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While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction Audiobook, by Kurt Vonnegut Play Audiobook Sample

While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction Audiobook

While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction Audiobook, by Kurt Vonnegut Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Norman Dietz Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc. Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.00 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.75 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: January 2011 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781449867799

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

19

Longest Chapter Length:

40:36 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

19 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

23:46 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

12

Other Audiobooks Written by Kurt Vonnegut: > View All...

Publisher Description

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.

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"Vintage!!! Ahhh it reminded me of welcome to the monkey house. Such good stories and I can't help but love his writing about Indiana, upstate NY and life on the cape. It make me melt thinking about him and his stories and what they mean to me. "

— Karleen (5 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “Immensely readable and thoroughly entertaining.”

    — Washington Post
  • “Taut, concise...The stories set themselves up with neat swiftness, proceed at a clip, and shut down with equal speed, [showing Vonnegut] honing his skills in structure and satire.”

    — Los Angeles Times
  • “A lovely reminder of the mischievous moral voice we lost when we lost Kurt Vonnegut.”

    — San Francisco Chronicle
  • “Each story has points of interest that make for rewarding reading...Professional storyteller Norman Dietz’s masterly narration adds emotional depth.” 

    — Library Journal (audio review)
  • “These stories were all good when they were written decades ago, but many strike me as great now. Never has the voice of Kurt Vonnegut, humanist and humorist, been more relevant.”

    — Seattle Times
  • “While these early stories show an author still testing the boundaries of his craft and obsessions, Vonnegut’s acute moral sense and knack for compelling prose are very much on display.”

    — Publishers Weekly
  • “Narrator Norman Dietz, appropriately, seems to be channeling a bit of Mark Twain into some of the stories’ narrators, and he has command of a broad range of American regional accents. He deftly evokes the ordinariness of so many of the characters, letting their words and actions drive them away from stereotype.”

    — AudioFile
  • “Tightly and crisply written.”

    — Booklist

Awards

  • A New York Times bestseller

While Mortals Sleep Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.5384615384615383 out of 53.5384615384615383 out of 53.5384615384615383 out of 53.5384615384615383 out of 53.5384615384615383 out of 5 (3.54)
5 Stars: 3
4 Stars: 3
3 Stars: 6
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 1
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I don't know what to write here. Short stories by Kurt Vonnegut. what else could a person want? duh. "

    — Darin, 5/13/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Sometimes the unpublished stuff should remain unpublished. No matter who wrote it. "

    — Nathan, 5/8/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Great old Vonnegutt stuff. Introduction by Dave Eggers is funny. "

    — Pat, 5/6/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Perhaps five of these stories are great, notably "While Mortals Sleep" and "Ruth". Aside from that there's a reason why much of this went unpublished. "

    — Brendan, 5/4/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " A great book of short stories - I like anything this man writes! "

    — Jkgovert, 5/4/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Loved pretty much all the short stories (one or two duds). My favorite was "Humbug" which I recommend to all people everywhere, about two artists whose wives try to figure out which of them is the better painter. "

    — Eriyna, 4/21/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Couldn't finish it. Guess I'm not cut out for Vonnegut!<br/> "

    — Julie, 4/20/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " These stories are early Vonnegut that were unpublished. Some I liked, some not so much. There is supposed to be another book of stories coming out from later in his life. I would give those a shot. "

    — Laura, 4/13/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Saw on New Books shelf at library - big fan of author "

    — Tracey, 4/3/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This book, a collection of short stories, was okay. Some of the stories were more interesting than others. I expected more from Vonnegut, somehow. It wasn't a bad book, and it's a fairly easy read, but it's not a must-read. "

    — Jen, 3/21/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Some really good ones, some OK ones, and some not so good. I liked While Mortals Sleep, Jenny and the one about the widow receiving love letters (can't remember the name of the story itself right now) the best. "

    — Mark, 3/20/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Some funny and some touching stories in the collection. I especially liked the The Man with no kiddleys. Actually I think I will change that rating from 3 stars to 4. :) "

    — Mum, 3/19/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " 3 stars because it's Kurt Vonnegut and how much more of his writing are we going to get. No more because these aren't the greatest short stories and they remind us that Kurt is gone. "

    — John, 3/15/2011

About Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) was a master of contemporary American literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America’s attention in The Sirens of Titan in 1959 and established him as “a true artist” with Cat’s Cradle in 1963.

About Norman Dietz

Norman Dietz is a writer, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and was named one of the fifty “Best Voices of the Century” by AudioFile magazine. He and his late wife, Sandra, transformed an abandoned ice-cream parlor into a playhouse, which served “the world’s best hot fudge sundaes” before and after performances. The founder of Theatre in the Works, he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.