Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday in his home in Manhattan. Gone is one of America’s greatest voices. New York Times story here, and links to reviews of books, essays, photos, etc. here. NPR story here.
And here at BordersMedia.com I came across an excellent interview and overveiw of Vonnegut’s life and work by Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Tulane University.
I was first introduced to Vonnegut about 30 years ago when friends recommended I read Breakfast of Champions. I barely remember what the book was about… guess I better read it again. But I do remember one Vonnegut illustration that showed up throughout the book:
I went on to read Slaughterhouse Five and quite a few more of his novels, and I recently read his collection of essays that he wrote for In These Times titled A Man Without a Country. Very witty stuff.
Here are a few Vonnegut quotes that I found today.
If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you’re a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.
People have to talk about something just to keep their voice boxes in working order so they’ll have good voice boxes in case there’s ever anything really meaningful to say.
Life Is no way to treat an animal.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?
Many more here.
I checked This Modern World this morning and found that Tom Tomorrow has posted a humorous postcard (complete with Ronald Reagan stamp!) that he received from Kurt Vonnegut a few years ago.
And I know he’s been on The Daily Show at least once.
Here’s the only one I could find.
Vonnegut was a brilliant man with an acerbic wit. May he rest in peace…
