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Call If You Need Me: The Uncollected Fiction and Other Prose
The complete uncollected fiction and nonfiction, including the five posthumously discovered “last” stories, published here in book form for the first time—from “one of the great short story writers of our time—of any time” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).Call If You Need Me includes all of the prose previously collected in No Heroics, Please, four essays from Fires, and those five marvelous stories that range over the period of Carver’s mature writing and give his devoted readers a final glimpse of the great writer at work. The pure pleasure of Carver’s writing is everywhere in his work, here no less than in those stories that have already entered the canon of modern literature.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
144 people are currently reading
2664 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Carver
356 books5,027 followersCarver was born into a poverty-stricken family at the tail-end of the Depression. He married at 19, started a series of menial jobs and his own career of 'full-time drinking as a serious pursuit', a career that would eventually kill him. Constantly struggling to support his wife and family, Carver enrolled in a writing programme under author John Gardner in 1958. He saw this opportunity as a turning point.
Rejecting the more experimental fiction of the 60s and 70s, he pioneered a precisionist realism reinventing the American short story during the eighties, heading the line of so-called 'dirty realists' or 'K-mart realists'. Set in trailer parks and shopping malls, they are stories of banal lives that turn on a seemingly insignificant detail. Carver writes with meticulous economy, suddenly bringing a life into focus in a similar way to the paintings of Edward Hopper. As well as being a master of the short story, he was an accomplished poet publishing several highly acclaimed volumes.
After the 'line of demarcation' in Carver's life - 2 June 1977, the day he stopped drinking - his stories become increasingly more redemptive and expansive. Alcohol had eventually shattered his health, his work and his family - his first marriage effectively ending in 1978. He finally married his long-term parter Tess Gallagher (they met ten years earlier at a writers' conference in Dallas) in Reno, Nevada, less than two months before he eventually lost his fight with cancer.
Rejecting the more experimental fiction of the 60s and 70s, he pioneered a precisionist realism reinventing the American short story during the eighties, heading the line of so-called 'dirty realists' or 'K-mart realists'. Set in trailer parks and shopping malls, they are stories of banal lives that turn on a seemingly insignificant detail. Carver writes with meticulous economy, suddenly bringing a life into focus in a similar way to the paintings of Edward Hopper. As well as being a master of the short story, he was an accomplished poet publishing several highly acclaimed volumes.
After the 'line of demarcation' in Carver's life - 2 June 1977, the day he stopped drinking - his stories become increasingly more redemptive and expansive. Alcohol had eventually shattered his health, his work and his family - his first marriage effectively ending in 1978. He finally married his long-term parter Tess Gallagher (they met ten years earlier at a writers' conference in Dallas) in Reno, Nevada, less than two months before he eventually lost his fight with cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
September 11, 2021
Leggere Carver mi dà la sensazione di guardare il mondo attraverso un microscopio ed ecco che l’intera umanità si riduce ad un’unica coppia.
Lui, lei: insieme, separati, in procinto di separarsi.
Anche l’alcool è una presenza, spesso come ricordo di una dipendenza da cui ci si dichiara liberati.
Una realtà ridotta a minimi termini, insomma.
Apparentemente chiusa e disinteressata a ciò che ruota attorno al proprio seminato perché preda di sofferenze personali che non lasciano spazio ad altro.
Sono storie che narrano di uomini impegnati a farcela, a ricominciare.
Questa raccolta comprende dieci racconti ritrovati:
cinque scritti prima della morte e altrettanti risalenti all'esordio dello scrittore.
Dei racconti, cosiddetti giovanili, non ho apprezzato l’eccessiva (per me) minuzia descrittiva e in generale mi hanno coinvolta poco tranne “Il pelo” (la strana giornata di un uomo che ha la sensazione di avere un capello trai denti…).
La lettura dei primi cinque racconti, invece, è stata come ritrovare un volto conosciuto.
Un microcosmo, come dicevo, dove la penna si concentra sull'essenziale:
un uomo, i suoi sbagli e la volontà di non arrendersi.
