Kurt Vonnegut passes away at 84.
Kurt Vonnegut passes away at 84.
“Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like ‘Slaughterhouse-Five,’ ‘Cat’s Cradle’ and ‘God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater’ caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died Wednesday night in Manhattan. He was 84.”
From a 2003 interview with In These Times:
I myself feel that our country, for whose Constitution I fought in a just war, might as well have been invaded by Martians and body snatchers. Sometimes I wish it had been. What has happened, though, is that it has been taken over by means of the sleaziest, low-comedy, Keystone Cops-style coup d’etat imaginable. And those now in charge of the federal government are upper-crust C-students who know no history or geography, plus not-so-closeted white supremacists, aka “Christians,” and plus, most frighteningly, psychopathic personalities, or “PPs.”
Video of Vonnegut interviewed on the Daily Show is HERE.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you’re a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:47 pmKurt Vonnegut
RIP Mr. Vonnegut, may it be all boku maru from here on.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:48 pmA great man, and such a way with words! He will be missed.
My condolences to his family.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:48 pmGood night, Kurt. You gave us a lot.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:49 pmthe greatest, and so it goes.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:51 pmThank you Kurt for Mother Night and Sirens of Titan. He really understood this absurd world.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:55 pm[…] Think Progress » Kurt Vonnegut passes away at 84. […]
April 11th, 2007 at 11:56 pmIf I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
April 12th, 2007 at 12:00 amTHE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC
-K.V.
I love this guy…
April 12th, 2007 at 12:00 amGod bless Kurt Vonnegut. Rest in peace. I think I’m going to cry…he wrote all of my favorite books….
April 12th, 2007 at 12:00 amSlaughterhouse what? BACK TO SCHOOL!!! HE’S IN BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!
April 12th, 2007 at 12:03 amDamn….damn damn damn…
One less genius on the planet…
…while filth like Hannity lives on and on and on…
April 12th, 2007 at 12:04 amanyone have a better link to that video???
April 12th, 2007 at 12:08 amApril 12th, 2007 at 12:09 am
I just saw this and am on the verge of tears. Ever since I first read him in high school (20+ years ago), I thought he was one of the few true, honest observers of our time - our own Mark Twain. I will miss him, and the simple knowledge that he was always around, observing, critiquing, trying to keep us all honest. As a fellow Hoosier, I say bless you, Mr. Vonnegut, and THANK YOU for everything that you gave us.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:10 amHow sad. I haven’t gotten over the loss of Molly Ivins and now this news.
He will be missed.
EnK
April 12th, 2007 at 12:11 ammusicmanyc
Amen sista.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:20 amBon Voyage Kurt*
April 12th, 2007 at 12:23 amHi Ho Mr President. We love you.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:25 amPresident Bush is the biggest PP person. He is a certified fruitcake.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:33 am#18 Shut your hole.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:33 amTP forgets to mention “Catch 22″ about American prisoners of war in Germany during WWII.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:36 am[…] Think Progress » Kurt Vonnegut passes away at 84. “Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like ‘Slaughterhouse-Five,’ ‘Cat’s Cradle’ and ‘God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater’ caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died Wednesday night in Manhattan. He was 84.†[…]
April 12th, 2007 at 12:36 amWhen I read this it felt like a good friend died
The only true literary great of our time, he’ll live on forever
April 12th, 2007 at 12:36 am#21 Catch 22 was an incredible piece of work. The sequel…not so much but the original was so brilliant with its accurate portrayal (well, maybe exaggerated) of human nature.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:41 amJay (#21) - “Catch 22″ is not by Vonnegut, but by Joseph Heller. A great book, nonetheless…
April 12th, 2007 at 12:43 amJay Randall, @21;
Catch 22 wasn’t Vonnegut; was Heller.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:44 am#24 Whoops, that is right.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:49 am25
They’re easily confused, after all, they were good friends.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:52 amMy mistake > I thought Vonnegut wrote Catch 22.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:54 amSo it goes.
