Kurt Vonnegut was a witness to the events in Dresden. He was imprisoned in a slaughterhouse with other Allied soldiers captured by the Germans during the battles. Vonnegut survived the inferno because the slaughterhouse was built underground. To portray the horrors of the Dresden bombing with incendiary bombs, he wrote a novel that showcased his technical and intellectual brilliance, giving the Dresden catastrophe an unusual dimension that surpasses its historical reality. The writer's bewildered state and difficulty in forming the narrative led him to reject conventional novel structures, opting for fantastical elements as the most suitable medium to depict his horrific experience. The novel became widely popular after World War II, largely due to its reliance on science fiction. The invented myth adds life to the text, particularly the myth of space travel. While the science fiction elements satisfy the reader's imagination, the parts relating to World War II leave an indelible impression of the war's horrors.

Publishing house: Dar Kalemat for Publishing and Distribution

Number of Pages: 269

Year of publication: 2015