”Il giorno dopo riuscì a stento a trattenersi in camera finché li sentì uscire e poté finalmente ritornare sul retro e rimettersi al lavoro. Trovò un paio di guanti su un gradino. Doveva averglieli lasciati Sol. Segò e spaccò legna fino a quando il sole non fu proprio a picco sulla sua testa e a quel punto rientrò, si preparò un panino e bevve un bicchiere di latte. Poi tornò fuori e riprese a lavorare. Gli facevano male le spalle e le dita gli si erano indolenzite; nonostante i guanti, gli si era infilata qualche scheggia sotto pelle e sentiva che gli stavano venendo le vesciche, ma tenne duro e continuò a lavorare. Aveva deciso di segare, spaccare e accatastare tutta quella legna prima del tramonto e riuscirci era diventata una questione di vita o di morte. Devo finire questo lavoro, pensò, altrimenti... Si fermò per passarsi una manica sulla faccia e asciugarsi il sudore.”
Lui, lei: insieme, separati, in procinto di separarsi.
Anche l’alcool è una presenza, spesso come ricordo di una dipendenza da cui ci si dichiara liberati.
Una realtà ridotta a minimi termini, insomma.
Apparentemente chiusa e disinteressata a ciò che ruota attorno al proprio seminato perché preda di sofferenze personali che non lasciano spazio ad altro.
Sono storie che narrano di uomini impegnati a farcela, a ricominciare.
Questa raccolta comprende dieci racconti ritrovati:
cinque scritti prima della morte e altrettanti risalenti all'esordio dello scrittore.
Dei racconti, cosiddetti giovanili, non ho apprezzato l’eccessiva (per me) minuzia descrittiva e in generale mi hanno coinvolta poco tranne “Il pelo” (la strana giornata di un uomo che ha la sensazione di avere un capello trai denti…).
La lettura dei primi cinque racconti, invece, è stata come ritrovare un volto conosciuto.
Un microcosmo, come dicevo, dove la penna si concentra sull'essenziale:
un uomo, i suoi sbagli e la volontà di non arrendersi.
”Il giorno dopo riuscì a stento a trattenersi in camera finché li sentì uscire e poté finalmente ritornare sul retro e rimettersi al lavoro. Trovò un paio di guanti su un gradino. Doveva averglieli lasciati Sol. Segò e spaccò legna fino a quando il sole non fu proprio a picco sulla sua testa e a quel punto rientrò, si preparò un panino e bevve un bicchiere di latte. Poi tornò fuori e riprese a lavorare. Gli facevano male le spalle e le dita gli si erano indolenzite; nonostante i guanti, gli si era infilata qualche scheggia sotto pelle e sentiva che gli stavano venendo le vesciche, ma tenne duro e continuò a lavorare. Aveva deciso di segare, spaccare e accatastare tutta quella legna prima del tramonto e riuscirci era diventata una questione di vita o di morte. Devo finire questo lavoro, pensò, altrimenti... Si fermò per passarsi una manica sulla faccia e asciugarsi il sudore.”
December 21, 2023
El estilo de Carver es muy característico, se muestra en estos relatos que se publicaron después de su muerte. Fáciles de leer, son atmósferas que te envuelven y hablan de parejas y más parejas... y también de hombres solitarios. Clásico.
June 20, 2022
The story follows a traditional plot structure, with an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution. However, the story's plot does not rely on an open, explicit conflict between the spouses but on an inner, hidden conflict.
January 7, 2024
Raymond Carver es un escritor hecho para relatos cortos, su poder de trasmitir en pocas palabras es extraordinario, además se intuye el trabajo de corrección y revisión, aunque también es muy famosa la anécdota de que su editor le cortaba muchas páginas a los relatos antes de mandarlos a su impresión final.
Tristemente en estos relatos en específico no se nota este trabajo, más bien se ven destellos de grandeza pero irregulares y no existe un trabajo final depurado.
Como lector de Carver, y si leíste todo lo anterior, entonces si vale la pena ir por esta recopilación, en caso contrario recomendaría empezar con otros que son mucho mejores, como Catedral o De que hablamos cuando hablamos de amor.
1. Leña 🪵 🍷 ⭐️ Myers acaba de salir de rehab, tiene 28 días sobrio y ningún lugar a donde llegar, decide arrendar una habitación a un matrimonio que busca tener un ingreso extra.
Opinión: la historia promete, hay varios elementos que están dispuestos para generar situaciones, como el hecho de un hombre que llega a una casa, donde ya existe una rutina, como afronta el esposo y la esposa, la relación con este, que tanto contarán uno de otro, etc Pero al final todo queda en intenciones y ningún tema se plantea o desarrolla lo suficiente para generar algo.
2. ¿Que quieres ver? 🥩 🏡 🚙 ⭐️⭐️⭐️Phil y Sara un matrimonio de mediana edad pasa su último día de veraneo en una casa rentada a Peter y Betty, ancianos dueños de un restaurant, y que les invitan a cenar para despedirlos.
