"Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt."
So, Kurt Vonnegut died. He gave a talk at my university right before I got there. It got a lot of press at our small institution and people still have quotes and pictures up from it. I have only ever read 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by him but started 'Breakfast of Champions' about 10 days ago. It was the only thing I have with me that I thought might be enjoyable enough to follow Barbara Kingsolvers' 'The Poinsonwood Bible' (which I loooovvvvved).
When I was in college, I ran around with a bunch of English/Music major types. There was an underlying interest in counter culture. Some were really into the beat poets, perhaps a bit preoccupied with being expatriates, DOING things, MAKING things, READING things (lots of times all this doing etc. was done heavily under the influence of large jugs of wine). It was all very hip considering that Freshman year most of them lived in the honors dorm and a good number went on to grad school.
I associate Vonnegut with that group of people. While I am not close with a lot of them anymore, I still hold on to all the ideas and ideals. His death is like another piece of that whole picture falling away. It isn't necessarily bad, just a strange feeling of letting old things go...
When I was in college, I ran around with a bunch of English/Music major types. There was an underlying interest in counter culture. Some were really into the beat poets, perhaps a bit preoccupied with being expatriates, DOING things, MAKING things, READING things (lots of times all this doing etc. was done heavily under the influence of large jugs of wine). It was all very hip considering that Freshman year most of them lived in the honors dorm and a good number went on to grad school.
I associate Vonnegut with that group of people. While I am not close with a lot of them anymore, I still hold on to all the ideas and ideals. His death is like another piece of that whole picture falling away. It isn't necessarily bad, just a strange feeling of letting old things go...
posted by DancingFish at 11:02 AM
2 Comments:
You should read "Cat's Cradle"
Considering it's my recomendation, I'm sure you'll get to it right after "Invisible Man"
breakfast of champions is one of my all-time favorites. my friend gave me a first edition as a gift a few years ago, and i almost cried :)
i need to re-read slaughterhouse-five, though - it's been a LONG time since i picked that one up.
(and i loved poisonwood bible, too. just sayin'. :-) )
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