_thanhnguyen

Finished Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut yesterday and this morning learned the unfortunate news that he died yesterday. Of the book, like every other in the "conversations with authors" series, the interviews do seem to become monotonous. This is good and bad – on the one hand, it's comforting and on the other, it's disappointing – both going to expectations and disappointments in what any writer is capable of. There are limits to wit and anecdote and spontaneity, after all. Of Kurt specifically I would say he is funny, smart, and kind – a mensch through and through. Importantly, he was also very wise about the technical foundations to good writing. On a lighter note, which Kurt might appreciate, this morning on the BART a man and woman (who was in a wheelchair) sitting directly across from Heather and me noted how funny it was that Heather was reading a book called The Invisible Man (Ellison) and I was reading a book called Women (Charles Bukowski). So it is. So it was. So it goes. Goodnight Kurt.

2022-10-29 03:51