Opinión: Phil y Sara parecen la pareja típica, pero no lo son, en realidad su matrimonio está craquelado y a punto de romperse, en un último intento, vivirán en ciudades distintas por un semestre y así decidir si siguen juntos. Por lo que respiramos un ambiente de nostalgia y complicidad, sobre todo por qué los caseros piensan que son un matrimonio envidiable, y ellos se guardan sus problemas par privacidad o por mera atención a ellos. Esto hace que reflexione cuantas veces asumimos que una pareja es perfecta sin saber los entresijos que su relación esconde.
3. Sueños 😴 🔥 👶 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Matrimonio joven con niños, el esposo le encanta la peculiaridad de su esposa, ella sueña y después le cuenta sobre ello. Mary Rice es su vecina, divorciada con hijos y con un trabajo para mantenerlos.
Opinión: la vida cotidiana nos muestra que en la rutina y la falta de sucesos también es una forma de felicidad.
Cita: “Soy un hombre de suerte. Tengo una mujer que siempre sueña algo diferente, que todas las noches se acuesta a mi lado y en cuanto se queda dormida algún hermoso sueño la transporta muy lejos. ”
4. Vándalos 🏠 🐟 ⭐️⭐️ Dos parejas casadas se reúnen por lo menos una vez al año para convivir, y ponerse al día.
Opinión: la anécdota es interesante y se desarrolla bien pero se siente inacabada, aún cuando sabemos que no hay un final como tal, la historia parece quedar en un limbo.
Cita: “Hubo una época en que habría matado por ella. La seguía queriendo, y ella a él, pero ya no sentía aquella obsesión. No, ya no mataría por ella, y le costaba comprender que hubiera podido albergar un sentimiento así. No merecía la pena matar a nadie, ni por ella ni por nadie.”
5. Si me necesitas, llámame 🤙 📞 🧡 ⭐️⭐️Dan y Nancy un matrimonio fracturado, renta una casa de verano donde intentarán perdonar y seguir adelante.
Opinión este cuento nos pone a pensar cómo saber que ya no hay amor, que solo quedan los hijos, las propiedades, los lazos, pero que ese sentimiento primario que nos unió se ha desvanecido, y de ahí cómo se afronta, y sobre todo si somos valientes para identificarlo y ponerle fin, aunque este relato es bastante interesante también se queda corto, muy corto diría yo.
Cita: “Te he echado tanto de menos que es como si no estuvieras conmigo. No sé cómo explicarlo, pero te he perdido. Ya no eres mío.”
Estos relatos como ningunos otros de Raymond Carver se sienten muy personales y pareciera estar basados en la época que se separó de su esposa de tanto tiempo, la que lo apoyó y estuvo con el cuando no tenía dinero y era un alcohólico, así como en la época en que dejó de beber y se enamoró de otra mujer, que se convertiría en su nueva esposa y la que, a la postre autorizaría la publicación de estos relatos.
Tristemente en estos relatos en específico no se nota este trabajo, más bien se ven destellos de grandeza pero irregulares y no existe un trabajo final depurado.
Como lector de Carver, y si leíste todo lo anterior, entonces si vale la pena ir por esta recopilación, en caso contrario recomendaría empezar con otros que son mucho mejores, como Catedral o De que hablamos cuando hablamos de amor.
1. Leña 🪵 🍷 ⭐️ Myers acaba de salir de rehab, tiene 28 días sobrio y ningún lugar a donde llegar, decide arrendar una habitación a un matrimonio que busca tener un ingreso extra.
Opinión: la historia promete, hay varios elementos que están dispuestos para generar situaciones, como el hecho de un hombre que llega a una casa, donde ya existe una rutina, como afronta el esposo y la esposa, la relación con este, que tanto contarán uno de otro, etc Pero al final todo queda en intenciones y ningún tema se plantea o desarrolla lo suficiente para generar algo.
2. ¿Que quieres ver? 🥩 🏡 🚙 ⭐️⭐️⭐️Phil y Sara un matrimonio de mediana edad pasa su último día de veraneo en una casa rentada a Peter y Betty, ancianos dueños de un restaurant, y que les invitan a cenar para despedirlos.
