Vox

Musings, rants, rambling, general nonsense

R.I.P. – Kurt Vonnegut

Posted on | April 12, 2007 | Comments Off on R.I.P. – Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr passed away Wednesday at the age of 84.


Vonnegut is one of the first authors I have a clear recollection of reading. That point where you seek out additional works by one writer, rather than just continuing in a genre. I found him through my brother, usually referenced here as TCHOTP (The Coolest Human On The Planet) – basically, anything he read or listened to or thought was cool in any way, I had to experience, as well. If it was in his record collection, I was listening to it. If it was on his bookshelf, I was reading it. Rush, Devo, E.L.O., Asimov, Sturgeon…
And Vonnegut.
His Welcome to the Monkey House collection introduced me to several ideas that still ring true. I remember clearly the message I perceived from Harrison Bergeron, about a society that tries to ensure complete equality by handicapping in some way those who are stronger and/or brighter. I remember the sweetness of the patient romance in Who Am I This Time? The silliness of Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog….
And who can forget him as Kurt Vonnegut in Back to School? 😉
UPDATE: From the New York Times obit, a quote from “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater”

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It



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Category: books, celebrities

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