false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166476706m/11440.jpg 11440 7 This varied collection of fiction and prose from the late, great Raymond Carver comes, once again, with an introduction by his widow, Tess Gallagher. The posthumous Carver industry, as overseen by Gallagher, rivals only that of Sylvia Plath for its thoroughness. Perhaps it's no coincidence: both were singular, contagiously influential writers who died too early. But Plath died famously miserable, while Carver died famously happy, having conquered alcohol, loneliness, and obscurity--having conquered, indeed, everything but his own disobedient cancerous cells.<p> <I>Call If You Need Me</I> includes works previously collected, as well as some that have never been seen before. Five new stories, discovered by Gallagher among Carver's papers, are themselves worth the price of admission. Particularly haunting is "Kindling," a tale of a man who rents a room in a house for a few nights in the hopes of writing a letter to his wife. "He'd just spent twenty-eight days at a drying-out facility," we read. "But during this period his wife took it into her head to go down the road with another drunk, a friend of theirs." The main elements here: a river, a couple in the other room, an unfinished letter waiting on the desk. All this is vintage Carver, as well wrought and engrossing as the <I>Cathedral</I> stories.<p> Following the new fiction are sections devoted to book reviews, introductions, and early stories. Each presents Carver in a different pose, a different voice. It's interesting and illuminating to compare his casual, often catty discussions of contemporary literature with his deeply felt autobiographical essays. Despite the mysterious purity of his writing, he's more than capable of engaging in literary feuds and pissing matches. Not to be missed, however, is the wrenching autobiographical piece "My Father's Life," which previously appeared in <I>Fires</I>. Also named Raymond, Carver's father struggled with alcohol, failure, and mental illness just as his son did--and just as his son did, he wanted to come out the other side and see his life clearly. This is an essay about how people blur into their parents, echo them even as they leave them behind. Trying to reckon with his father's passing, Carver also reckons with his own life: his constant struggle to keep his eyes open, to write something good or maybe true, to write something that would outlast him. <I>--Emily White</I> 1038752 2000 Call If You Need Me: The Uncollected Fiction and Other Prose total:395|5:3|4:9|3:1|2:0|1:0| 395 1566 510 25 3 0 false false Thu Aug 23 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon May 26 13:55:26 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 11 10:49:50 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Mar 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 10 23:52:32 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 13 21:41:00 -0700 2008
The stories were, by and larg...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Aug 22 12:07:12 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 22 12:24:36 -0700 2007 -from his Uncollected Short Story "Kindling"

Carver recieved a letter from Chekov - one that inspired Carver to write the stories he wrote:

"Friend, you don't have to write about extrodinary...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 14:52:08 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 14:59:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 25 09:46:23 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 25 10:03:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 23 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 10:06:23 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 17:57:41 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Aug 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 16:33:50 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 13:55:43 -0700 2009
But a great deal of this book is devoted to essays written to specific audiences (that are never explained) and book reviews. I h...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Nov 19 17:57:09 -0800 2008 Tue Jul 01 07:08:06 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 19 17:57:09 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 28 15:52:34 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 17 10:11:27 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 07:49:46 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 07:49:49 -0700 2007
The book includes a group of 5 previously unpublished stories, 5 essays, 5 of his earliest published stories, part of The Augustiune Notebook, and several book reviews and comments on other works.

It's a great condensed look int...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jan 26 09:43:17 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 26 09:43:17 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Sep 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 13:50:59 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 13:52:22 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Tue Apr 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 09:49:27 -0700 2008 Fri May 09 15:46:33 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Jun 30 14:37:09 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 14:39:47 -0700 2008 Then mosey over to Progressive Grounds for tea and talk.

Somewhere between Ava Gardner and Paul Auster lies Raymond Carver. ]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 08 20:33:39 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 08 20:38:37 -0800 2008 2 1 false false Sun Jul 08 22:20:09 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 08 22:22:00 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Mon Jul 02 08:15:06 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 11 15:38:53 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Mon Feb 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 22:44:04 -0800 2008 Tue May 20 17:28:45 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sun Jul 29 09:44:19 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 29 09:45:08 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Tue Jul 08 11:44:45 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 11:47:01 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=11440