Reply #8: Kurt's slowing down, but that's all right..............

[OldLeftieLawyer]

Almost every line he spoke (at least those quoted in this article) are straight out of his latest book, "A Man Without A Country" - a work of non-fiction that should be read by everyone, preferably once a day.

I met him when I was a child. His best friend in WWII - Bernie O'Hare - was a neighbor of ours. Mr. Vonnegut used to come and visit Mr. O'Hare and his wife. When I was a teenager, and editor of the school paper, he asked me if I wanted to be a writer. I laughed. So did he.

Then he became Kurt Vonnegut, and when my first novel was published, thirty years later, I sent him a copy. His letter to me - he remembered me! - could not have been kinder, more encouraging, more positive. He's a terrifically romantic man with a huge sense of loyalty and a sadness that overwhelms all his charm. He's had a hard, hard life.

I adore him.