Kurt Vonnegut - Please Stop Writing!

Kurt Vonnegut, this goes out to you. I've recently read two of your "latest" books and I have this to say.

• Timequake - 1996

  When an author dies, quite often their family and friends rally around and put together a final book of the unpublished work. Presumably to make a little bit of money while the body is still relatively warm. Sorry, that's so cynical. Presumably to allow the devoted fans to get a last glimpse of the authors previously unpublished (or uncollected) work. I saw it a few years again with Douglas Adams, and The Salmon of Doubt

  When I read Timequake, I honestly thought that was exactly what had happened to you, and somebody had put together a posthumous fixup novel. It was only by going to the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Wikipedia entry that I convinced myself that I was wrong and you were still alive.

  What happened? Why did you publish this book? It's a mixture of a novel, autobiography and constant repetition interlaced with apparent fits of senility. There is barely a thread keeping the whole thing together. The "broken into large paragraphs" feel reminded me of the books of George Carlin, although admittedly with much least use of offensive language. And at least there, each entry is self-contained.

  Having said all that, there is still the odd sign of your genius embedded into the prose if you have the patience to make it to the end. It was a quick read, so it was probably worth it and I didn't feel like I'd lost a large part of my life the process.

• A Man Without a Country - 2005

  But this is the one that convinced me that you should stop writing now. Or if it's an addiction, then just stop publishing. Let's ignore the fact that my copy of this book is only 145 pages long. It has several blank pages except for large graphic asterisks. It has large section breaks and several more complete pages, each with just a single quotable Vonnegut quote, done in the form similar to chalk on a blackboard. (Yes, I understand what they are. They still seem like money making filler to me). Even though all this just cries out that you don't have enough to say, (or you are trying to cash in, just one last time), let's forget that. Let's concentrate on what you did write. And lo and behold, here again are large pieces from Timequake, several of them slightly altered. It's a poor state of affairs when you've got to start plagiarizing yourself.

  I have to wonder whether the only reason for publishing this book was so you could share your views to a larger audience, on President George W. Bush and what he's doing to this country and the rest of the world. Anybody with half a working brain in their head is going to agree with what you wrote.

Let me quote from your Wikipedia entry:

"With the publication of his novel Timequake, Vonnegut announced his retirement from writing fiction. He currently writes for the magazine In These Times, focusing on subjects ranging from contemptuous criticism of President George W. Bush's administration to simple observational pieces on topics such as a trip to the post office. In 2005, many of his essays were collected in a new bestselling book entitled A Man Without A Country, which he insists is his last contribution."

Mr Vonnegut, I realize you are in your eighties now and you've lived through some truly dreadful times. I want to remember you for the great works you did 30-50 years ago, so please stick to this declaration and stop writing.

I think I'll go back now and read some of the earlier books that you wrote, that I've missed, and make up for the sour taste you've left in my brain.

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( Feb 12 2007, 02:45:25 AM PST ) [Listen] Permalink Comments [9]