Kurt Vonnegut makes writing actually seem like a decent job. He made the work feel like something real and significant, which is easy to lose sight of, trust me. There are only a handful of writers, as an obsessive reader myself, that I’ve made a mental commitment to read everything they’ve published: London, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Bradbury, and Vonnegut.
He made writing look easy, much like a talented baseball player makes it look easy to hit a homerun. His books are full of realistic people living in an unrealistic world, and that’s probably as close to reality as we’ll ever get. It’s simple. You know when you’re reading Vonnegut he’s being honest. You can feel it. And that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily being told that abstract concept “the truth.” It’s honesty, and sometimes honesty is better than the truth. Honesty comes from the metaphor of what we like to call the heart.
Here is a YouTube of Vonnegut, not so long ago, probably 2005, in one of his honest moments:
Well, Kurt Vonnegut, you gave us something to think about, but more importantly, you gave us something to feel.
Tell London, Hemingway, and Steinbeck we all said hello and that we’re still reading their books, despite the distraction of the Internet and a war over our addiction to petroleum. I would say, “You’ll be missed” but why put that kind of pressure on a guy who finally escaped the loony bin of life?
Rest in peace?
Why?
Now that you’re rid of your tired old body, why not go bowling with Shakespeare or ride a rollercoaster with Mark Twain?
I think I’ll just end with:
Have fun, Kurt Vonnegut, and thanks for all the good words and laughs.
Bradley Mason Hamlin, (Mystery Island 04.12.07)
Before you go, let us remind you of the Vonnegut books you should read:
PLAYER PIANO (1952) THE SIRENS OF TITAN (1959) CANARY IN A CAT HOUSE (1961) MOTHER NIGHT (1961) CAT'S CRADLE (1963) GOD BLESS YOU, MR. ROSEWATER (1965) WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE (1968) SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE (1969) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE (1970) BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS (1973) WAMPETERS, FOMA & GRANFALLOONS (1974) SLAPSTICK (1976) JAILBIRD (1979) SUN, MOON, STAR (1980) PALM SUNDAY (1981) DEADEYE DICK (1982) FATES WORSE THAN DEATH (1983) GALAPAGOS (1985) BLUEBEARD (1987) HOCUS POCUS (1990) TIMEQUAKE (1997) BAGOMBO SNUFF BOX (1999) GOD BLESS YOU, DR. KEVORKIAN (1999) LIKE SHAKING HANDS WITH GOD (1999) A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY (2005)
