Kurt Vonnegut -A Virtual "Second Life" Interview

In memoriam for Kurt Vonnegut, our treasured icon, and author of many of our favorite novels-Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat's Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions.

In much of his work Vonnegut's own voice is apparent (filtered through alter ego, science-fiction author Kilgore Trout), characterized by incredible leaps of imagination and a deep cynicism, tempered by humanism, which is shines through in the following quotes from his life and work:

"Human beings will be happier - not when they cure cancer or get to or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That's my utopia."

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."

"Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why."

"Still and all, why bother? Here's my answer. Many people need desperately to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone."

This is a recent Second Life virtual-world interview with Vonnegut (his Second Life avatar above) -one of the Infinite Mind series conducted by John Hockenberry. "So it goes..." Posted by Casey Kazan

Kurt Vonnegut Video Interview

Comments

[ch2]

My first contact with him was with Sirens of Titan, still a must read.