American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, author of such literary works as Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, died last night in Manhattan. He was 84.

Vonnegut suffered irreversible brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago, according to his wife, Jill Krementz.

While the author wrote plays, essays, and short fiction, it was his novels that were considered to be some of the greatest in 20th century American literature. His works, which were often a mix of fiction and autobiography, blended satire, humor, and science fiction to explore philosophy and metaphysics.

As a member of the U.S. Army during World War II, Vonnegut experienced first-hand the 1945 bombing of Dresden, Germany, by Allied forces, which destroyed most of that city. His 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five was based that experience and on his accounts as a young prisoner of war.

His last book, in 2005, was a best-selling collection of biographical essays, A Man Without a Country.