RIP Mr. Vonnegut

[Arcdelad]

Kurt Vonnegut jr died (last night or this morning)...for those who don't know who he is he was an amazing 21st century american author, with his most notable work being Slaughterhouse 5.

Everyone who knows my literary tastes knows that I generally don't read nor like things written in the last 40-50 years...I generally see Lolita by Nabakov as the last great American work of literary art, and even that one has a huge asterisk becuase Nabakov was a Russian ex-pat*****^{see below for of rant}.

Kurt Vobnnegut, though, was a PHENOMENOL bleeding edge writer ahead of his time...the science fiction aspects of his work were enough to banish him from the major halls of literary academia, but a lot of specialized courses and teachers recognize the inherent social value in his work, not to mentin the superb craftsmanship of his language.

Heres to the passing of a great writer - I strongly urge anyone to pick up "Slaughterhouse 5", or even find some of this short stories on the net - you will be well entertained and a better person afterwards.

*****^{SIDE RANT}Alice Walker's "Color Purple" is a great book too, especialyl since she helped rerdiscover Zora Neal Hurston and her great work "Thier Eyes were Watching God"....however, in terms of longevity I see "Lolita" as dealing with more universal and permanent human conditions, such as lust vs love.....Alice Walker's works deal primarily with the African American plight in the 20th century, which has undergone such evolution, I think it is more of a historical weigh pont even now that much farther in the future. Some literature has a relevancy period that will eventually relegate it to only being read by specialists of that time period...one example is Phillip Sidney's "Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia" written in the mid 1500's...this was the MOST well read work in the time, even read much more than Shakespeare, Marlowe, and the Renaissance greats. Its relevance is passed now, and no one reads it except lit students in a Renaissance Lit class. I think Lolita is timeless, like Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, or Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

[usonian]

well, Kurt's in heaven now...

RIP

[Drygioni]

They played a great interview with him from Feb of this year on CBC radio 1 this morning. He said with the state of the USA today he wished he was Canadian. When the host thanked him for the interview he responded with "Go jump in a lake."

[Arcdelad]

lol...hilarious man...is there a CBC website with streaming?

[Drygioni]

cbc.ca  might be in the archive for the show "the Current" with Anna-Maria Tremonti

[un4]

A tortured but brilliant mind.

[Shadowwolf]

heh, im reminded of the movie Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield...

The one where he has Kurt Vonnegut tutor him on a book hes having to read and report on for his literature class and the professor tells him "I dont know who wrote that paper, but they dont know the first thing about Kurt Vonnegut!"

"...and another thing Vonnegut, im gonna stop payment on the check."
"Whats that? f*** me? Hey Kurt, you read lips? f*** you!"