Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of short stories

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 and essays

Essay

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...

 about war and peace written by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...

. It is the first posthumous collection of his previously unpublished writings. The book includes an introduction by Mark Vonnegut

Mark Vonnegut

Mark Vonnegut is an American pediatrician and memoirist. He is the son of the late writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and his first wife, Jane Cox. He is also the brother of Edith and Nanette Vonnegut. He described himself in the preface to his 1975 book as "a hippie, son of a counterculture hero, B.A...

 as well as a letter from Kurt to his family about his experiences as a prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

. Like many of Vonnegut's other books, Armageddon in Retrospect is laden with handwritten quotations and rough drawings by the author.

The Collection

• Vonnegut's Speech at Clowes Hall, Indianapolis, April 2007
• Letter from PFC Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., to his family, May 29, 1945
• "Wailing Shall Be in All Streets"
• "Great Day"
• "Guns Before Butter"
• "Happy Birthday, 1951"
• "Brighten Up"
• "The Unicorn Trap"
• "Unknown Soldier"
• "Spoils"
• "Just You and Me, Sammy"
• "The Commandant's Desk"
• "Armageddon in Retrospect"

External links

• "The blood of Dresden" The Sunday Times June 1, 2008 (contains an extract)