Kurt Vonnegut – Siren of Titan

Kurt Vonnegut passed away on April 11th. He considered himself
to be “a man named UNK who found out that a Television Used Car
Salesman was responsible for war between Earth and Mars”. In case
you don’t know who this iconic author was…..you probably need
to take a closer look to find out what you have been missing these
many years. Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana…of German
-Jewish background in 1922. We suggest you go to this Wikipedia
link for more info…not all exact or correct..but who needs to
be that picky when you are attempting to honor a “Great American
Individual”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut had problems with the “establishment”…whether it
was the various educational institutions or the professional
world. Vonnegut went into the Army during World War II and wound
up a Prisoner of War….incarcerated near Dresden, Germany. That
experience later became fodder for one of his most popular commercial
successes: “Slaughterhouse Five”. His first published book was
“Piano Player” and is a must read. Written in 1950 and published
in 1952…Vonnegut captures a futuristic look at “Automation” that
at the time seemed pure science fiction. His Opening Dedication
seems to tell a great deal about this complex, brilliant risk taker:

“For Jane-God Bless Her

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:
They toil not, neither do they spin;
And yet I say unto you,
That even Solomon in all his glory
Was not arrayed like one of these….
Matthew 6:28″

Vonnegut seem to enjoy family but didn’t seem to know how to handle
the various seven children and the mother of these very well. In
1960 Vonnegut followed his continuing futuristic trilogy…with
“Cat’s Cradle”….the story of “ICE-9” and more about the Used Car
Salesman and his exploits. “Sirens of Titan” however was the key
book that seemed to explain it all. Someone that doesn’t fit is
sent to a world prison and named “UNK”. For Unknown! He tries to
find out why a war between Earth and Mars was started by powerful
Inter-galactic forces. His prayers and efforts are rewarded but
we will save that for those who want to read what brilliance is…
and need to be entertained at the same time. Titan you see is a
moon of Saturn. Considering “Sirens of Titan” was written in the
60’s it seems rather amazing that modern Astronomers are now saying
that Titan may indeed be inhabitable for humans. That conclusion
drawn just two years ago.

Kurt Vonnegut seemed to see the world so clearly. He was a devout
Liberal, Anti-War, Socialist. There was little politically that
most of us would be willing to agree with him about. He truly was
someone that listened to a different drummer. He made it to the
mainstream media when he got a three picture deal… and helped
write the screenplay for “Slaughterhouse Five” which he wrote and
“Life According to Garp”…which was Robin Williams first break
through movie in 1982. The “Cat’s Cradle” never got made…and we
don’t know why. There is a rumor that it might be coming out in
2009. All in all Vonnegut was a rule breaker….in “Breakfast of
Champions” he had a variety of artistic pornographic scribblings
…like doodles …….with X rated titles. “Welcome to the Monkey
House” and other titles all seemed to be support pieces of his never
ending mega trilogy products. Eventually, the many institutions that
had kicked him out – brought him back for Honorary Degrees!

Kurt Vonnegut….made you think, made you aware, made you develop
a sense that one person might in fact be able to make changes that
could affect others. Kurt Vonnegut died in his 80’s but will be
missed and read for the foreseeable future. God Bless you sir….
you’ve made a heck of a difference for five generations or more
and there is little reason to stop now. You’ve never liked BS and
so we are going to stop evaluating anything more about you
– Right Now!