Kurt Vonnegut becomes unstuck in time

[Hi-Val]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/12/arts/web-0412obit.php


: (

[Disburden]

UGh, so sad. One of my favorite writers of all time. I'm going to have to reread my collection of Vonnegut soon. R.I.P, Kilgore.

[jro]

So it goes.

[Bardo]

After reading "Cat's Cradle" in 10th or 11th grade, he was my First Favorite Writer, coming out of all that Weiss/Hickman Dragonlance bullshit. Anyway, I've read just about everything the man's ever written, finishing with his "Man Without A Country" a few months ago and remember thinking then, "This is the last thing he'll do." And it was brilliant. Sparce, but absolutely fucking perfect.

Anyway, he's one of the best writers the last century produced. I'll really miss him. Cazart.


Edit - At least he's in heaven.

[forests failed you]

God Bless You Mr. Vonnegut!

[ShamanBen]

sad to hear it. I just finally read bluebeard and hocus pocus this year, leaving only man without a country to complete. at least he lived a long, fulfilling life.

[LotusHead]

My best friend Ian was 1.5 years older than me, and went to a different high school.

When he was a senior, and I a sophmore, he had to write some kind of fiction.  We did what any NorCal suburbanite obsessed with C64 would do: Rip someone off.

We fabricated his short story from a plot from "the New Twighlight Zone" or "Amazing Stories" or "something else" we were sure that his English teacher was unfamiliar with.

We called it the "Albinar Project" or something (the name came from FLOPPY DISCS from the late 80's).

Some "genie" appeared at the doorstep of some unhappy couple's house, and said "if you push the button on this box, you will get $100,000 and someone you don't know will die".

They do, and they get their $100,000. 

The genie type says, enjoy.  The couple says "what now?".  The genie says "Oh, I'll give this box to someone you don't know..."

His teacher gave him an F: PLAGARISM!!!

Turns out, this was "THe Monkey's Paw" (which I understand to be Vonegut not, but I'm not sure.)

I sure as hell paid attention to his name ever since.

[Moxlotus]

I know I'm a minority, but I hated that guy's writing.  Slaughterhouse five was one of the worst books I have ever read. 

[Bardo]

I know I'm a minority, but I hated that guy's writing.  Slaughterhouse five was one of the worst books I have ever read.

Holy fuck, that's the weirdest thing I've seen anyone type in several months. Read it again. If that doesn't work, give it some time and then read it again. I have no idea what to say about SH5, but it's, um, good.

[Moxlotus]

I know I'm a minority, but I hated that guy's writing.  Slaughterhouse five was one of the worst books I have ever read.

Holy fuck, that's the weirdest thing I've seen anyone type in several months. Read it again. If that doesn't work, give it some time and then read it again. I have no idea what to say about SH5, but it's, um, good.

I thought the non chronological way it was written was annoying as hell.  I thought the entire alien part of the book was just lame too.  I had read it once, then we had to read it in Adv. Critical Writing, and I still thought it sucked.  I found it boring and didn't get the "oh man, i wonder what's going to happen next!" feeling that I had from other famous books like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, etc.  It was like "oh man, i ca'nt wait till the next page where he talks about something else completely different!"  It couldn't help that I disagreed with a lot of the political and philosophical points he was making either. 

[Yare]

So it goes.

Thanks, Kurt for your great works!

[Hi-Val]

I know I'm a minority, but I hated that guy's writing.  Slaughterhouse five was one of the worst books I have ever read.

Holy fuck, that's the weirdest thing I've seen anyone type in several months. Read it again. If that doesn't work, give it some time and then read it again. I have no idea what to say about SH5, but it's, um, good.

I thought the non chronological way it was written was annoying as hell.  I thought the entire alien part of the book was just lame too.  I had read it once, then we had to read it in Adv. Critical Writing, and I still thought it sucked.  I found it boring and didn't get the "oh man, i wonder what's going to happen next!" feeling that I had from other famous books like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, etc.  It was like "oh man, i ca'nt wait till the next page where he talks about something else completely different!"  It couldn't help that I disagreed with a lot of the political and philosophical points he was making either. 

That's the point of it though. Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time. He knows when he's going to die, he knows how his wife will die. He tells you all this in the first chapter. You, like Billy, go through the book knowing what will happen, but not knowing when. Of course there's no suspense, there's the agony of knowing something will happen but being powerless to change it.

And that's the point of SH5.

Vonnegut knew what was going on in the war, everyone did. They couldn't stop what was happening though.




The introduction to that book, where he comes up with the subtitle of "The Children's Crusade", is sublime.

[Disburden]

I know I'm a minority, but I hated that guy's writing.  Slaughterhouse five was one of the worst books I have ever read. 

I find it funny when readers base Vonnegut's work on Slaughterhouse Five because it was so out of flavor with the rest of this novels. It's his most famous book and probably not even in the top 5 of what I consider his best. I would suggest reading something like Breakfast of Champions or Slapstick.

[ShamanBen]

I know I'm a minority, but I hated that guy's writing.  Slaughterhouse five was one of the worst books I have ever read. 

I find it funny when readers base Vonnegut's work on Slaughterhouse Five because it was so out of flavor with the rest of this novels. It's his most famous book and probably not even in the top 5 of what I consider his best. I would suggest reading something like Breakfast of Champions or Slapstick.

I fully agree... SH5 does not give a good perspective on the rest of his works. Cats Cradle was the first I read, then breakfast. I didnt read slaughterhouse for a long time, and its by far not my favorite. I still loved it, but its not a great depiction of his writing.