gts@dmcnh.UUCP (09/11/84)
Well? I've already read _Venus on the Half Shell_. Any others in print? -From the literal mailbox of ><..!decvax!ittvax!sii!dmcnh!gts
horton@nmtvax.UUCP (09/22/84)
To answer your question: I don't think there are any more books by Kilgore Trout. But there are some by the guy who made up Mr. Trout. In case you didn't know, that fellow is Kurt Vonnegut. Check out the Vonnegut Reader by those guys who are doing Kurt's biography and a collection of his work. I believe it has a complete Vonnegut bibliography. Kurt is funnier than Kilgore Trout, in my opinion. But I just wanted to help. Phil Horton horton@nmtvax
ian@loral.UUCP (Ian Kaplan) (09/24/84)
I have always assumed that Kilgore Trout is a figment of Kurt Vonegut's imagination. I think that either Vonegut or a Vonegut fan published "Venus on the Half-shell". I have looked for other books by Trout, but I never found anything else. If I remember correctly, you can find references to Trout in Vonegut's books "Slaughter House Five" and the "Sirens of Titan".
robertsb@ttidcb.UUCP (Robin Roberts) (09/25/84)
If memory serves Venus on a Half Shell was a title invented by Kurt Vonnegut as a book written by Kilgore Trout a character within one of his books. Philip Jose Farmer wrote the book with the above title and penname as a parody much as he wrote Barnstormer in Oz and the biography of Doc Savage.
chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (09/25/84)
There was only one book by Trout. That was actually written by Phil Farmer.
--
From the Department of Bistromatics: Chuq Von Rospach
{amd,decwrl,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA
Flying is the art of throwing yourself at the ground and missing.kcd@drutx.UUCP (09/26/84)
I too have heard that Phillip Jose Farmer wrote the "Kilgore Trout Books" I also heard that Vonegut was NOT amused, still I thought it was funny. Keenan drutx!kcd
ecl@hocsj.UUCP (09/26/84)
REFERENCE: <145@dmcnh.UUCP>, <504@loral.UUCP> Kilgore Trout is a fictional character created by Kurt Vonnegut. Kilgore Trout is also a pseudonym used by Philip Jose Farmer. (This was discovered when someone noticed that "Trout" was a science fiction author based at an address in Peoria; Farmer is the only SF author in Peoria.) Evelyn C. Leeper ...ihnp4!hocsj!ecl
keesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan) (09/26/84)
----------------------------
Kilgore Trout is indeed a figment of Kurt Vonnegut's imagination.
"Venus on the Half Shell" was written by Philip Jose Farmer, who seems to
enjoy writing things using other people's characters (Tarzan, Doc Savage,
and Phileas Fogg spring to mind). Following "Venus on the Half Shell", which
was first published in _The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction_, Farmer
wrote a story under the name of a fictional author mentioned in "Venus"
(Jonathan Smith Somers? something like that), which was also published in
F&SF.
--
Morris M. Keesan
{decvax,linus,ihnp4,wivax,wjh12,ima}!bbncca!keesan
keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPApatty@hou2e.UUCP (P.ORAWE) (09/27/84)
You can also find references to Kilgore Trout in Vonnegut's
"Breakfast of Champions", along with some of the strangest
illustrations I've ever seen!
Patty O'Rawe
ATT-Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
hou2e!pattychabot@amber.DEC (Lisa S. Chabot) (09/27/84)
The rumor that the works of the master Kilgore Trout could have been ground out by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a vile, vile falsehood! Vonnegut may make references to Trout, but this is out of awe or respect. Those seeking more volumes of Trout are not going to find them on the shelves of the supermarket paperback section, no! Only _Venus_On_The_Half-Shell_ is still in print, so to find other masterpieces one must hunt carefully through innumerable used book sections. True Trout fanatics and other searchers claim to have the best luck, or at least to do the most of their hunting, in the second-hand section of their handy local adult bookstore. But their success, when (if? sshh sshh!) there are any, are sneaked home in plain brown wrappers and under coats, and quietly hidden away in misers' hoards (perhaps there is an extensive black market in Trout first editions? perhaps they fear death threats or theft? the police? the censure of their family and friends?). The other problem with Kilgore Trout treasures is that booksellers when sorting books alphabetically by authors' last names unaccountably will file them under "F". L S Chabot UUCP: ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot ARPA: ...chabot%amber.DEC@decwrl.ARPA USBail: DEC, MR03-1/K20, 2 Irony Way, Marlborough, MA 01752 shadow: ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-arden!chabot
armstron@sjuvax.UUCP (armstrong) (09/28/84)
I believe (although its been a long time) that Trout is also in
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.
--
Len Armstrong
St. Joseph's University
{astrovax | bpa | burdvax | allegra }!sjuvax!armstronwfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly) (09/29/84)
Kilgore Trout is in fact a Kurt Vonnegut creation. The story I heard is that "Venus On The Half Shell" was written by Philip Jose Farmer (sp?) as a lark. I think Kilgore Trout appeared in at least the two books mentioned, and perhaps one other.