Getting the Nerve, a novellette about the early life of Kurt Vonnegut, has been released in a new online publication, the Magazine of History and Fiction.

(https://historyandfiction/listofissues)

Author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in New York City in 1979. (AP Photo/Marty Reichenthal)

Set in 1949, meticulously researched, the 8,400-word story reveals Kurt as a young man trying to find the courage to quit his job to write fiction full-time. A publicist for General Electric and a member of the volunteer fire department, he struggles with the pressures of family life, growing disaffection with his work and undiagnosed PTSD.

The 8,400-word piece offers a glimpse into Vonnegut’s life before he was published.