Musings from Vonnegut

[Impresario]

Ole Kurt is 81 now and still has his own unique way of phrasing things. For our younger members who may not have read any of his books he's the author of quite a few works of fiction that aren't easily categorized - most are filled with irony, humor and great imagination. His most famous novel probably is "Slaughterhouse Five" based on his own experiences as an American soldier captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. He survived the bombing of Dresden (130,000 killed) along with other allied POW's by taking shelter in a meatlocker and that forms the basis of his novel. Came across his most recent ramblings and I thought they were worth posting whether you agree with him or not.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/cold_turkey/

[Terry Penrod]

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I had the chance to spend all afternoon and most of the evening talking with Vonnegut while waiting out a violent snow storm in New York City a number of years ago. We both got stuck in the lobby of The Berkshire Place hotel at 52nd Street and Madison Avenue and nothing was moving outside - especially cabs to the airport where I needed to go after stupidly checking out of my warm, cozy suite upstairs.

Mostly we chatted about the weather, sailing on the east coast (something I actually knew a great deal more about than he did from then recent personal experience), the politics of the day and of course books. But we never really discussed his novels - more the classics we both enjoyed as kids (albeit at slightly different times) and a few popular best sellers by his own contemporaries like Heinlein and Clarke. Somewhere in between we struck upon a short-lived, much revered author name Albert Camus who wrote some very dark stories about man's true nature. The essence of his writings we both agreed on. However we also both still held-out a glimmer of hope that someday, somehow man (as in mankind) would finally get over himself and start acting decently. In the meantime, we further agreed, all of us "sane" people would simply have to hang on tight and ride out the storm of man's immaturity as best we could.

To illustrate both of these attitudes still readily evident in Vonnegut's present attitude, I quote the following passages from the article linked above.

And what did the great British historian Edward Gibbon, 1737-1794 A.D., have to say about the human record so far? He said, “History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.”

The same can be said about this morning’s edition of the New York Times.

The French-Algerian writer Albert Camus, who won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, wrote, “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.”

So there’s another barrel of laughs from literature. Camus died in an automobile accident. His dates? 1913-1960 A.D.

Listen. All great literature is about what a bummer it is to be a human being: Moby Dick, Huckleberry Finn, The Red Badge of Courage, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Crime and Punishment, the Bible and The Charge of the Light Brigade.

Those thoughts are perfectly consistent with what he told me back in the early 1990's. But one thing has evidently changed - that last most important part - hope. I detect a significant change in his attitude toward this as he presents it now at the ripe, old age of 81. I may disagree with some of his politics but believe it or not, agree with most of them. However, I have not quite yet completely written off the human race or my country. It sounds as if he may very well have.

Cheers, Terry

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[Nova]

The only thing I know about Vonnegut is the granfalloon and karass concept. It's interesting stuff.

[Impresario]

Apparently he believes that the present administration lusts for a Pax Americana and that they are corrupt? The line about a rich kid playing with his toys as an analogy for Bush not caring enough about the casualties of war was a pretty strong indictment. He certainly does seem quite gloomy though on all fronts. I think that he's right that we sometimes want to believe that our lifestyle in this country is static and eternal - but the truth is that dramatic change sometimes comes unexpectedly and kicks a nation in the rear. I disagree with him that there is no hope b/c we metaphorically are running out of fossil fuel - hopefully there are always alternatives. At his age though he does have the luxury of having lived a long life while I'd like to think that I still have a good 40 years or so left. How interesting that you met him during a NYC snowstorm and got to discuss sailing and Camus - great experience to be able to put in your memoirs. I haven't read his books in years but my recollection is that he was quite a good novelist - in the same league as guys like Joseph Heller, Le Carre, Walker Percy etc.

[Lou Cypher]

I'm wondering why this was posted here!

Lou :globe:

[Terry Penrod]

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I suppose he thought it was both interesting and potentially inflamatory. I found it interesting (regardless of personal experience) but think it would have been fine in The Lounge.

Cheers, Terry

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