Opinión: Phil y Sara parecen la pareja típica, pero no lo son, en realidad su matrimonio está craquelado y a punto de romperse, en un último intento, vivirán en ciudades distintas por un semestre y así decidir si siguen juntos. Por lo que respiramos un ambiente de nostalgia y complicidad, sobre todo por qué los caseros piensan que son un matrimonio envidiable, y ellos se guardan sus problemas par privacidad o por mera atención a ellos. Esto hace que reflexione cuantas veces asumimos que una pareja es perfecta sin saber los entresijos que su relación esconde.
3. Sueños 😴 🔥 👶 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Matrimonio joven con niños, el esposo le encanta la peculiaridad de su esposa, ella sueña y después le cuenta sobre ello. Mary Rice es su vecina, divorciada con hijos y con un trabajo para mantenerlos.
Opinión: la vida cotidiana nos muestra que en la rutina y la falta de sucesos también es una forma de felicidad.
Cita: “Soy un hombre de suerte. Tengo una mujer que siempre sueña algo diferente, que todas las noches se acuesta a mi lado y en cuanto se queda dormida algún hermoso sueño la transporta muy lejos. ”
4. Vándalos 🏠 🐟 ⭐️⭐️ Dos parejas casadas se reúnen por lo menos una vez al año para convivir, y ponerse al día.
Opinión: la anécdota es interesante y se desarrolla bien pero se siente inacabada, aún cuando sabemos que no hay un final como tal, la historia parece quedar en un limbo.
Cita: “Hubo una época en que habría matado por ella. La seguía queriendo, y ella a él, pero ya no sentía aquella obsesión. No, ya no mataría por ella, y le costaba comprender que hubiera podido albergar un sentimiento así. No merecía la pena matar a nadie, ni por ella ni por nadie.”
5. Si me necesitas, llámame 🤙 📞 🧡 ⭐️⭐️Dan y Nancy un matrimonio fracturado, renta una casa de verano donde intentarán perdonar y seguir adelante.
Opinión este cuento nos pone a pensar cómo saber que ya no hay amor, que solo quedan los hijos, las propiedades, los lazos, pero que ese sentimiento primario que nos unió se ha desvanecido, y de ahí cómo se afronta, y sobre todo si somos valientes para identificarlo y ponerle fin, aunque este relato es bastante interesante también se queda corto, muy corto diría yo.
Cita: “Te he echado tanto de menos que es como si no estuvieras conmigo. No sé cómo explicarlo, pero te he perdido. Ya no eres mío.”
Estos relatos como ningunos otros de Raymond Carver se sienten muy personales y pareciera estar basados en la época que se separó de su esposa de tanto tiempo, la que lo apoyó y estuvo con el cuando no tenía dinero y era un alcohólico, así como en la época en que dejó de beber y se enamoró de otra mujer, que se convertiría en su nueva esposa y la que, a la postre autorizaría la publicación de estos relatos.
May 14, 2010
In retrospect maybe this book isn't worth four stars. Stories that at the time of his death hadn't been collected in books yet, along with some essays about writing and literature. Yet another review for a book I read at some indeterminate number of years ago that I remember very little about. In lieu of a real review, here is a piece I'd like to call:
What I Thought about When I Thought about Raymond Carver Today.
Thinking about what to write today I was thinking about how some writers have careers that seem to stretch for decades. Like when you think of Philip Roth, there are Philip Roth's for the 60's through the current time. All different Philip Roth's. Sort of like John Updike too. Other writers seem to embody just one small sliver of time. Like Tom Robbins, he can keep writing novels till he's 189 years old, but most likely it will still seem like he's stuck sometime in the post-1960's to very early 1980's. He'll never wash ex-hippie from him.
Raymond Carver seems to embody such a small sliver of time, like very early 1980's and he might be dead by that point, or maybe not. I have no idea how long he was really in the spotlight for, or when he died, and I'm not looking it up, because it's beside the point, he's there for like a moment, sort of like in music Nirvana to me, they aren't timeless they are a brief flicker of early 1990's that are then gone, and Carver is sort of the same way, but for about 10 or 15 years earlier, of course I know what I'm talking about, at least subjectively for Nirvana, and I'm talking out my ass about Raymond Carver, but anyway; that's what I've been thinking about when I've been thinking about Raymond Carver for the past day or two (ohhhhhhhh Henry twist!!! I said today in the title, but it's actually been for the past two days!!!!!).
What I Thought about When I Thought about Raymond Carver Today.
