Jailbird - Definition and Overview

Jailbird is Kurt Vonnegut's 1979 fictional novel about a man recently released from a low security prison. In the typical Vonnegut fashion, the novel eschews the typical build to a climax and lets you know the outcome almost at the very beginning of the book. Nevertheless, it is quite engaging as it leads you through the strange journey of Walter Starbuck, who, after being released from prison, merely wishes to get a job and live in moderate contentment.

The topic of Jailbird is mostly corporate America -- what runs our businesses behind the scenes and the human weaknesses that are bound to bring us back down from our capitalist high.

Jailbird also features another appearance of Kilgore Trout, a fictionalized Theodore Sturgeon, who writes science fiction novels that no one reads.

See also

• ISBN 0385333900