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Kurt Vonnegut Jr died today at 84
Kurt Vonnegut Jr
1922-2007
I loved Kurt Vonnegut. I found him in the darkest days of my adolescence. His books were a light in the darkness for me. Through the wild universes he created and his razor sharp wit, he expanded my horizons in powerful and lasting ways. I learned more about what it means to be human – both the horror and the majesty.
Of course I did not realize it then, but he was writing about the Disquiet - both his own and our collective Disquiet. He really captured how we create our own Hells, how fragile the earth is and how we really lose our perspective to what is important.
A few years ago, he wrote: “I’ve had a hell of a good time. I tell you, we are here on earth to fart around and don’t let anybody tell you any different.” He was described as a combination of Al Gore and Groucho Marx. I thought he was a modern Mark Twain. Here is a collection of some of his best quotes.
A couple of years ago one of my kids started reading him. I was glad to know Kurt was lighting a path for my child.
He wrote over 16 books. The ones I read and loved were:
Slaughterhouse Five
Cats Cradle
Sirens of Titan
Breakfast of Champions
Player Piano
Welcome to the Monkey House
He was on the Daily Show not too long ago. It may have been one of his last interviews. He was great.
“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center”
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Tags: Life, Resources, The Disquiet, Breakfast of Champions, Cats Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano, Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse Five, Welcome to the Monkey House
April 12th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
I love that quote-beautiful. Thank you Dave!
April 17th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
You are most welcome. I like it too