Thinking about what to write today I was thinking about how some writers have careers that seem to stretch for decades. Like when you think of Philip Roth, there are Philip Roth's for the 60's through the current time. All different Philip Roth's. Sort of like John Updike too. Other writers seem to embody just one small sliver of time. Like Tom Robbins, he can keep writing novels till he's 189 years old, but most likely it will still seem like he's stuck sometime in the post-1960's to very early 1980's. He'll never wash ex-hippie from him.
Raymond Carver seems to embody such a small sliver of time, like very early 1980's and he might be dead by that point, or maybe not. I have no idea how long he was really in the spotlight for, or when he died, and I'm not looking it up, because it's beside the point, he's there for like a moment, sort of like in music Nirvana to me, they aren't timeless they are a brief flicker of early 1990's that are then gone, and Carver is sort of the same way, but for about 10 or 15 years earlier, of course I know what I'm talking about, at least subjectively for Nirvana, and I'm talking out my ass about Raymond Carver, but anyway; that's what I've been thinking about when I've been thinking about Raymond Carver for the past day or two (ohhhhhhhh Henry twist!!! I said today in the title, but it's actually been for the past two days!!!!!).
August 4, 2023
Una scelta compiuta oggi ci libera anche dalle azioni passate
Se hai bisogno, chiama è una raccolta di racconti pubblicati postumi. Carver aveva scritto sul suo taccuino alcune frasi del filosofo Jaspers, soprattutto tratte dalla filosofia della libertà. Per Jaspers, con l'atto decisionale si sperimenta la libertà su noi stessi e la scelta di oggi vale anche per il passato poiché gli dona una prospettiva nuova.
Il racconto che apre la raccolta è intitolato Legna da ardere.
Il protagonista si chiama Myers ed è un uomo che deve ricominciare: è appena uscito da un centro di recupero per alcolisti, ha un matrimonio fallito alle spalle, non ha un lavoro, non ha un luogo, ha velleità letterarie, ma non sa da cosa partire.
Si ferma lungo la strada presso un affittacamere gestito da una coppia grottesca: lui basso, esile e con un braccio offeso, lei grassa e più imponente. Quando gli mostrano la camera da letto il signor Myers è indeciso. La finestra della stanza si affaccia sul corso di un fiume che si apre a delta nell'Oceano, non decide di restare per il paesaggio, bensì poiché la donna mostrando il letto liscia con la mano il lenzuolo. La tenerezza del gesto lo commuove e rimane solo per una carezza su un lembo di cotone.
Nei giorni seguenti proverà a scrivere, ma saranno pensieri destinati ad essere cancellati. Si burla di sé, non crede al valore delle parole, le trova vuote. Passano i giorni e non riesce ad uscire dalla stanza, finché un giorno arriva un furgone carico di legna. Myers osserva la scena dalla sua stanza ed esce incuriosito. La legna viene scaricata sul prato antistante l'ingresso e la catasta svetta alta verso il cielo. Sarà lui ad occuparsene, sente che deve farlo. Sente che taglierà ogni ciocco e che lo riporrà nel garage. Si offre, il suo è un vero e proprio omaggio. Con qualche ritrosia il proprietario accetta. Questa è la scelta di Myers. Il lavoro dura ore, ma nel momento in cui sente crescere la stanchezza, intensifica le azioni. Percepisce attraverso la fatica il proprio corpo e attraverso la ripetizione delle medesime azioni si sente tranquillo: sa cosa deve fare e nulla di terribile può accadere. Può farcela, è vivo.
Alla fine della giornata si sente crescere una forte gioia dentro, mette tutto in ordine con gesti lenti e abbandona il prato. Entrato nella stanza da letto scrive sul taccuino:
Stasera ho le maniche della camicia piene di segatura. E' un odore dolce.
Apre le finestre e lascia entrare nella camera lo sciabordio del fiume.
L'acqua come battesimo: immersione di sé, perdita di sé in vista di una rinascita dell'anima.
Se hai bisogno, chiama è una raccolta di racconti pubblicati postumi. Carver aveva scritto sul suo taccuino alcune frasi del filosofo Jaspers, soprattutto tratte dalla filosofia della libertà. Per Jaspers, con l'atto decisionale si sperimenta la libertà su noi stessi e la scelta di oggi vale anche per il passato poiché gli dona una prospettiva nuova.
Il racconto che apre la raccolta è intitolato Legna da ardere.
Il protagonista si chiama Myers ed è un uomo che deve ricominciare: è appena uscito da un centro di recupero per alcolisti, ha un matrimonio fallito alle spalle, non ha un lavoro, non ha un luogo, ha velleità letterarie, ma non sa da cosa partire.
