What Joe Heller knew
I have found this little poem on Joseph Heller by Kurt Vonnegut in Robert I. Sutton’s excellent book “The No Asshole Rule”:
Joe Heller
True story, Word of Honor:
Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer
now dead,
and I were at a party given by a billionaire
on Shelter Island.
I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel
to know that our host only yesterday
may have made more money
than your novel ‘Catch-22′
has earned in its entire history?”
And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”
And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”
And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”
Not bad! Rest in peace!”
–Kurt Vonnegut
The New Yorker, May 16th, 2005
I am really thankful to Bob Sutton for reprinting the poem in his book and also in his blog: http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/02/kurt_vonnegut_a.html
And I am, of course, thankful to Kurt Vonnegut for outing Joe Heller as a true Epicurean.
David Sedaris thanks for “aggressive piglet” jokes
I could not meet Ernest Hemingway. I could not meet Kurt Vonnegut. I could not meet JK Salinger. But I could meet David Sedaris.
As a very special birthday present from my wife. On Thursday, April 7, we drove to Davenport, Iowa, to see and hear him. On the stage he seemed smaller and frailer than I had pictured him. But he was much funnier than I hoped he would be.
After the reading, I joined the long and winding line of one or two hundred autograph hunters. It took him about twenty minutes to start his signing session. He talked and smiled with each and all of us while trying to devour a huge steak. After another 30 minutes it was my turn to tell him a joke.
I decided to introduce him to a Hungarian joke character that portrays a facet of the Hungarian collective soul, the dumb and self-defeating ‘aggressive piglet.
‘ The aggressive piglet falls into a pit.The good fairy is coming along and notices the piglet at the bottom of the pit. She calls: - Hey Piglet, wait a minute I’ll go and get a ladder!
The aggressive piglet shouts back: – I won’t wait!!!
and another one:
The aggressive piglet goes to the railway station ticket sales and says:
- Give me a railway ticket!
- Where would you like to go?
- None of your damn business!
David seemed to enjoy the piglet, since he mentioned him above his signature (see picture above).
I have no picture with Ernest Hemingway. I have no picture with have no picture with Kurt Vonnegut. I have no picture with JK Salinger. My wife is a law-abiding lady and she just could not pretend the ubiquitous “No photos, please!” warnings.
My satisfaction could have been complete: I have seen and even talked with the best living American short story author. Except that David Sedaris said on the stage that the best living American short story author was Tobias Wolff…
I could have gone on wondering whether I have just met the best living American short story author or not, had I not taken a firm decision to ignore David’s ranking as less reliable than my own. Upon taking this decision my satisfaction was complete again. Irreversibly, this time.
JD Salinger died
My friend in Stockholm informed me per email that after Kurt Vonnegut and John Updike now also the third author of my Holy Trinity, J.D. Salinger, died. Salinger’s option for a reclusive life was also an option for life in stress-FREEDOM.
I read that the sales of ”The Catcher in the Rye” is soaring and I am wondering whether reading about Holden Caulfield, Franny and Zooey will start a trend toward self-inspection among today’s teenagers and youngsters, mostly busy with raising their status through the acquisition of gadgets.
intoxicated by liberation philosophy
“The best of life is but intoxication.” (Byron)
In my younger days it was vodka, whiskey, wine, sex, romantic love, theater, movies, literature, philosophy I got intoxicated with. Nowadays it’s mostly just literature and philosophy. Luckily I take up ideas slowly and forget them fast (some of my friends suggest that this could possibly be a retarded effect of all the alcohol I got intoxicated with in my younger days), so I can re-read pages again and again on human bondage and liberation by Epicurus, Michel Montaigne, Voltaire, Esther Vilar, Bertrand Russell, Kurt Vonnegut, Manfred Max-Neef and about a dozen of other authors experiencing every time almost the same thrill I felt when I first read them. Is this an anticipation of the beatitudes promised by Alzheimer ‘s?
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