猫的摇篮

Name: 猫的摇篮
ISBN: 9787573011176

Kurt Vonnegut / 姚向辉Hainan Publishing House · ChinaSep 2023

4.3

Word count: 100K words
Chapters: 128
ISBN: 9787573011176

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Summary

When the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, the "father of the atomic bomb," Dr. Hoenikker, was playing a cat's cradle string game.

He was a scientific genius and an emotional cripple.

He was fanatically cruel and naively indifferent.

He was a madman who treated science as a game and had no sense of morality.

Yet it was this madman who held the remote control for destroying the world, again and again.

The madman destroys the world precisely because we naively trust madmen, worship madmen, and hand power to madmen with our own hands.

The madman is destroying the world, yet we naively expect him to save it.

Editor's review

Cat's Cradle opens with the "father of the atomic bomb," Dr. Hoenikker, playing a cat's cradle string game, juxtaposing scientific genius with emotional crippledom, fanatical cruelty with naive indifference, and shaping a madman who treats science as a game and lacks any moral sense. The core tension of the work lies in this: the person holding the remote control for destroying the world is precisely the madman whom everyone naively trusts, worships, and empowers. The narrative is distinguished by black humor and cold satire, relying not on sentimentality but on absurd situations to force readers to examine scientific ethics, the delegation of power, and collective blind obedience. While reading, one feels both the sharpness of parable and the sting of its pessimistic undertone. Suitable for readers willing to think about real-world issues through fictional absurdity; not to be read as light entertainment or traditional science-fiction adventure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who enjoy black humor and satirical parables and can accept absurd narratives
Reflective readers concerned with scientific ethics, the delegation of power, and collective blind obedience
Readers who have read other works by Vonnegut and want to continue exploring his style
Readers willing to reflect on reality through fiction and not averse to a pessimistic undertone

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or a warm, healing reading experience
Readers who prefer traditional science-fiction adventure and hard technical settings over parable
Readers sensitive to absurdity, satire, and a pessimistic tone

Reading tips

First note the image of the "cat's cradle" string game and treat it as a key metaphor for understanding the whole book.
Do not rush after plot; pay attention to the contradictory portrayal of Dr. Hoenikker, in whom genius and coldness coexist.
When you reach an absurd passage, pause and think: who handed power to the madman, and why trust him.
After reading, do a brief review by connecting it with real cases of scientific ethics and collective blind obedience.

About the publisher

Hainan Publishing House China · Founded in 1985

Hainan Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for literary and intellectual works, covering foreign literature, philosophy, classics, world-famous works, classical poetry and prose miscellanies. Its catalog includes foreign literary classics such as Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Romain Rolland's Jean-Christophe, philosophical works such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract: Expert Companion Edition, and Chinese classics and poetic studies such as Lu Xun's essays and prose collections and Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua, as well as illustrated popular-science works like Fabre's Insects. The involvement of translators such as Zhong Shufeng, Fu Lei and Chen Xiaoqing reflects the publisher's emphasis on translation quality and expert guidance. Public information is limited, and the above is based mainly on the books in the catalog.

