Kurt Vonnegut Has Died

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. died yesterday after suffering injuries from a fall a few weeks ago. You can read the New York Times obituary in the title link. I confess, I have not read much Vonnegut and the two I have read, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian and Man Without a Country fall under the later, minor works category. I hope to read at least one of his novels this year. He came to speak at my college my freshman year. At the time, I only had a vague idea of who he was. I knew he was a writer but I didn’t really know much about what he wrote or the importance of his work. A lot of people on my floor were really excited about the guy, though, so I went to hear him speak and see what all the fuss was about. I don’t really remember much about what he spoke about—I know I laughed and he talked quite a bit about war. But I do remember feeling an energy that night that made me realize how much of a college education takes place outside the classroom. This was an intellectual and cultural event that I certainly never had the opportunity to take part in before. I’ve been able to attend many other events like that since but I will always fondly remember that experience.