“Untitled,” 1985
 
Anyone with any familiarity with Kurt Vonnegut’s literary output probably knows that the man liked to doodle. His whimsical self-portrait, the one that emphasized his mustache, is very familiar, making an appearance in his 1973 masterpiece Breakfast of Champions and many other places. Breakfast of Champions, of course, featured all manner of little drawings as a non-textual means of furthering the story.

Next month a handsome coffee table book, Kurt Vonnegut Drawings, from the Monacelli Press, featuring hitherto unavailable artworks, will go on sale (the list price is $40, but you can pre-order it for $25.40). The book will feature 145 selections of his work.
 

 
Vonnegut was a fervent believer in the importance of art as a means of enhancing everyday life, and these interesting drawings are the proof. He used pen and (quite clearly) magic marker for these artworks. They remind me most of all of Joan Miró (esp. the Janus-like piece from 1987) and Saul Steinberg (esp. the one with the wavy hair from the same year).
 

“Untitled,” no date
 

“Untitled,” no date
 

“Untitled,” 1980
 

“Self-Portrait,” 1985
 

“Untitled,” no date
 

“Untitled,” no date
 

“Untitled,” 1987
 

“Untitled,” no date
 

“Untitled,” 1987
 
Here Vonnegut uses his visual skill with chalk and blackboard to explain some pungent points about plot construction:
 

 
via Hyperallergic