Well, Kurt's up in Heaven now...

>Well, Kurt's up in Heaven now...

Damn you. I was trying to think of something from one of his novels that I could use in the news item, but all I could think of was "so it goes."

Which seemed a bit cold to me, despite the fact that he'd probably agree 100% with its usage.

... and EVERY SINGLE PERSON who's ever read Slaughterhouse 5 is using "so it goes", as well. I even saw it used on the news last night.

I'm glad I didn't use it...because it doesn't sit right with me, but something tells me the repetition of "so it goes" would be just fine with Vonnegut...I don't know how often he uses it Slaughterhouse-Five but it's easily in the hundreds. It stuck with readers, and they're using it appropriately...I think he'd be happy to see even the media using it in his passing.

Look forward to a more fleshed out remembrance piece in the near future, folks. In the meantime scroll down the main page a bit and read my spotlight on Breakfast of Champions. It's one of his best, and you should buy it this weekend. Yes, you should.

That said, "Kurt's up in Heaven now..." really would have been just perfect. You win this round, Wolf Power.

What Kurt Vonnegut am I going to read first then, chaps?

I don't know what to say. This is a genuinely sad turn of events. His advice in Bagombo Snuff Box is some of the best, concise words on writing I've read. "Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia." Not to mention how excellent his own fiction was.

>What Kurt Vonnegut am I going to read first then, chaps?

I could recommend a few of them as good starters. Breakfast of Champions wouldn't be so bad, and Slaughterhouse-Five is certainly his most popular...Mother Night is my personal favorite...

Vonnegut is across-the-board very accessible. I'd hesitate to say that ANY of his novels are a poor place to start, though, obviously, some are weaker than others.

Of course, you could always wait for my feature on Vonnegut, which should be coming soon...that'll give you an idea of which books do what, and you'll at least have some ground on which to base your decision.