Si ferma lungo la strada presso un affittacamere gestito da una coppia grottesca: lui basso, esile e con un braccio offeso, lei grassa e più imponente. Quando gli mostrano la camera da letto il signor Myers è indeciso. La finestra della stanza si affaccia sul corso di un fiume che si apre a delta nell'Oceano, non decide di restare per il paesaggio, bensì poiché la donna mostrando il letto liscia con la mano il lenzuolo. La tenerezza del gesto lo commuove e rimane solo per una carezza su un lembo di cotone.
Nei giorni seguenti proverà a scrivere, ma saranno pensieri destinati ad essere cancellati. Si burla di sé, non crede al valore delle parole, le trova vuote. Passano i giorni e non riesce ad uscire dalla stanza, finché un giorno arriva un furgone carico di legna. Myers osserva la scena dalla sua stanza ed esce incuriosito. La legna viene scaricata sul prato antistante l'ingresso e la catasta svetta alta verso il cielo. Sarà lui ad occuparsene, sente che deve farlo. Sente che taglierà ogni ciocco e che lo riporrà nel garage. Si offre, il suo è un vero e proprio omaggio. Con qualche ritrosia il proprietario accetta. Questa è la scelta di Myers. Il lavoro dura ore, ma nel momento in cui sente crescere la stanchezza, intensifica le azioni. Percepisce attraverso la fatica il proprio corpo e attraverso la ripetizione delle medesime azioni si sente tranquillo: sa cosa deve fare e nulla di terribile può accadere. Può farcela, è vivo.
Alla fine della giornata si sente crescere una forte gioia dentro, mette tutto in ordine con gesti lenti e abbandona il prato. Entrato nella stanza da letto scrive sul taccuino:
Stasera ho le maniche della camicia piene di segatura. E' un odore dolce.
Apre le finestre e lascia entrare nella camera lo sciabordio del fiume.
L'acqua come battesimo: immersione di sé, perdita di sé in vista di una rinascita dell'anima.
September 8, 2022
Yazmak ve edebiyat üzerine satır aralarında güzel öğütler barındıran kitap. Son bölümde yer alan kitap eleştirileri çoğu türkçede olmadığından pek ilgi çekmiyor.
Son eleştiri Hemingway biyografisi üzerine. Hemingway, Carver ın da sevdiği bir yazar olunca yine keyifli ve öğrenilesi şeyler barındıran bir yazı olmuş.
Son eleştiri Hemingway biyografisi üzerine. Hemingway, Carver ın da sevdiği bir yazar olunca yine keyifli ve öğrenilesi şeyler barındıran bir yazı olmuş.
April 5, 2016
Disculparán que comience mi comentario con un cliché, pero si hay algo que Carver tiene y demuestra en este libro, es una absoluta maestría en decirlo -todo- en cuentos que, en apariencia, te están contando -nada-. Nada, al menos como la entendemos en la cotidianidad: los momentos más seguros, monótonos, simples: conversaciones con amigos, sueños que no recordamos, saludar a los vecinos un miércoles por la mañana antes de ir a trabajar. Son en estas situaciones (en apariencia tan banales) en las que Carver traza sus historias; su genialidad consiste en revelarnos -discretamente- la complejidad y la humanidad que se ocultan en ellas.
Hay momentos en el libro en los que el nivel de tensión es tan alto que parece que se están leyendo historias de horror. Pero es tan sólo el drama humano de la cotidianidad. El cuento que le da título al libro "Si me necesitas, llámame", es una obra maestra: una radiografía profunda a las crisis que atraviesan los largos y tediosos matrimonios heterosexuales. Una maravilla.
Cosa curiosa: casi todos los cuentos mencionan, en algún momento, un incendio y, también casi todos, tienen en algún momento la pregunta "¿Qué te parece?".
Hay momentos en el libro en los que el nivel de tensión es tan alto que parece que se están leyendo historias de horror. Pero es tan sólo el drama humano de la cotidianidad. El cuento que le da título al libro "Si me necesitas, llámame", es una obra maestra: una radiografía profunda a las crisis que atraviesan los largos y tediosos matrimonios heterosexuales. Una maravilla.
Cosa curiosa: casi todos los cuentos mencionan, en algún momento, un incendio y, también casi todos, tienen en algún momento la pregunta "¿Qué te parece?".
