The Petrified Ants

<b><br> Look at the Birdie</b> is a collection of fourteen previously unpublished short stories from one of the most original writers in all of American fiction.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 post—World War II America–a 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. <br> <br> Vonnegut explores the relationship between science’s pursuit of truth and the state’s need to control it in “<i>The Petrified Ants</i>,” 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. <br> <br> “<i>The Petrified Ants</i>” and the thirteen other never-before-published pieces that comprise <b>Look at the Birdie</b> serve as an unexpected gift for devoted readers who thought that Kurt Vonnegut’s unique voice had been stilled forever–and provide a terrific introduction to his short fiction for anyone who has yet to experience his genius.

Author(s): Kurt Vonnegut  

ISBN 10: 0440339391
ISBN 13: 9780440339397
Pages: 18
Publication: 9/29/2009