It’s Friday the 13th, the power is out in the Hollywood Hills and Kurt Vonnegut is dead.
Kurt has enriched my life with his books, his point of view and his influence. Over the years, I’ve grown cynical yet hopeful through his musings.
20 years ago Slaughterhouse Five ripped the top of my head off.
10 years ago Timequake made me laugh out loud.
5 years ago Like Shaking Hands With God changed my life as a writer. (You must read this mind bending conversation between Kurt and Lee Stringer at a bookstore. Some of the classic ideas include Kurt’s observation that being a good writer is “like being a good first date. When you break through and write, it’s like shaking hands with God.”)
Over the next month, read one of Kurt’s brilliant books to his honor. One of my favorite lines I’ve ever read him utter was, “I like the period when I’m writing a book because it is the only time that my mindless blathering is actually important for my wife to listen to.”