April 8, 2022
“Katedral” adlı öykü kitabıyla gönlümü fetheden Raymond Carver bu kitabında yazın hayatını, neden ve nasıl yazdığını denemelerle anlatıyor. Babası ve gençliği ile ilgili olan anıları da deneme olarak kaleme almış.
Kitabın ikinci yarısında yirmiye yakın eleştiri-deneme yazıları yeralıyor. Çeşitli kitapları ve yazarlarını eleştirel gözle inceleyip deneme olarak kağıda geçirmiş. İçlerinde birkaç tanesi ilginç geldi bana, örneğin henüz Türkçe’ye çevrilmemiş olan Vance Bourjaily’nin “A Game Men Play” (Erkeklerin Oynadığı Bir Oyun) kitabı, E. Hemingway hakkında yazılmış biyografi kitapları (Peter Griffin ve Jeffrey Meyers’in kitapları), Richard Ford’un “The Ultimate Good Luck” (En İyi Şans) adlı kitabı gibi.
Açıkçası öykü yazarı olarak çok özel bulduğum Carver’ı bu tarz (deneme) yazımda başarılı bulmadım, genç yaşta öldüğünden öykülerinden de mahrum kaldığımıza üzüldüm.
Kitabın ikinci yarısında yirmiye yakın eleştiri-deneme yazıları yeralıyor. Çeşitli kitapları ve yazarlarını eleştirel gözle inceleyip deneme olarak kağıda geçirmiş. İçlerinde birkaç tanesi ilginç geldi bana, örneğin henüz Türkçe’ye çevrilmemiş olan Vance Bourjaily’nin “A Game Men Play” (Erkeklerin Oynadığı Bir Oyun) kitabı, E. Hemingway hakkında yazılmış biyografi kitapları (Peter Griffin ve Jeffrey Meyers’in kitapları), Richard Ford’un “The Ultimate Good Luck” (En İyi Şans) adlı kitabı gibi.
Açıkçası öykü yazarı olarak çok özel bulduğum Carver’ı bu tarz (deneme) yazımda başarılı bulmadım, genç yaşta öldüğünden öykülerinden de mahrum kaldığımıza üzüldüm.
August 16, 2013
Raymond Carver is an American (North American) phenomenon. If he was Latin American maybe he would have shorn his work to the bone for real Juan Rulfo style, but instead editor Gordon Lish did it for him – in Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, in What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (title Lish's) – and when he outgrew Lish he let himself bloat, in Cathedral and (less so) in Elephant. Elephant, in my opinion, is closest to perfect, but it's light, airy, like Antonio Tabucchi (Italian) with less refinement or Natsume Soseki (Japanese) with less weight. What I'm saying: Carver is a world writer – he penetrates boundaries – and part of the reason is his celebrated simplicity. But the manner of his birth as a public figure, including its midwives (Lish, Esquire, the small magazines, the institutionalised study and teaching of writing in the U.S.A.), and the effect of that birth on his writing, is North American through and through. Working class hero? If you come to Carver expecting that you'll be let down. Yes, his father was a sawmill worker (alcoholic, too) from Clatskanie, Oregon, but Raymond Junior was a slacker, a professional student, and, by the time he met his second wife Tess Gallagher and sobered up and the grants rolled in, judging by Elephant and the late poems, a kind of bourgeois. Minimalist? The Burning Plain (Rulfo) is minimalist. And yeah, Lish's edit of What We Talk About... is a kind of cartoon minimalist (or baroque minimalist, luxuriating in its capacity for glib shocks), but it's not Carver's. Carver, he's sentimental, expansive even (in 'Cathedral', 'A Small, Good Thing', 'Where I'm Calling From'). Lish's editing was genius – slick, cold, lucid. But he dulled the heartshock, the honesty, the love.
Call if You Need Me is 3 stories: 'Kindling', 'Dreams', the title story. 3 of Carver's best, most direct, least shined to a polish. You'll be buying/borrowing the book for these 3 stories (unpublished during his lifetime) only, but the Harvill edition is beautiful and the stories are, truly, 'world class'. Here he transcends the labels and comes close to elemental. Here he stops holding his breath, stops gasping, and finds his rhythm. They're not perfect, but they're 3 small masterpieces.
RIP Raymond. You had heart. And humility.
Some of Carver's Best:
From Will You Please be Quiet, Please?:
Neighbours
Are You a Doctor?
Why, Honey?
