depressing, yet terribly funny, fictional autobiography of general eugene debs hartke, a person who never masturbated and uttered neither blasphemy nor profanity in his life. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut 1990, hardcover for sale. This is the number of men he killed and the number of women he slept with the number he wants on his tombstone. Kurt vonnegut, hocus pocus during my three years in vietnam, i certainly heard plenty of last words by dying american footsoldiers.
On a visit home, i found hocus pocus on my fathers shelf, and promptly stole it away. Vonnegut s novels, hocus pocus is a retrospective firstperson narrative in which several time and story lines gradually converge. The narrative is composed of short takes in which hartkes thoughts skip between the inconsequential and the profound, giving vonnegut occasion to interject interesting tidbits of information. Kurt vonnegut jr hocus pocus prison escape vietnam vet sex. Kurt vonnegut interview on 90 minutes live 1978 duration. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read hocus pocus. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. His parents died in a freak accident in niagra falls without ever knowing what hit them. In hocus pocus the stupidity is not only pervasive, as it is in even the very earliest vonnegut, the novel player piano 1952 and the stories collected in welcome to the monkey house 1968. Greetings, you are bidding on hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut jr. Possible ex library copy, thata ll have the markings and stickers associated from the library.
Employing his characteristic narrative devicea retrospective diary in which the protagonist retraces his life at its end, a desperate and disconnected series of events here in hocus pocus show vonnegut with his mask off and his rhetorical devices unshielded. While i wasnt blown away by hocus pocus, it was moderately better than timequake. In hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut the writer wants written on his tombstone one number, the number of women hes slept with, and the number of people he has killed which happen to be the same number. It is told by one eugene debs hartke and purportedly written in prison on scraps of paper, each scrap a thought, story or digression unto itself a form ideally suited to mr. Its playing on freeform quite a bit this month and viewers are now noticing that a hocus pocus phone number is censored in the movie. Hocus pocus is the tenth book in rachels best vonnegut reading order. Hocus pocus is not only poignant and provocative, it is outrageous and very funny indeed. Its whimsical, cynical, humorous, compassionate, psychologically and sociologically incisive, hyperrealistic in some respects and surrealistic in others, narrated by a male protagonist who is presumably a standin for vonnegut himself, and lamenting of how royally human beings fuck up anything they involve themselves in.
At the end of the book, he would reveal the number of people he had killed in. The protagonist in this case is disgraced professor eugene debs hartke, who, like many vonnegut characters, is not guilty of the charges leveled against him but is certainly guilty of other crimes crimes against his conscience. Buy hocus pocus book online at low prices in india hocus. The life belongs to eugene debs hartke, soldierturnedteacher. What is the answer at the end of hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut.
Of course i didnt forget about the promise i made to finish all vonnegut s novels for the record, that. It may not be his most famous work but i still think hocus pocus or whats the hurry son. Nov 03, 2016 hocus pocus is a pretty typical vonnegut book. Notes first edition according to zempel first editions. Every kind of animal thinks its own kind of animal is wonderful. The main character tells his story in such a way that it doesnt seem to span 300 pages. He was looking at issues of race, war, economics, politicis, education, money, culure, prison reform, ptsd, marriage, death, intimacy, and more. Overall it is a must read, for vonnegut fans and for any american that wants to. This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of hocus pocus. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut audiobook mishal mohit. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Vonneguts novels, hocus pocus is a retrospective firstperson narrative in which several time and story lines gradually converge. November 11, 1922 april 11, 2007 was an american writer.
Like many of vonnegut s novels, hocus pocus uses a nonlinear narrative and has a plot centered on a major event heavily alluded to until the final chapters. Hocus pocus is a garbage movie that doesnt deserve your. That is to say, i could tell you a number of things that were in it, but. He wrote in a library housing some eight hundred thousand volumes of interest to no one else. Not one of them, however, had illusions that he had somehow accomplished something worthwhile in the process of making the supreme sacrifice. The film underwhelms in spectacular fashion, operating on a level where its never silly enough to get its own joke yet doesnt have.
Vonneguts latest is his most insistently antiwar novel since slaughterhousefive, and is haunted by vietnam. I always combine on shipping, in order to qualify for combined shipping, all won auctions must be paid for at the same time on a single invoice, no. Hocus pocus, like so many vonnegut novels, is a firstperson, nonlinear narrative told episodically as an autobiography written by a prisoner awaiting trial. Kurt vonnegut a small, exclusive college in upstate new york is nestled along the frozen shores of lake mohiga. His parents died in a freak accident in niagra falls without ever knowing what hit. The main character is eugene debs hartke, a vietnam war veteran, college professor, and carillonneur who realizes that he has killed exactly as many people as the number of women he has had sex with.
Jay mcinerney, the new york times vonnegut s best novel in yearsfunny and prophetic, yes, and fabulous too, as cunning as aesop and as gloomy as grimmhes up to something special in hocus. Aug 16, 2008 in hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut the writer wants written on his tombstone one number, the number of women hes slept with, and the number of people he has killed which happen to be the same number. Hocus pocus tells the story of the life of eugene debs hartke. The late john gardner called the novels of kurt vonnegut jr. Hocus pocus is the most topical, realistic vonnegut novel to datehe is a satirist with a heart, a moralist with a whoopee cushion. As an example of the futility of peoples efforts to stop at least some of the trouble, the main character, eugene debs hartke, teaches at tarkington, a college at the end of one of the finger lakes in western new york. The difference however, between hocus pocus and a simple pessimistic rant, is vonnegut s unique ability to make us laugh at it all, but without downplaying its seriousness at all. Hocus pocus is a grim, depressing, yet terribly funny, fictional. Hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Editors note the author of this book did not have access to writing paper of uniform size and quality. Kurt vonnegut booklist kurt vonnegut message board. Kurt vonnegut, hocus pocus told from the point of view of eugene debs, professor at tarkenton collegevietnam war vetprison warden outsider philosopher.
Hocus pocus by vonnegut, kurt and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. One theory holds that the expression hocuspocus originated as a travesty of a phrase in the mass hoc est corpus, meaning. The difference however, between hocus pocus and a simple pessimistic rant, is vonneguts unique ability to make us laugh at it all, but without downplaying its seriousness at all. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading.
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