Can Man Exist Without Sleep? At the turn of the 19th century, a Trenton newspaper printed a story about a man who claimed to have not slept a wink his entire life. The story sparked a firestorm, turning an obscure street sweeper into a media phenomenon named "The Man Who Never Slept." The author uses Trenton as the historical backdrop and the genre of creative nonfiction to tell the factual story of this remarkable man, using his words and the collective memories of characters in his life who knew and cared for him. Airs of mystery invade the plot when a body is found floating in a creek, a man is afflicted with multiple personality disorder, there's a hint of spiritual intervention, and a psychic reading foretells a horrible event. All to answer the question: Did the man ever sleep?