Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Dies At 84

Posted by kdawson on from the unstuck-in-time dept.

At least twenty-two readers took the trouble to make sure we knew that Kurt Vonnegut has died at 84. From the Times obituary: "Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like 'Slaughterhouse-Five,' 'Cat's Cradle' and 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater' caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died last night in Manhattan... Mr. Vonnegut suffered irreversible brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago, according to his wife, Jill Krementz." Reader SPK adds: "He will be remembered not only as a great writer, but also as a staunch civil libertarian (long-term member of the ACLU) and as a 'mainstream/literary' author who integrated science fiction concepts into his writing. So it goes."

6 of 380 comments (clear)

  1. Bokononist last rites by djdead · · Score: 4, Insightful

    God made mud.
    God got lonesome.
    So God said to some of the mud, "Sit up!"
    "See all I've made," said God, "the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars."
    And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.
    Lucky me, lucky mud.
    I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.
    Nice going God.

    --
    -1: flamebait should really be -1: inciteful
    1. Re:Bokononist last rites by hey! · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I wonder if he died while thumbing his nose at God.... It would seem a fitting gesture.


      The inability to conceive of a God who would find that amusing is the biggest reason that belief is on the decline.

      The idea of an omnipotent God who creates a creature capable of reason, then throws an eternal hissy fit when that creature doesn't spend all his time telling God how wonderful He is... Well it seems like rather insecure behavior for an all powerful, all loving being.

      A God who didn't want anybody in heaven unless they had the spunk to spit in His eye would make more sense. So Vonnegut, you're in. Give my regards to Twain when you see him.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    2. Re:Bokononist last rites by C0y0t3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I have to disagree with your interpretation of a pretty straightforward phrase, "men were created to worship god". Although it could be seen as meaning what you suggest, that men benefit from worship, the statement is obvously designed to be at least initially interpretted as "the purpose for which men were created was to worship god, god created us to worship him". You have to bend over pretty far backward to see the other interpretation as primary, but most religious people probably perform these sorts of logical contortions without batting an eye daily if not continuously. theres no need to justify them, controversy is supposed to occur. they are not content with your atheism

  2. I'd easily have traded all of hollywood, by Spazntwich · · Score: 5, Insightful

    to give that man 10 more years.

    The world is truly poorer for his loss. :-(

  3. Kurt Vonnegut dies at 84. by penp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So it goes.

  4. Re:Thanks for the good reads, Kurt by Scott7477 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A big part of my appreciation for Vonnegut lies in the fact that his work has been accepted as literature by the literary elites while including elements of science fiction. Typically science fiction is not considered to be literature.

    --
    "Lack of technical competence coupled with the arrogance of power, as usual, leads to no good end."