Vonnegut: NOW
Kurt Vonnegut, the man who gives English majors-turned-PR-flacks everywhere hope, recently appeared on David Brancaccio's NOW program on PBS. I've always enjoyed Brancaccio's reporting, and I've always been a Vonnegut fan. So it was particularly satisfying to come across the interview while channel surfing. Plus, I was spinning away on the exercise bike, which made the distraction that much more pleasing.
Vonnegut's an outstanding artist. He draws. He writes. He was even one of the nation's first Saab dealers. He attributes his criticism of Saab automobiles -- he describes them, simply, as weird -- to costing him consideration for a Nobel prize. Of course, he's jesting, as is usually the case.
His latest work, A Man Without A Country, is earning outstanding reviews. What's particularly intriguing is not his pessimism that the Earth's immune system has kicked in and is trying to eliminate humans (although you have to wonder if that's not correct, what with all the H2s around), but the praise he accords Christ. Here's a man who describes himself as a Humanist reading and celebrating the Beatitudes on PBS! Good for him.
What really caught my interest was a story Brancaccio asked him about and characterized as one of hope. He referred to a passage Vonnegut included in the new book in which Vonnegut is headed out the door to buy a single envelope. Vonnegut's wife, author and photographer Jill Krementz, asked him why didn't he just buy a box of 100 on the Internet and keep them in the closet? And Kurt answers something to the effect that he wouldn't have had a chance to venture out on the street, ask that woman what kind of dog that is, see a few cute babes (his words), see a fire truck pass by and give it a thumbs up and talk to people. He suggests maybe the reason God put us here is just to "fart around." Maybe that's our purpose, he posits.
I wasn't in the mood for a depressing book, but now I'm thinking maybe the new title isn't all bad. I've added it to my Amazon list and I'll give it a go.
I've read many Vonnegut books, probably a dozen of them or more (and some novels multiple times). My favorite to date remains Bluebeard. It's been a good fifteen years since I read it, but I still remember many scenes vividly, and I recall the ending as bringing a few important elements together nicely. It's worth a read, especially for the twelve bucks or so you can get it for new off Amazon.
Vonnegut's an outstanding artist. He draws. He writes. He was even one of the nation's first Saab dealers. He attributes his criticism of Saab automobiles -- he describes them, simply, as weird -- to costing him consideration for a Nobel prize. Of course, he's jesting, as is usually the case.
His latest work, A Man Without A Country, is earning outstanding reviews. What's particularly intriguing is not his pessimism that the Earth's immune system has kicked in and is trying to eliminate humans (although you have to wonder if that's not correct, what with all the H2s around), but the praise he accords Christ. Here's a man who describes himself as a Humanist reading and celebrating the Beatitudes on PBS! Good for him.
What really caught my interest was a story Brancaccio asked him about and characterized as one of hope. He referred to a passage Vonnegut included in the new book in which Vonnegut is headed out the door to buy a single envelope. Vonnegut's wife, author and photographer Jill Krementz, asked him why didn't he just buy a box of 100 on the Internet and keep them in the closet? And Kurt answers something to the effect that he wouldn't have had a chance to venture out on the street, ask that woman what kind of dog that is, see a few cute babes (his words), see a fire truck pass by and give it a thumbs up and talk to people. He suggests maybe the reason God put us here is just to "fart around." Maybe that's our purpose, he posits.
I wasn't in the mood for a depressing book, but now I'm thinking maybe the new title isn't all bad. I've added it to my Amazon list and I'll give it a go.
I've read many Vonnegut books, probably a dozen of them or more (and some novels multiple times). My favorite to date remains Bluebeard. It's been a good fifteen years since I read it, but I still remember many scenes vividly, and I recall the ending as bringing a few important elements together nicely. It's worth a read, especially for the twelve bucks or so you can get it for new off Amazon.
posted by Erik Eckel at 1:01 PM
1 Comments:
Instead of adding it to an Amazon list you coulda walked to the local bookstore, and asked someone what kind of dog that is, checked out a few cute babes...
:-)
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