God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
385678
221143897
2008-06-23T06:24:51Z
Jerome Charles Potts
562899
wikified "philantropy", and "foundation" in intro
{{infobox Book | <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] -->
| name = God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = [[image:GodBlessYouMrRosewater(Vonnegut).jpg|200px]]
| image_caption = Cover of first edition (Hardcover)
| author = [[Kurt Vonnegut]]
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = [[United States]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| series =
| genre = [[Novel]]
| publisher = [[Dell Publishing|Dell]]
| release_date = 1965
| english_release_date =
| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover]] & [[Paperback]])
| pages =
| isbn = NA
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
'''''God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater''', or '''Pearls Before Swine''''' is a novel written by [[Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.]] and published in 1965. The plot focuses on [[Eliot Rosewater]], the primary trustee of the [[Philanthropy|philanthropic]] Rosewater [[Private foundation (United States)|Foundation]] whom one of the family lawyers, Norman Mushari, is attempting to have declared insane to enable a more distant relative, Fred Rosewater, an insurance salesman from [[Rhode Island]], to gain control.
== Plot introduction ==
Founded originally to help Rosewater descendants avoid paying taxes on the family estate by Eliot's father, a [[United States Senate|senator]] in Rosewater County, [[Indiana]], the Rosewater Foundation is operated by a large legal firm in New York and provides an annual pension of $3 million to Eliot. Eliot had been seen as restless early on trying all the typical things that philanthropists do to help the poor, but he eventually sets out across America, going from small town to small town before landing in the city of Rosewater, Indiana and setting up shop. He calls Rosewater home after becoming a volunteer firefighter in numerous cities across the U.S. This fact, along with his drunkenness, his generous relationship with the poor in Rosewater, and his odd relationship with his French wife make him appear a bit crazy. A conniving lawyer by the name of Mushari has set out to prove him insane so he can collect a portion of the Rosewater fortune for himself during the transfer of it to the unwitting distant cousins in Rhode Island.
The novel is told mostly through a collection of short stories dealing with Eliot's interactions with the citizens of Rosewater County. The antagonist' tale, Mushari's, is told in a similar short essay fashion, usually with the last sentence serving as a [[punch line]]. These stories usually reveal different hypocrisies of mankind in a very dark and humorous fashion.
== Cameo Appearances ==
In this novel, [[Kilgore Trout]], the ever-present science fiction writer considered to be Vonnegut's [[alter-ego]], makes an appearance and charms many rich and affluent people including Eliot's father at the end of the novel. Diana Moon Glampers, the handicapper general of the short story [[Harrison Bergeron]], makes an appearance despite the great difference in time frames between Eliot's story and Harrison's.
== In Pop Culture ==
On the cover of the ''[[Pearls Before Swine (comic strip)|Pearls Before Swine]]'' comic strip treasury "The Crass Menagerie" the intellectual, well read character of [[Goat (Pearls Before Swine)|Goat]] is seen seated on the right reading the book "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater", which of course has as its alternate title, Pearls Before Swine
== Adaptation ==
The novel was adapted into a musical in [[1979]]. It marked the first collaboration of composer [[Alan Menken]] and lyricist [[Howard Ashman]].
{{Vonnegut}}
[[Category:1965 novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Kurt Vonnegut]]
{{1960s-novel-stub}}
[[he:יברך אותך אלוהים, אדון רוזווטר]]
[[ru:Дай вам бог здоровья, мистер Розуотер]]
[[fi:Jumala teitä siunatkoon, herra Rosewater]]
[[sv:Gud bevare Mr Rosewater]]