Kurt Vonnegut's long-time publisher Delacorte Press is due to publish 14 unpublished stories from the author of Slaughterhouse-Five, who died in 2007.
The new collection, Look at the Birdie, was put together by editors Nita Taublib and Kerri Buckley, who compared and contrasted annotated drafts of individual stories to produce what Taublib described as "14 exceptionally intricate short pieces by an author whose voice we miss immensely".
The stories would, she promised, give readers "a clear sense of Kurt Vonnegut's development into one of the most beloved and original American writers of all time". Buckley said the stories were ""incredibly unique in tone; both cautionary and hopeful". Due in November, it will include original Vonnegut illustrations, and a foreword by the author's friend and confidant, Sidney Offit.
Look at the Birdie is part of a new Vonnegut focus for Delacorte, part of US publisher Random House, which will also see the publication of a book of letters sent to and from the author over his life, a second collection of his unpublished writings, and a new memoir by his son Mark Vonnegut, author of The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity.
Fifteen of the author's best-known titles, including The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Slaughterhouse-Five and Galápagos, will also be reissued, featuring artwork by Vonnegut himself. Vonnegut, who JG Ballard once said "could light up all the cathedrals in America" with his "sheer amiability" was 84 at the time of his death.
No plans for a UK publication have yet been confirmed.
