APRIL 11, 2007

Kurt Vonnegut, easily one of the Top Five US Novelists ever, died yesterday at the age of 84 years.

He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and he served in World War II. He was captured and became a prisoner of war; his most haunting book (to me) details this experience in fictional form. Slaughterhouse-Five is such an important book and please don't think "Oh, I saw the movie instead" because there is no instead here. The book is barely longer than a short-story and it will punch you in the gut. (I don't even know if it's a movie, nor do I care. The book is still in print, you can buy it online or at a local bookstore.)

Slaughterhouse-Five gave me my love of physics because it incorporates Time Travel; it is science fiction, technically, but if you read it you will know that there is a difference between "truth" and "fact." His book is all too true.

Aside from Slaughterhouse-Five, his books are screamingly funny. If you only have time for one, try Breakfast Of Champions. It's very funny and Kilgore Trout will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Kurt Vonnegut was known for his concise work.

So I will do likewise (for once) and end this entry now.

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