庫爾特•馮內古特（Kurt Vonnegut,1922—2007），20世紀美國最重要、最有影響力的黑色幽默文學代錶人物，後現代主義作傢。他的作品以喜劇形式錶現悲劇內容，在災難、荒誕、絕望麵前發齣笑聲，引領一代人穿越瞭20世紀下半葉被戰爭與貪婪攪亂的美國社會生活，《紐約時報》稱他為“反文化小說傢”。代錶作有《貓的搖籃》《五號屠場》《冠軍早餐》《囚鳥》等。他曾幽默地說：“我知道自己是什麼人，有幾斤幾兩，我寫得這麼好，真是冒犯大傢瞭。”

馮內古特齣生於印第安納州的印第安納波利斯，1944年珍珠港事件爆發，他誌願參軍，遠赴歐洲戰場。1945年遭德軍俘虜，被囚禁在德纍斯頓戰俘營。戰後，馮內古特在芝加哥大學獲得人類學碩士學位，後在哈佛大學任教。他從50年代起開始發錶短篇小說，60年代起開始齣版長篇小說。晚年，馮內古特在曼哈頓和紐約長島的田園裏頤養天年。2007 年3月在傢中樓梯上不慎摔倒，同年4 月11 日，在曼哈頓逝世。

Here for the first time is the complete short fiction of one of the twentieth century's foremost imaginative geniuses. More than half of Vonnegut's output was short fiction, and never before has the world had occasion to wrestle with it all together. Organized thematically—"War," "Women," "Science," "Romance," "Work Ethic versus Fame and Fortune," "Behavior," "The Band Director" (those stories featuring Lincoln High's band director and nice guy George Hemholtz), and "Futuristic"—these ninety-eight stories were written from 1941 to 2007, and include those Vonnegut published in magazines and collected in Welcome to the Monkey House, Bagombo Snuff Box, and other books; here for the first time five previously unpublished stories; as well as a handful of others that were published online and read by few. During his lifetime Vonnegut published fewer than half of the stories he wrote, his agent telling him in 1958 upon the rejection of a particularly strong story, "Save it for the collection of your works which will be published someday when you become famous. Which may take a little time."

Selected and introduced by longtime Vonnegut friends and scholars Dan Wakefield and Jerome Klinkowitz, Complete Stories puts Vonnegut's great wit, humor, humanity, and artistry on full display. An extraordinary literary feast for new readers, Vonnegut fans, and scholars alike.