版权信息
1 世界终结之日
2 好，很好，非常好
3 愚行
4 卷须的尝试性纠缠
5 一名医学预科生的来信
6 虫子打架
7 杰出的赫尼克家族
8 牛顿和津卡的情缘
9 主管火山事务的副总裁
10 特工X-9
11 蛋白质
12 世间快乐的末日
13 中转站
14 假如车上有雕花玻璃花瓶
15 圣诞快乐
16 回到幼儿园
17 姑娘池
18 世界上最有价值的商品
19 再也没有烂泥了
20 九号冰
21 海军陆战队勇往直前
22 黄色小报的记者
23 最后一炉布朗尼
24 什么是万彼得
25 赫尼克博士最重要的事情
26 神是什么
27 来自火星的男人
28 美乃滋
29 永垂不朽
30 只是在睡觉
31 另一个布里德
32 炸药挣的钱
33 一个不知感恩的人
34 温-迪特
35 玩具店
36 喵呜
37 一位现时代的少将
38 全世界的梭鱼之都
39 法塔·莫甘娜
40 希望与慈悲之家
41 为两个人组建的卡拉斯
42 送给阿富汗的自行车
43 示范
44 同情者
45 美国佬为什么招人恨
46 博克侬教徒如何应付恺撒
47 动态张力
48 就像圣奥古斯丁
49 愤怒大海扔上来的一条鱼
50 一个好看的侏儒
51 没问题，老妈
52 无痛
53 织技公司的总裁
54 纳粹、保皇党、空降兵和逃服兵役者
55 决不要给你自己的书编索引
56 一个自承重的松鼠笼子
57 令人不安的怪梦
58 有差异的暴政
59 请系紧安全带
60 一个贫困国家
61 一个下士值多少
62 黑泽尔为什么不害怕
63 虔诚和自由
64 和平与富足
65 造访圣洛伦佐的好时光
66 最强大的东西
67 呵-呜-呜克-库！
68 一百民主烈士
69 一幅巨大的镶嵌画
70 博克侬的教导
71 身为美国人的快乐
72 烦人精希尔顿
73 黑死病
74 猫的摇篮
75 替我向阿尔贝特·施韦泽问好
76 朱利安·卡斯尔赞同牛顿的看法，一切都毫无意义
77 阿司匹林和博克-马鲁
78 铁桶
79 麦凯布的灵魂为何腐化
80 瀑布粗滤网
81 卧车行李员之子的白色新娘
82 扎-玛-基-波
83 施利希特·冯·柯尼希斯瓦尔德医生达到盈亏平衡点
84 大断电
85 一坨福麻
86 两个小保温杯
87 我的堂堂仪表
88 弗兰克为什么不能当总统
89 达福尔
90 只有一个陷阱
91 蒙娜
92 诗人庆祝他的第一次博克-马鲁
93 我如何险些失去我的蒙娜
94 最高峰
95 亲眼见到铁钩
96 摇铃、书和帽盒里的鸡
97 该死的基督徒
98 临终仪式
99 神造了泥
100 弗兰克下水牢
101 和我的前任一样，我宣布博克侬为逃犯
102 自由的仇敌
103 对作家罢工之影响的医学意见
104 磺胺噻唑
105 止痛药
106 博克侬教徒在自杀时会说什么
107 大饱眼福吧！
108 弗兰克告诉我们该怎么办
109 弗兰克为自己辩护
110 第十四书
111 小憩
112 牛顿母亲的网格包
113 历史
114 当我感觉子弹打进我的心脏
115 说来也巧
116 宏大的阿-轰
117 避难所
118 铁处女和水牢
119 蒙娜感谢我
120 敬启者
121 我答得太慢
122 瑞士家庭鲁滨孙
123 鼠与人
124 弗兰克的蚂蚁农场
125 塔斯马尼亚人
126 轻柔的管乐，继续吹奏吧
127 完

FAQ

What does "cat's cradle" refer to in the book?

According to the introduction, it is the name of a string game Dr. Hoenikker was playing when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. The book uses this game-like image to connect with the portrayal of science treated as a game and the absence of moral sense; it is an important entry point for understanding the character and themes, and its specific meaning needs to be grasped through reading the whole book.

Is this book hard science fiction?

Judging from the introduction, the book's focus is not on technical details or hard scientific settings, but on parable-like issues such as the moral deficiency of a scientific genius, power handed to a madman, and blind worship by everyone. It has a black-humor and satirical coloring and is closer to a literary satirical parable than to hard science fiction.

Is Dr. Hoenikker a positive or negative character?

The introduction describes him as a scientific genius and an emotional cripple, fanatically cruel and naively indifferent, treating science as a game, utterly lacking moral sense, and holding the remote control for destroying the world. Rather than simply classifying him as positive or negative, it is better to see him as a complex parable-like figure wrapped in power and blind trust.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

No professional scientific background is required. The introduction already sets out the basic context of the atomic bomb, Hiroshima, and the "father of the atomic bomb." Readers need only remain open to issues such as scientific ethics, power, and blind obedience; familiarity with black humor and satirical parable will make the reading experience smoother.

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About the author

Kurt Vonnegut Author · American · 1922–2007

Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) was an American writer and a leading figure in American black humor literature. He served in World War II, was taken prisoner, and witnessed the Dresden bombing, an experience that became important material for his masterpiece Slaughterhouse-Five. Novels such as Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Jailbird, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater often blend postmodern narrative techniques and science-fiction elements with a satirical tone, reflecting on the horror and absurdity of twentieth-century civilization. His work combines black humor with humanistic concern and has had a lasting influence in the field of foreign literature.

姚向辉 Author

Yao Xianghui is a prolific Chinese translator, with 63 translated works held in the library's collection, focusing mainly on foreign literature and science fiction. His translations span a range of styles: classic novels driven by character and narrative, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Godfather and its trilogy; science fiction including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Illustrated Collector's Edition, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Neuromancer: Count Zero, and the Blindsight & Echopraxia set; works exploring technology and consciousness such as Mind Uploading; and popular science titles. His translations are commonly categorized under foreign literature, science fiction, classics and quality fiction, showing that he works across both genre fiction and serious literature. Public information about Yao Xianghui's personal background, education and awards is limited; he is known to readers mainly through his abundant body of translation work.