The Life of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a famous American author "known for his works that blend satire, black comedy, and science fiction" (Kurt Vonnegut). Although Kurt Vonnegut is best known as a science fiction writer, what if his readers knew that he doesn't consider himself one at all? He once said that he "learned from the reviewer" who was a science fiction writer. Regardless of how you view Kurt Vonnegut, he is one of the most sought-after science fiction writers in history. Plagued by the Great Depression, World War II, his mother's suicide and a long list of other dramatic events, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. leads a difficult life. Although these events seem terrible, it is not unreasonable to call them the core of his literary success. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. lived a prosperous life until the Great Depression hit the United States. Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Vonnegut was born into a family with two older brothers; he had a brother, Bernard Vonnegut, and a sister, Alice Vonnegut (Rider). In his early years, Vonnegut and his family lived well. “Vonnegut's early life was extremely privileged” (Rider). However, this all took a drastic turn when the Great Depression hit in the late 1920s. Kurt Vonnegut's father was particularly impressed. His father, Kurt Vonnegut Sr., "was a wealthy architect whose fortunes, job opportunities, and mental health fell dramatically with the Great Depression" ("Kurt Vonnegut"). Although depression did not affect Vonnegut's mother as much as his father, it was hard on her too. Kurt Vonnegut's mother, Edith Lieber Vonnegut, was the daughter of a wealthy local family in Indianapolis, Indiana (Rider). Therefore, she was not well conditioned for the minimal lifestyle she was forced to experience. As a child, Vonnegut took inspiration from his uncle Alex, who taught him to enjoy the simplest and most beautiful things in life; this continued to influence the rest of his writing career. Kurt Vonnegut and his family lived a very normal and simple life until the Great Depression hit; from that point on, life became tough, and this struggle built the solid foundation for Kurt Vonnegut's prosperous writing career. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. had a rough and rather difficult middle-aged life. Vonnegut attended Shortridge High School in 1936; here he was editor of the school newspaper, The Daily Echo.