Kurt Vonnegut – While Mortals Sleep is a posthumously published collection of previously unpublished short fiction, released in 2011. It gathers sixteen early stories Vonnegut wrote before he became widely known, showcasing his wit, irony, and humanist streak even in these formative works.

The pieces range from satirical takes on small-town America to wry commentaries on ambition, consumerism, and the quirks of human relationships. While they lack the overt science-fiction elements found in some of his later novels, the stories still carry his signature blend of humor and melancholy, often revealing ordinary people caught in absurd or bittersweet situations.

Illustrated by Vonnegut himself, While Mortals Sleep offers a glimpse into the development of his voice, with themes of morality, decency, and the fragile balance between dreams and reality. It works both as an enjoyable standalone read and as a window into the early creative experiments of one of America’s most distinctive literary voices.