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    While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction
    While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction
    While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction
    Audiobook7 hours

    While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction

    Written by Kurt Vonnegut

    Narrated by Norman Dietz

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Kurt Vonnegut made his mark as one of America's most influential writers with novels such as Slaughterhouse- Five-named one of the 100 best English-language novels by Time. Published posthumously, While Mortals Sleep is a collection of 16 short stories, written early in Vonnegut's career, that further cements his status as an American literary icon.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 25, 2011
    ISBN9781449867799
    While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction
    Author

    Kurt Vonnegut

    Kurt Vonnegut was a master of contemporary American Literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America's attention in The Siren's of Titan in 1959 and established him as ""a true artist"" with Cat's Cradle in 1963. He was, as Graham Greene has declared, ""one of the best living American writers.""

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    Reviews for While Mortals Sleep

    4/5

    112 ratings9 reviews

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    • 2/5
      It might have been a 3 if I had read it in print. The narration of the audio version did not help anything in this case. These stories were for the most part "meh," so very removed from the Vonnegut of later years which have made me laugh while constantly reminding me that there is so much I am likely missing. I am quite sure I am missing things here too, but more sure that if I read them over a few more times, I would get the message. But I wasn't interested enough to want to. Don't get me wrong...if I find a used paperback, I'll probably grab it and reflect further in my dotage, but this Vonnegut's craft or voice, was not yet developed to engage me in the same way. "Ruth" was a really great story, and "The Epizootic" was pretty funny. "Money Talks" wasn't bad either, but most of the rest I could take or leave.
    • 5/5
      Great short story in true Kurt Vonnegut style.
    • 5/5
      An amazing collection of short fiction that proves the prowess and talent of Vonnegut. Every story is a masterstroke of creative power. It is amazing to see these Vonnegut stories, despite being unpublished, reach so high.

      A definite read for people who are interested in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

      Excellent!
    • 3/5
      I love, love, love, Vonnegut. But I didn't love this collection. This short story collection was all formerly unpublished and and this collection was released posthumously. It's easy to see why some of the stories were passed over. They weren't awful, but some of them certainly weren't good. I wonder what Vonnegut would have rated them. A lot of the stories included has his signature twist at the end, ties to Indianapolis, and off the wall humor. Some were quite good in fact, but as a whole, I didn't walk away from this raving about how wonderful it was. Sometimes I feel as if publishers are scraping at the bottom of the barrel trying to capitalize off anything Vonnegut's pen or typewriter touched. Overall, a must read for any true Vonnegut fan, but nothing earth shattering. Not a great introduction to his work if you've never read anything by him before.
    • 5/5
      one of my main men in literature, loved the first story am waiting for my Mother's Day copy of the book to finish the rest - will return if my rating changes!
    • 4/5
      Since I agreed to read and review a biography about Kurt Vonnegut I checked out some books of his from the library. First let me say that the only thing I knew about Vonnegut was that he wrote “Slaughterhouse Five” and I didn’t even know what it was about, from reading different descriptions, I get the impression is it science fiction. I decided to read this book first since it satisfies both of my challenges for this year. A library book and a book of short stories.While these stories would not be described as thrillers or suspense, and there are no ‘plot twists’ in them, at times the reader gets thrown a curve, sometimes you see the curve coming, even so they are still interesting to read and I quite enjoyed them. Even the ones that seem to be ‘straightforward’ have a bit of a twist to them. I would say, for me at least, that none of these stories are predictable or are ‘cookie cutter’ stories.
    • 4/5
      In total, I've read maybe five or six works by Vonnegut and while not a fan initially, he's growing on me. I enjoyed this collection of short stories better than his best-known works and will continue delving into his previous works as long as my enjoyment continues. He does have a spark and these stories are full of his wit. I also have to a acknowledge that I do find myself saying, "and so it goes" when things just aren't working out how I want them to...so I have him to thank for that.
    • 4/5
      Another great collection of previously unpublished stories. All were good. I don't think I could select one story over another
    • 4/5
      A fun and worthy collection of the master's shortstories, "While Mortals Sleep" is surprisingly light on the writer's famous science-fiction, though still present in bouts. Instead, Vonnegut opts to fill his stories with love, longing, and a thoughtfully reflective perspective that seems appropriate for the man in his later years. However, the trademark sense of humor is rampant, and a few of the stories, particularly the romances, are borderline classics, filled with heavy emotions though served in a light tone in a brief sitting.