R.I.P. Vonnegut

I'm pretty sad today about the passing of Kurt Vonnegut, but it also gives good reason to revisit what a great thing his books have been, to me. I know that one of the highlights of my year in AmeriCorps was the fact that we were in such Rural and simple accomodations quite often that I read a lot in the course of the year (perhaps more than I have at any time since). My reading list that year included Cat's Cradle, Jailbird, Breakfast of Champions, and other great books that weren't Vonnegut's that I definitely should have read by then... but was happy to finally work my way through (Catch 22, the Alchemist, Me talk Pretty One Day...).

For a couple years now I've been wanting to go back and read Slaughterhouse 5, and I think this is probably my best excuse. I recently watched (and wrote about in a recent post) the movie Mother Night, based on one of his books, and its narrative quality reminded me of why I love his books so much. I feel a great affinity for the joyful, creative, imaginative way that Vonnegut weaves his way through a story, and I am looking forward to hopping in bed over the next few weeks and reading a few more.

So, with that, I say, wherever I might be this evening, I'll plan on raising a glass to an American original, and a great man. Rest in Peace, Mr. Vonnegut. We'll miss you.

A lovely and appropriate sketch: Vonnegut.com

Obits: Time, NYT, CNN, AP
More expansive bio: Wikipedia

A handful of good quotes:
"Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be. "

"Call me Jonah. My parents did, or nearly did. They called me John."

"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."

"Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter could be said to remedy anything. "

"What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured. "

>>EDIT: "There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I dont know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president."

"And if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say, ''Kurt is up in Heaven now.'' That’s my favorite joke."~University of Wisconsin in Madison on the evening of September 22, 2003,~