Best known for the Illuminatus Trilogy, author Robert Anton Wilson passed yesterday. I knew him a bit some years ago. He was brilliant, intellectually fearless, hugely curious, funny, and political. I liked him quite a lot. You may not have heard of him but his influence pops up in the oddest of places, often quite unexpected. His genius was in getting people to view things in ways that had never occurred to them before.
I usually do several posts at Polizeros just after midnight. Often, in a little tribute to him, one post will be at at 00:23, 23 being a special RAW number.
That’s what I mean about his influence popping up unexpectedly! And the 23 tradition will continue here at Polizeros. The world is a better place for his having been here.
From RU Sirius
Robert Anton Wilson taught us all that â┚¬Å“the universe contains a maybe.â┚¬Â So maybe there is an afterlife, and maybe Bob’s consciousness is hovering around all of us who were touched by his words and his presence all these years. And if that’s the case, I’m sure he’d like to see you do something strange and irreverent â┚¬â€ and yet beautiful â┚¬â€œ- in his honor.
I’m a huge fan of Robert Anton Wilson. I read so many of his books and he was a real inspiration for me. I’m really sorry to hear he’s gone even though I knew he was in ill health and getting worse. I regret that I never managed to go to any of his lectures. I’ll join you at 00:23 (the British equivalent).
Maybe all us bloggers could do a special tribute to him on a given day, all publishing at a time of 23:23!
I wonder how many other bloggers are familiar with RAW, but I’m certainly up for it (of course 23:23 in London is 15:23 in LA but that doesn’t matter if we all do it by our own clocks). I’ll post some thoughts about him later tonight. Thanks for the post BTW, I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
A friend and fellow RAW reader at work told me of his death. Said he had heard that he went out smiling. I’m sorry to see him go. By the way during the previews before ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ last weekend I saw a preview for an upcoming Jim Carrey thriller that plays on the numerology of the number 23. See: http://www.jimcarreyonline.com/movies/23.html