Ian McKellen reads Kurt Vonnegut's inspirational letter to some students

In 2006, a group of students at Xavier High School in New York City were given an assignment by their English teacher, Ms. Lockwood, that was to test their persuasive writing skills: they were asked to write to their favourite author and ask him or her to visit the school. It’s a measure of his ongoing influence that five of those pupils chose Kurt Vonnegut, the novelist responsible for, amongst other highly-respected books, Slaughterhouse-Five; sadly, however, he never made that trip. Instead, he wrote a wonderful letter. He was the only author to reply.

Sir Ian McKellen joined us at Letters Live at the Freemasons Hall, London to read Kurt's fantastic letter.

[mintybadger]

My grandmother gave me this advice 30 years ago and these days I’m passing that advice to my own kids. Never stop making art or music or writing and do it for yourself. You can end up in a dull job or less than spectacular circumstances but having that spark of creativity and an outlet for it is a saving grace.

[scottjones]

It's a no-brainer that Vonnegut's letter is delightful in every way--who wouldn't enthusiastically agree? But without saying a word of his own opinion, Sir Ian's expansive and joyful reading leaves no guessing--he also thinks it's flipping BRILLIANT.

[cackalackcowboy]

Vonnegut could say more with shorter sentences, smaller words and fewer pages than anyone I’ve read, Henry James he was not. He was an artist that could paint a rainbow with one color.

[tm]

What a gloriously WONDERFUL letter!! I am better for just having heard this… ❤

[Shel]

I’m 74 years old. When I was in high school, I had an English teacher named Miss Brown. She loved to write and encouraged us to keep a journal. The one important factor when writing the journal was to write it from the perspective that you would keep it private and that no one would ever read it. In doing so, our pure and unedited thoughts would be preserved. That is very similar to tearing up the poem into tiny pieces and putting them into separate waste baskets.

[armandofernandezguillermet]

Thank You dear friends for sharing this wonderful lecture by McKellen. It is just enlightening and conveys joy and inspiration!

[peterschorn]

It's easier to inspire students when you don't have to deal with the little darlings every damn day.

[dlanska]

Vonnegut was often a curmudgeon, and a dysthyymic or depressed one.This letter shows him at his most exuberant and McKellen was just brilliant at expressing this. Just superb.

[a.t.]

I could listen to Ian McKellan ramble forever

[mortalclown]

Vonnegut died the year he wrote this; a few great videos of him discussing art are scattered on YouTube, but this particular feast may be my favorite because of Sir Ian.

[juliaconnell]

*thank you* Kurt & Ian - and the entire team behind Letters Live. I switched schools between 3rd to 5th form, and 6th & 7th form - this lovely letter, reminds me of lessons from my two english teachers. life lessons, important lessons,

my 5th form teacher, had two themes for not only our year, but for life - be child like - (not childish, that's very different) child like - life, laugh, play, see the world through the eyes of a child - and LOVE - we explored what love is, what it means - now in my 50s I still feel like a child, and hope always to.

as for the other teacher, oh she was *glorious* - words fail me, she introduced us, me, to people - oh it's too long to explain, too emotional. I wrote a poem, 'the winter wolf' - one of our assignments, then one of the many people she introduced us to - came to speak to our class was a poet (our Poet Laureate, among his many other awards & recognition) and instead of reading one of his poems when he started this ... dialogue, communication in 6th form he read MINE - my poem - he liked it, he used it as an example before discussing and sharing his own words with us - a poem I no longer have - (only in hindsight, many years later did I value this) (I was distracted, my da was sick, learnt to love words from him - he read poetry to my mother courting her, as an adult learnt the 'funny' phrases he would use were from famous poets, (e.g. - every time we'd go to the beach - "Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink" (sic - NOT 'not' as commonly misquoted - nor) or told about ghoti/fish

and although I do not think of it often, it has hurt, losing this part of me - my words, I took care & thought with my words, could not even begin to remember a fraction of this poem from 1988, all I can remember is I was pleased with the result, the imaginary, there was some rhyming, but more a flow that a structure - 3 (or 4?) section, each consisting of 4 lines. I have looked *everywhere* for these words, occasionally, over the years.

THIS - *THIS* helped that old hurt of lost words 'rip them up' - 'scatter them to the winds' - can do this now, with 'the Winter Wolf'.

*thank you* all xx ❤💖❤

[Areebakhalid]

When he said "Dear Xavier High School" my first thought was he is reading a letter from Magneto to X-Men😂

[mariannegeraud]

Ian McKellen is just so brilliant ...he definitely makes our souls grow!!

[CatsandJP]

Fabulous thanks Sir for that brilliant rendition, measure of a fine actor people take note that’s how it’s done👍👍💕💕💯

[judekelvin]

He read it as though he was the original 'Kurt Vonnegut.

[englishrose]

Ah, Ian McKellen. Such a fabulous actor.

[harris]

I wish I had the words to express how I feel about that, as no ordinary cliches could express it quite well enough.
Just Yes.

[pieranka]

It is more letter to the teachers than the pupils

[charlesmugleston]

Yes, Yes, Yes - just as I experienced it last week at The Edinburgh International Book Festival reading Och or The Loch Downing Monster and Flam's O Alba for Scotland's Stories NOW - as Percy Shelley wrote... "Poetry is a sword of Lightning ever unsheathed, that consumes the scabbard that would contain it"

[MegaMishha]

Just booked for both nights at the RAH in October. Hoping he makes an appearance..!