While Mortals Sleep

http://andalittlewine.blogspot.com/2012/12/book-review-while-mortals-sleep-by-ku....

2012 has been my year for Vonnegut. I've re-read 2 of his books (Breakfast of Champions, which was my introduction to Vonnegut years ago, and Man Without A Country), and I read a fun little book of Vonnegut criticism.

So on a recent roadtrip, I was excited to bring along the audiobook of While Mortals Sleep, the recently released, previously unpublished Vonnegut short story collection.

(A note:
These are stories that were never published while Vonnegut was alive, though many of them were submitted for publication. As with the works of JRR Tolkien that never saw the light of day, I think we have to approach them fully conscious that the author may not have show more been done with them, that the author may have even preferred [since there was ample opportunity to repurpose them into a collection] that they never be published. That said, as with Kafka, while we recognize that the works are not as the author may have intended, they exist as the author created them.

So I can't read a posthumous collection and level against it the same criticism I would against one of the collections Vonnegut published in his lifetime. If there are flaws, at least some of the fault lies with the publisher and with the author's estate).

The collection was uneven, and very different from the Vonnegut I love- the Vonnegut who wrote Slaughterhouse Five and Slapstick and Breakfast of Champions wrote science fiction that bordered on magical realism infused with a deep metatextualness. Those were stories about story telling, about the delusions of culture and the value of culture and family that can be obscured if we don't take proper care of each other, about how the world grinds away our effort to be rational but how to love being alive anyways.

There were glimpses of that Vonnegut here- in one fable, two painters duel. One, an abstract expressionist is commercially unsuccessful but critically lauded, while the other, a photographic realist, is the reverse. Goaded to duel by their loving but petty wives, each artist has one night to adopt the other's style.

Like characters in an O'Henry story, the artists are of course unable to stop their preferred mode from seeping through. In despair, they trade works, an act of willing plagiarism and self-denial. And of course, the world heaps the missing element onto each painters work in the form of either praise or purchase.

The themes are distinctly Vonnegut's, but his style is still taking shape. His characters are more rounded, more human than the ones I love from his novels. In that, I can't help finding them to be less than I would wish for. But, that may be because I would wish for a new novel, knowing that there will never be another. show less

So this is a posthumous publication of some of Vonnegut's old stories. And I can see why Vonnegut chose to not release them. I have plenty of old stuff that will never see the light of day. Some of these stories are all right, with some lines and passages that show Vonnegut's wit, but as a whole, this body of work is... it's not great, but not bad either. There are several solid stories in this collection, but a fair amount of them feel more like bits written from boredom or personal musings, not intended by the author for actual publication.

I will admit, I am not a fan of Vonnegut. I just can't get into him, after having read half a dozen of his books (including two short story collections he published when he was still alive) I find show more his novels (Slaughterhouse 5, Breakfast of Champions, Lonesome No More, Timequake) to be dreck, filled with ramblings that just made me dislike Vonnegut.

On the other hand, the short story collections were more palatable - I think because of the fact that they're short story collections, Vonnegut is given less of a chance to ramble. So if you're interested in Vonnegut's short stories, I recommend (from my own experience with him, at least) check out Welcome to the Monkey House, that collection of stories is more solid and tight than this one. show less

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 show more Vonnegut fan, but nothing earth shattering. Not a great introduction to his work if you've never read anything by him before. show less

An interesting collection of short stories from Kurt Vonnegut in his early days. At times the stories are a little moralistic and heavy-handed but this is likely the result of the fact that they were originally intended for publication in magazines, and who doesn't like a good moral there? Vonnegut does a masterful job of describing bright, colourful characters quickly, and occasionally throwing in a fun twist at the end that you don't see coming. Overall I'd have to say my favourite story was the last one in the collection-- it details the artistic duel between a realist painter, and an abstract artist tasked with painting in each other's style, overall this book is a fun read.

These are early short stories that Vonnegut wrote when he was struggling to feed his family. They were sent to magazines in the hopes of earning a quick buck. They read like it, but they are also clearly Vonnegut. They are whimsical and have interesting characters, but they are also simple and lacking the depth of his later works. Each ends with an ironic, twist ending that will leave a smile on your face. They aren't Slaughterhouse Five, but they are still a good read.

A lesser collection than "Look at the Birdie," but a few really nice stories. And a few uncharacteristic stylistic flourishes. My favorite was when a character was described as "cowring on hot copper under a boulder sky," which makes more sense in context.

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.