Smart, whimsical, and often scathing, the fiction of Kurt Vonnegut influenced a generation of American writers—including Dave Eggers, author of this volume’s Foreword. In these previously unpublished gems, Vonnegut’s originality infuses a unique landscape of factories, trailers, and bars—and characters who pit their dreams and fears against a cruel and sometimes comically indifferent world.
Here are stories of men and machines, art and artifice, and how ideals of fortune, fame, and love take curious twists in ordinary lives. An ambitious builder of roads, commanding an army of bulldozers, graders, and asphalt spreaders, fritters away his free time with miniature trains—until the women in his life crash his fantasy land. Trapped in a stenography pool, a young dreamer receives a call from a robber on the run, who presents her with a strange proposition. A crusty newspaperman is forced onto a committee to judge Christmas displays—a job that leads him to a suspiciously ostentatious ex-con and then a miracle. A hog farmer’s widow receives cryptic, unsolicited letters from a man in Schenectady about “the indefinable sweet aches of the spirit.” But what will she find when she goes to meet him in the flesh?
These beautifully rendered works are a testament to Vonnegut’s unique blend of observation and imagination. Like a present left behind by a departed loved one, While Mortals Sleep bestows upon us a shimmering Kurt Vonnegut gift: a poignant reflection of our world as it is and as it could be.
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Early in his career, before he fused his satirical wit and world-weary intellect in the distinctive, quasi-sf style of Cat’s Cradle (1963) and Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Vonnegut wrote short stories for mainstream publications, such as Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. The 16 unpublished stories in this collection were either not submitted or not accepted, although it is easy to imagine them appearing in those contexts. Tightly and crisply written, they concern cynical newspapermen and the spirit of Christmas (“While Mortals Sleep”), practical jokes taken too far (“Bomar”), the self-sacrifice of a pregnant widow (“Ruth”)—he had lived through the firebombing of Dresden but had not yet explored it in fiction. There are foreshadowings of Vonnegut the cynical sage, however, in “With His Hand on the Throttle,” when a woman dive-bombs her grown son’s overgrown train layout; in “Tango,” when libidinous dancing disrupts a WASP-y enclave; and in “Girl Pool,” in which alienation arrives via the Dictaphone. As in Look at the Birdie (2009), these stories, while clearly seminal, constitute a worthwhile contribution to the author’s oeuvre. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The legendary author’s death in 2007 means an eventual end to unpublished writings, and Vonnegut fans have read all their old paperbacks to tatters. --Keir Graff
Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922. He studied at the universities of Chicago and Tennessee and later began to write short stories for magazines. His first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1951 and since then he has written many novels, among them: The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother Night (1961), Cat's Cradle (1963), God Bless You Mr Rosewater (1964), Welcome to the Monkey House; a collection of short stories (1968), Breakfast of Champions (1973), Slapstick, or Lonesome No More (1976), Jailbird (1979), Deadeye Dick (1982), Galapagos (1985), Bluebeard (1988) and Hocus Pocus (1990). During the Second World War he was held prisoner in Germany and was present at the bombing of Dresden, an experience which provided the setting for his most famous work to date, Slaughterhouse Five (1969). He has also published a volume of autobiography entitled Palm Sunday (1981) and a collection of essays and speeches, Fates Worse Than Death (1991).
Kurt Vonnegut died in the early part of the twenty-first century, but he belonged to the twentieth century. He could have easily died in that conflict that split the century in two; he could have perished in the flames and rubble of Dresden. He didn't, and American culture is better for it. It is better in the same way that American culture of the nineteenth century is better because a young Confederate soldier lived through that conflict that split the country in two - young Samuel Clemens.
I have always maintained the parallel between the two men. They were writers, yes. But they were more than writers. They represented the slanted moral voice that could laugh at itself and the culture. These voices were in earnest though; they lacked the facile surface-grazing of the postmodern condition. They speak a truth where writers are afraid to talk about whether you can even capitalize that `t' now.
Kurt Vonnegut died, and his was the only celebrity death I have mourned in a long time. I had long been meaning to make a pilgrimage to his neighborhood. I wanted to intercept him on the street as he walked to the post office or the local bodega to buy his cigarettes. I wanted to stop him and just say "Thank you".
Vonnegut died and left a hole in the soul of America, but he lives on. Thankfully he was prolific and lived long. There have now been three books published since his death. These books are different, but they all show why I love Kurt Vonnegut.
First published was a book of the older stuff, work for websites and highlights of his art. We were able to see the full fruit and flower of a life that spanned an eventful century. Then they put out a collection of his earlier work, including the germ of the story that became _Slaughterhouse-V_....
Now we have this collection, _While Mortals Sleep_. Eggers, in the introduction, points out that these stories are somewhat formulaic and emblematic of the middle-brow conventions of a time where middle-brow magazines published fiction. This collection is not _Dubliners_, but it doesn't need to be. We see the human, antic voice develop in this somewhat uneven batch of stories. I am glad I read it, but I am biased. I would read this man's old grocery lists - and if we wait long enough, they just might be released in hardback.Read more ›
As a lover of short stories, I am always on the lookout for new collections that I haven't read. I was surprised to see that Vonnegut was an author of short stories, but also that a good number existed at his death that had never been published. I had never read Vonnegut, although I was supposed to in high school, but they changed books in that class and so we missed out on his writing. I have meant to read one of his works, but have just never gotten around to it. For those who haven't, you are missing the work of a wonderful author and I would recommend getting some of his writing.
This short story collection covers a wide range of stories. All were told with great skill and honed to be finely crafted stories. From the robot in the beginning to the money that talks near the end, these stories are carefully written to draw you in and then surprise you at the end. I would recommend this collection of stories to all, especially those that have never experienced Vonnegut's work!
This collection is a mixed bag of bad, forgettable, and good stories. I would have stopped reading this book after the first story had it not been the chosen book for my book club. After trekking on, I did find a short story, The Epizootic, that piqued my interested and imagination and after that I found a few more interesting stories. Ultimately this book has stories that Vonnegut may have not wanted published together since they're rather forgettable but it does have a few gems. Our book club discussion was wonderful as we talked about some universal themes despite the quite dated references in the stories. If you're a fan of short stories, give this book a try since there are some good stories, just be prepared for feeling like a few other stories were a waste of your time.
Hapless, I was walking past my local bookstore, and I saw "While Mortals Sleep". I felt like it could be the right thing to get me reading again, to inspire me, and to learn from (in regard to short story craft). I was right. It's not for everybody. If you're expecting brilliance, perhaps look elsewhere, but if you're looking for insight into the human condition from a young Kurt Vonnegut, writing stories that are more there to entertain than to inform, this book is for you.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I think there were flashes of brilliance in these stories. I learned from these stories, in that cathartic way only a good short story will bequeath you. It was the right thing for me at the right time. I could've saved half the cost if I bought on amazon, and I could've saved a sawbuck on top of that for the kindle edition. The artwork is wonderful. The artwork is great and presented in black and white and the odd gray, which is perfect if you have a kindle. Definitely don't hesitate to buy this for the kindle if you have one.
I have a Kindle DX. I'm going to open my moleskine cover and get started on Cat's Cradle.
Those who come to this collection expecting it to have the style and satirical tone of later Vonnegut will likely be disappointed. But if you love the plain sentiment of his early stories (as I do) then this is a treasure box, and fans will get a kick out of seeing many of his familiar themes in their early forms. The better ones here certainly stand up to many of those familiar to readers of 'Welcome to the Monkey House'. None of the stories are his very best, but hey, a lesser Vonnegut story still whips the pants off of most anything else.
