Kurt Vonnegut, again

In spite of promises that he had written his last, Kurt Vonnegut has done it again. I am reading his newly published book, “A Man Without a Country,” with mixed feelings. I don’t always like his politics… but sometimes I am crazy about his politics. I love his ramblings but am tired of hearing about Powers Hapgood, and Sacco and Vanzetti. I am amazed at how much ‘territory’ he has covered in his books, inspired by how much of himself and his personal history is written into his crazy stories. Agree with them or not, there is no mistaking his issues. Whether you agree with the point or not, there is no mistaking the mastery of the English language that puts it together.

I’d love to give you some quotes. But I keep looking at the copyright statements and thinking that probably I can’t. Alas. You’ll have to read it yourself. But if you do, you have to start with him from the beginning – he carries his baggage all the way through his books.

My favorite little story is about him deciding to sue the manufacturer of Pall Mall unfiltered cigarettes, the brand he has smoked since he was 12. They have been promising for years, right there on the package, that they will kill him. And here he is, eighty-two years old…

Well, just one little quote:
“The last thing I ever wanted was to be alive when the three most powerful people on the whole planet would be named Bush, Dick and Colon.”

The book is, unfortunately or not, a diatribe against George Bush and all the others who he sees as leaders without a conscience. It is an old man’s ramblings about a world gone wrong and sadness at what we’ve lost.

I’m glad, at least, that we haven’t yet lost Kurt Vonnegut.