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| Kilgore Trout | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | 1965 |
| Last appearance | 2004 |
| Created by | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Portrayed by | Albert Finney |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Science fiction writer |
| Children | Leon Trotsky Trout |
| Nationality | American |
Kilgore Trout is a fictional character created by author Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007). Trout is a notably unsuccessful author of paperback science fiction novels.
"Trout" was inspired by the name of the author Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985), Vonnegut's colleague in the genre of science fiction. Vonnegut was amused by the notion of a person with the name of a fish, and hence substituted "Trout" for "Sturgeon".[1] Trout's appearances in a number of Vonnegut's works have led critics to also view the character as the author's own alter ego.
In an homage to Vonnegut, Kilgore Trout is also the ostensible author of the novel Venus on the Half-Shell (1975), written pseudonymously by Philip José Farmer.
- ^ Interview with Vonnegut "I think it's funny when someone is named after a fish"