Photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’
From Kurt Vonnegut's 1965 novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as cited in the New York Times obituary for the writer, who passed away today at 84.
Even though on two different occasions two different friends (neither of whom knew the other) told me of encounters with the esteemed Mr. Vonnegut in his twilight years, sloshed at one literary after hours gathering or another, behaving badly and leering at the young women -- even still I love the man.
Love the way his words take shape on the page and play their music in the ear. Love, most of all, just to hear what he has to say.
Goodnight, Mr. Vonnegut. Safe home.
1 comment:
oh so sad. He's one of our favorites. I'll have to go tell Charley. He'll be heartbroken.
What a lovely tribute.
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