Farewell Mr. Vonnegut.
-GSD
April 12th, 2007 at 12:55 am[…] grow and learn from her work. Loosing Vonnegut is an added mourned loss. Now that we’ve lost Mr. Vonnegut, the pain simply […]
April 12th, 2007 at 12:59 amAnother (thinking) Unitarian Universalist. As opposed to (other) non-thinkers.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:10 amFAREWELL, KURT VONNEGUT, YOU WILL BE MISSED, UNLIKE CHIMPya and FRANKENCheney and Bushland Uber Allies WHEN THEY DIE, WE’RE THROWING A GREAT PARTY AND CHEERING IN THE STREETS WITH CONFETTI—THE SAME GOES FOR SUPPORTERS OF Bushland Uber Allies LIKE McPAIN and LIE-berman!!!!!
April 12th, 2007 at 1:12 amwhine. whine. howl. cry.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:16 amThe Children’s Crusade….
:.(
April 12th, 2007 at 1:26 amalas! alas!
what a joy he was! how dark, how sweet, how damn straight and how damn funny.
I will miss him, and the simple knowledge that he was always around
yes, musicmanyc, that’s just the feeling.
don’t we all have a lot to live up to?
April 12th, 2007 at 1:26 amThanks for your words, Kurt, and your belief in the power of kindness.
Here’s my Vonnegut obit and quote collection :
Vonnegut Gets His Death Of Choice - Non Suicide
What a legend. He had Bush Co. pinned from the day they raised their turgid heads from the swamp.
April 12th, 2007 at 3:27 ami just really felt that i had to put my thoughts down to mark kurt vonneguts death and this page was top of my google search for condolences.
April 12th, 2007 at 7:10 amno other author has had the impact upon my life that Kurt Vonnegut has. No other man that I have never met has influenced me and my outlook on things.
Timequake in particular somehow manages to present an absolutely real, unguarded eyes wide open critique of humanity whislt infusing every sentence with a joy for life and an optimism. we’re all richer people for having had Kurt Vonnegut on the same planet.
goodnight Kurt
April 12th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Onward, and in peace, Kurt.
April 12th, 2007 at 8:13 amMay he be forever infundibulated.
April 12th, 2007 at 8:21 amGoodnight, Kurt
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. ”
-K.V.
Comment by Jay Randal — April 12, 2007 @ 12:36 am
Agreed, “Catch 22″ is a great book, but it is not about American POWs during WWII. It is about American pilots in Italy in WWII.
April 12th, 2007 at 8:55 amI myself feel that our country, for whose Constitution I fought in a just war, might as well have been invaded by Martians and body snatchers. Sometimes I wish it had been.
–KV
Perfect analogy, Mr Vonnegut.
I’m tired of walking around thinking, “What the hell happened to us?”
April 12th, 2007 at 9:33 amAnyone else ever read “Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog”?
April 12th, 2007 at 9:36 am.
If I were an editor of Think Progress (Ha!), I would have picked “Breakfast of Champions” for a mention over “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater” and possibly before “Cat’s Cradle.”
Only a Republican forget a memorable quote as:
1492. As children we were taught to memorize this year with pride and joy as the year people began living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America. Actually, people had been living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America for hundreds of years before that. 1492 was simply the year sea pirates began to rob, cheat, and kill them.
Juxtaposed with:
AF
April 12th, 2007 at 9:44 amMalkin and her ilk have grown both fat and crafty suckling at the teat of Rove.
Kurt was my favorite living author. Now I guess he is my favorite dead author. But then again he could be just living in a glass dome on the planet Tralfamadore. So it goes.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:02 am[…] April 12th, 2007 Kurt Vonnegut passes away at 84. […]
April 12th, 2007 at 10:05 amFarewell, and an inspiring sojourn through the stars for you.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:28 amWill look forward to hearing all about it when you return.
I’m hoping to be in the Galapagos by then, see ya!
