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Kurt Vonnegut died

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Downsitting Citizen
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Mar 27, 2006
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The story just broke in the NY Times.

I enjoyed much of his writing. Recently re-read "Breakfast of Champions." What a hoot. R.I.P.
 
Vonnegut's death is a much bigger loss than what happened to Don Imus. But as of this writing, the Imus story dominates the web sites of news sources.

I liked Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five. I read a few of his other works, and they had their moments, but they did not reach the heights of these two novels. They are destined to be classics.

One of Vonnegut's best comic moments was his cameo in the Rodney Dangerfield movie, Back to School. Not only did he make a personal appearance, he let himself be the butt of several jokes.
 
I recently ran across my old Vonnegut books and made a mental note to re-read them. I think I'll move that closer to the top of my to-do list. :(
 
It may sound strange, but Vonnegut taught me not to be afraid.

My world's a sadder place now.
 
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The coolest guy to come out of my hometown.

But I could really have done without Timequake.
 
"He's gone to be with god"

Any true Vonnegut fan will know how fitting a tribute that is.

My first encounter with Vonnegut was in my last year of high school, when our literature teacher told us that each student must choose a different novel, and do a class report about it. I found this novel that had a picture of two scantily-clad women on the cover, in a sci-fi kind of scenario, and figured it would be easy, light reading.

It was "Sirens of Titan", one of Vonnegut's earlier novels. And I absolutely fell in love with it. It was superficially science fiction, but was really a social commentary, written in a style both humorous and cynical. From that day onwards, I was a die-hard Vonnegut fan.

Yeah, his work varied in quality -- not surprising, given the emotional ups and downs of his own life. But he was unflinchingly honest both in his evaluation of mankind, and (more difficult) in his evaluation of himself.

When I first started questioning my religious beliefs, and looked for something to replace it (other than the nebulous term of "atheist", which defines me only by what I don't believe, rather than what I do believe), it was Vonnegut who led me to Humanism (he himself was the president of the American Humanist Association).

He was a man who faced huge challenges in life. Much like the characters in his novels, sometimes he faced those challenges head-on; sometimes he faced them simply because he had no choice; and sometimes he ran away from them.

I was honored to see him in person at a rare public talk about his works; he was asked an inevitable question about his suicide attempt. He stated simply that it was an act of cowardice, but that he was entitled to be a coward. Then he went on to talk about how many people had gotten upset with him for trying to take "the easy way out". His response was that he never set himself up to be a role model for anyone, and whatever he chose to do with his life was "his own f**king business".

I don't think he ever set out to accomplish fame, and certainly not adulation. He was a troubled man, with a million questions about life, and about what it meant to be human. His musings about those questions (he rarely provided any answers) resulted in the many different books and essays that he produced over the years.

And I guess that's what I liked and respected most about Vonnegut. He presented himself, in all his weaknesses and uncertainties, exactly as he was. And in doing that, it helped me to understand that I was not alone in my own weaknesses and uncertainties, that they were in fact the common lot of humanity.

Vonnegut was the atheist's atheist; he was the skeptic's skeptic. He gave voice to the questions, fears, and uncertainties that so many others feel. His 'failure' to provide many answers wasn't a failure at all; it was just a pragmatic acceptance that this is part of the human condition, and that sometimes the man who shows the greatest wisdom is the one who simply admits "I don't know what the ◊◊◊◊ it means".

*an apology for the two instances of the f-word here; however, considering the context, and Vonnegut's own use of the word in exactly the same manner, I hope that it will be taken in the spirit it is offered*
 
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And I guess that's what I liked and respected most about Vonnegut. He presented himself, in all his weaknesses and uncertainties, exactly as he was. And in doing that, it helped me to understand that I was not alone in my own weaknesses and uncertainties, that they were in fact the common lot of humanity.
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Very well said, and yes a very troubled spirit. But that seems to be a common thread among the deeper thinkers. Where ever he has gone, I hope he finds the peace and tranquility he sort. I also hope he found some of the answers to the questions he always posed

Goodbye Kurt, and thanks for the memories
 
I read my first Vonnegut book just last year (Slaughterhouse 5). Yep, brilliant. I then picked up his non-fiction book Man Without a Country. What a charming, wry, caring man.

Plus he was a fellow proud humanist.

I'll miss him.
 
What a sad thing to wake up to: the first celebrity passing in a long time that has actually affected me. I first read Slaughterhouse 5 about eight years ago. It didn't change my life, it changed my entire perspective on life.
 
Harrison Bergeron has GOT to be on of my favorite short stories ever. Kurt had style, he could make the darkest thing funny yet not diminish its impact. Kurt fell a couple of weeks ago and his brain never recovered. So it goes.
 
I discovered him in college (along with probably half the people on this thread) and was instantly delighted. It was years before I realized that God Bless You, Mister Rosewater was a Jesus story.

What boooeee said about Timequake. What a mess. Look up the dictionary definition of "mailing it in," and you'll see a photo of a copy of Timequake.

But I forgive him, because of The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse-Five, Mother Night, Cat's Cradle, and his wonderful collection of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House. Read The Euphio Question, Report on the Barnhouse Effect, and particularly, Harrison Bergeron, then marvel that they were all written half a century ago and more.

"Pretend to be good, always, and even God will be fooled."
 
Kurt is up in heaven now. :D

Condolences to his friends and family.

Time to reread some of his books.
 
This is INDEED sad news to wake up to. I'll always thank him for Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat's Cradle, but especially for his wry humor. He'll definitely be missed.
 
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