Ah Shaun Mullen, that is a wonderful story. A 100 pages in two sentences. I can see it all. Thank you!
dr. e

Thank you Mr. Vonnegut, for being a harsh critic of George W Bush. IMO, that is what I appreciate most.

White Agent,

If that’s what you appreciate most, and I appreciate that, too, you are in for a wonderful surprise. The works of Kurt Vonnegut can, and will, test and tease and challenge your complete thought process. When you finish one of his books (when one of his books is finished with you would be more accurate) you’re a better person than when you started.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading KV I’d suggest you start with ‘Welcome to the Monkey House’ a collection of short works that will take your breath away.

One more sample of Vonnegut genius:

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’

‘God bless you, Mr. Rosewater’

Not if the Tralfamodoreans have their way!

Thank you for your heartfelt words.

Vonnegut and I once passed each other on a Manhattan sidewalk. I cocked my head and gave him my best loopy smile. He cocked his head and returned the favor. That was enough for me.

Last time we had dinner, we talked about how some in the ‘outer culture’ label writers and it drives writers crazy because (and I paraphrase here) “It’s like a restaurant… you keep telling them you have corn beef and rye, and though they ate it and liked it or not, they keep telling everyone you only offer quiche on crackers.”

Kurt was labeled as ‘countercultural,’ and as a science fiction genre writer,’ and as a ‘pop culture writer.’ Anyone who knows his work and is not a prisoner of the overculture’s uni-mind, knows he was a holy man. An imperfectly perfect holy man with a thousand parables.

I have many stories about Kurt, but even more so, am very much liking hearing other people’s stories about Kurt here on TMV and elsewhere; those are most precious.

thank you again,
Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Thank you!

“You know what truth is?” said Karabekian. “It’s some crazy thing my neighbor believes. If I want to make friends with him, I ask him what he believes. He tells me, and I say, ‘Yeah, yeah — ain’t it the truth?’” – Kurt Vonnegut – Breakfast of Champions

And this (also from Breakfast of Champions):

Sparky could not wag his tail — because of an automobile accident many years ago, so he had no way of telling other dogs how friendly he was. He had to fight all the time. His ears were in tatters. He was lumpy with scars.

Is it just me or does ‘Sparky’ sound like many we meet in the blogosphere?

More on my long neglected quotation pages, “between boogie-woogie & boolean”

“I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, ‘Please–a little less love, and a little more common decency.’”

The above quote, from Kurt’s 1976 book Slapstick, and is but one of the many reasons he is being mourned and honored by so many today. But fear not, his ‘common man’ optimism (and skepticism) assures that his books will be read (and censored) for many, many generations to come.

“God Bless you, Mr. Vonnegut.“

Kurt is up in heaven now.