Kurt Vonnegut

Was in King County Jail once (don't ask me why) and I found a copy of Welcome to the Monkey house in the communial holding cell. I read it and it kept me from going crazy while I watched some poor slob suffering from heroin withdrawal. Don't remember the stories very well, but I do remember liking it quite a lot.

Just read Breakfast of Champions, what an amazing book.

" I had no respect whatsoever for the creative works of either the painter or the novelist. I thought Karabekian with his meaningless pictures had entered into a conspiracy with millionaires to make the poor feel stupid. I thought Beatrice Keedsler had joined hands with other old-fashioned storytellers to make people believe that life had leading characters, minor characters, significant details, insignificant details, that it had lessons to be learned, tests to be passed, and a beginning, a middle, and an end.

As I approached my fiftieth birthday, I had become more and more enraged and mystified by the idiot decisions made by my countrymen. And then I had come suddenly to pity them, for I understood how innocent and natural it was for them to behave so abominably, and with such abominable results: They were doing their best to live like people invented in story books. This was the reason Americans shot each other so often: It was the literary device for ending short stories and books.

Why were so many Americans treated by their government as though their lives were as disposable as facial tissues? Because that was the way authors customarilly treated bit-part players in their made up tales.

And so on.

Once I understood what was making America such a dangerous, unhappy nation of people who had nothing to do with real life, i resolved to shun storytelling. I would write about life. Every person would be exactly as important as any other. All facts would be given equal weightiness. Nothing would be left out. Let others bring order to chaos. I would bring chaos to order, instead, which I think I have done.

If all writers would do that, then perhaps citizens not in the literary trades will understand there is no order in the world around us, that we must adapt ourselves to the requirements of chaos instead.

It's hard to adapt to chaos, but it can be done. I am living proof of that: it can be done."

I see reflections of myself and things I strive to be in that. I wonder if devilmerc would agree?

Vonnegut is a brilliant social critic.

Was really into his work when I was a teenager...my favorite books were "Sirens of Titan" and "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater"...