[…] on the Bush administration: here. Comments […]
April 12th, 2007 at 10:33 amWelcome tp the Monkey House and so many pithy observations on life on this and other planets. Condolences to your extended family. You have been with me since I was 14, as an eagerly anticipated commentator of the absurdities that humans can stoop to, providing hope that those same absurd humans will eventually learn something if the absurd is pointed out, as you did in such a kind way. My husband and I were quite drunk and brave one Xmas and determined to ring Kurt Vonnegut. We did, the very kind operator in U.S. said you do realise it is 4.00am. We suddenly became embarrassed, hah, who did we think we were. On the other hand we probably missed out on a ripper conversation.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:46 amI do hope that all condolences are passed onto his family, he was such a lovely man
We lost one of the truly original American wits.
April 12th, 2007 at 11:43 amGoodbye sir. Send letters if possible.
April 12th, 2007 at 11:46 amNow mud lies down again and goes to sleep. What memories for mud to have! What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met! I loved everything I saw! Good night. I will go to heaven now. I can hardly wait… To find out for certain what my wampeter was… And who was in my karass… And all the good things our karass did for you. Amen.
April 12th, 2007 at 12:28 pmIf you can do a half-assed job of anything, you’re a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind. - Kurt Vonnegut
In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. - Tom Waits
so is the fellow Waits was talking about someone who did things half-assed?
farewell, Mr. V… I hope you enjoy eternity in Tralfamador with your dog and and a half-nude Valerie Perrine…
April 12th, 2007 at 2:09 pmSomeone
April 12th, 2007 at 4:04 pmSometime to sometime
He tried
I myself feel that our country, for whose Constitution I fought in a just war, might as well have been invaded by Martians and body snatchers. Sometimes I wish it had been. What has happened, though, is that it has been taken over by means of the sleaziest, low-comedy, Keystone Cops-style coup d’etat imaginable. And those now in charge of the federal government are upper-crust C-students who know no history or geography, plus not-so-closeted white supremacists, aka “Christians,†and plus, most frighteningly, psychopathic personalities, or “PPs.â€
Thats a requiem for us all. Americans should be ashamed of what they have allowed to happen to their dimming country.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:49 pmVonnegut, who passed away April 11, 2007, was a Senior
April 13th, 2007 at 3:26 pmEditor and long-time contributor to In These Times.
“Without In These Times, I would be a man without a
country,†Vonnegut often said of the national monthly
news magazine that has featured investigative
reporting about corporate malfeasance and government
wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and
international affairs, and cultural criticism about
events and ideas that matter. “Kurt was first and
foremost my friend,†remembers In These Times editor,
Joel Bleifuss. “But he also wasn’t afraid to speak
out against man’s inhumanity to man. He never suffered
fools lightly and was particularly concerned about the
direction the U.S. is heading under the current
administration.†Vonnegut and Bleifuss collaborated
on articles for In These Times, many of which were
compiled in Man Without a Country, Vonnegut’s last
book. A collection of articles by Kurt Vonnegut can
be accessed at
http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/vonnegut/. Vonnegut
also faxed word art to In These Times, often bemoaning
the Bush administration and the overall state of
affairs. “When we ponder various people going about
their business, we assume they have nervous systems,â€
read one. “But George W. Bush doesn’t have one. What a
time to be alive!†Vonnegut also briefly authored an
advice column for In These Times called “Dear Mr.
Vonnegut.†“I have not so much a comment or a
question for you, but rather a request: Please tell me
it will all be OK,†wrote one reader. Vonnegut’s
response? “Welcome to Earth, young man. It’s hot in
the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet
and crowded. At the outside, Joe, you’ve got about a
hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know
of: Goddamn it, Joe, you’ve got to be kind!†“He was
a great supporter of In These Times, and we benefited
from both his sharp wit and the moral compass that
guided his work,†says Bleifuss. “I will miss his
unassailable political integrity and the wisdom that
he brought to our pages.â€