Remembering a very special Middle School visit by the influential American author
Recently unearthed from the school archives is a 1997 letter from distinguished novelist Kurt Vonnegut to Head of School Denny Grubbs. At the time he wrote the letter, Vonnegut had just published his fourteenth and final novel (Timequake), which followed earlier darkly humorous works, such as Slaughterhouse Five and Breakfast of Champions. In May of that year, Vonnegut had entertained the Middle School, where his grandson, Maxwell Prior ’02, was a student, with his characteristically good-humored and sneakily profound thoughts about the writing life.
Asked where he got his ideas, Vonnegut told the students: “People like to hear about magic moments. They like the story of Isaac Newton or Saint Paul or Charles Darwin, but of course those people had been thinking for a long time. Their ideas didn’t just come to them. The greatest ideas represent steady effort over time.” Even so, he allowed, there was something charmed about the creative process.
“Imagine. You have 26 letters, 10 numbers, and eight punctuation marks and you and I can arrange them and make stories. How is this possible? It’s possible because you are born with a marvelous, unprogrammed computer in your head. Then things happen. A teacher says, ’Wasn’t that interesting?’ Somebody says, ‘Doesn’t that little girl look sad?’ or ‘Doesn’t that dog look hungry?’ and your imagination begins to grow. It’s a miracle.”
“Do art,” he advised the Middle Schoolers, “even badly. Not for money or to get it published. Write a story and draw a picture or write a song just to give to somebody. It will make your soul grow.”
The students followed up with letters, thanking Vonnegut for his visit, discussing his ideas, and sharing some of their own dreams. It was in response to these notes that Vonnegut wrote the letter at right.
Dear Mr. Grubbs,
Please tell those children and their teachers who heard me speak two weeks ago that they were the most generously responsive audience I have ever had in all my years as a lecturer. What fun for me! How rewarding!
You are running one heck of a good school there, and are making the most of what is a lively, intelligent, student body. That was powerfully demonstrated to me by the written comments on my talk, which were sent to me by [Middle School English teacher] Paul Sonerson. They were all written by persons encouraged to think
for themselves, to have serious fun with
their own opinions.
Give them my love, and congratulate them on having made promising beginnings
on the entertaining and significant lives which lie ahead.
Cheers,
Kurt Vonnegut