From What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:
I Could See the Smallest Things
The Third Thing that Killed My Father Off
Gazebo
From Cathedral:
Vitamins
Cathedral
Where I'm Calling From
From Elephant:
Menudo
Elephant
Errand
From the poems:
The long poem 'You Don't Know What Love Is'
The collection Where Water Comes Together With Other Water
(Both published in All of Us: The Collected Poems – highly recommended, rarely read, and proof that Carver was not deluded in thinking himself equally a poet and a prose writer.)
Call if You Need Me is 3 stories: 'Kindling', 'Dreams', the title story. 3 of Carver's best, most direct, least shined to a polish. You'll be buying/borrowing the book for these 3 stories (unpublished during his lifetime) only, but the Harvill edition is beautiful and the stories are, truly, 'world class'. Here he transcends the labels and comes close to elemental. Here he stops holding his breath, stops gasping, and finds his rhythm. They're not perfect, but they're 3 small masterpieces.
RIP Raymond. You had heart. And humility.
Some of Carver's Best:
From Will You Please be Quiet, Please?:
Neighbours
Are You a Doctor?
Why, Honey?
From What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:
I Could See the Smallest Things
The Third Thing that Killed My Father Off
Gazebo
From Cathedral:
Vitamins
Cathedral
Where I'm Calling From
From Elephant:
Menudo
Elephant
Errand
From the poems:
The long poem 'You Don't Know What Love Is'
The collection Where Water Comes Together With Other Water
(Both published in All of Us: The Collected Poems – highly recommended, rarely read, and proof that Carver was not deluded in thinking himself equally a poet and a prose writer.)
November 20, 2023
Este bello libro, increíblemente bien cuidado, se compone de una serie de relatos seleccionados por su esposa, la poeta Tess Gallagher, años después de la muerte de Carver y recogidos de diversos lugares. Sin ser sus mejores relatos, el hecho de que muchos o, posiblemente todos, estuvieran inacabados, desnuda por completo las influencias del autor: Ernst Hemingway, Gordon Lish, Antón Chéjov, Flannery O'Connor... por lo demás, los relatos están revestidos de una cotidianidad increíble, especialmente porque no terminan en nada radical, sólo en que mañana será otro día y las cosas continuarán como un accesorio de lo que sea que haya pasado el día previo. Un libro con muchas referencias a otras obras de Carver. En fin, recomendado.
August 10, 2017
اولش به نظرم كسل كننده اومد ولى هرچى بيشتر پيش رفتم، جذابيت داستانا برام بيشتر شد.
من هميشه از كتابايى كه درباره آدماى معمولى مى نويسن و سوژه هاى معمولى رو دستمايه نوشتن مى كنن، خوشم مياد، از اين كتابم خوشم اومد. شايد بخاطر اينكه حس مى كنى خودتى كه درباره آدماى اطرافت يا حتى درباره خودت نوشتى، يه جور همذات پندارى عجيب و غريب كه مدلش توى داستان زندگى آدماى غيرمعمولى و سوژه هاى غيرمعمولى فرق داره، يا اصلا نيست!
من هميشه از كتابايى كه درباره آدماى معمولى مى نويسن و سوژه هاى معمولى رو دستمايه نوشتن مى كنن، خوشم مياد، از اين كتابم خوشم اومد. شايد بخاطر اينكه حس مى كنى خودتى كه درباره آدماى اطرافت يا حتى درباره خودت نوشتى، يه جور همذات پندارى عجيب و غريب كه مدلش توى داستان زندگى آدماى غيرمعمولى و سوژه هاى غيرمعمولى فرق داره، يا اصلا نيست!
January 26, 2015
La raccolta di racconti di Carver si apre con un bellissimo racconto: Legna da ardere. Secondo noi il tema centrale di questo, come degli ultimi racconti di Carver, risiede nell'idea del "cambiamento".
Questo il podcast della puntata:
https://soundcloud.com/radiokairos/42...
Questo il podcast della puntata:
https://soundcloud.com/radiokairos/42...
December 20, 2019
داستانهای ریموند کارور تلخ وکوتاه و با نثری ساده است. فضاهایی که کارور ترسیم میکند برجسته، بسیار شفاف، با وضوح بالا و بلوریست.
نوع نوشتنش شسته رفته و با حداقل کلمات ممکن بوده و
خواندن داستانهای کاور خوب، مفید، آموزنده و تاثیرگذار است داستانهایی که مدتها ذهن شما را مشغول خواهد کرد
من با بعضی از داستان ها خوب ارتباط گرفتم
از جمله پیک، جعبهها و فیل.
نوع نوشتنش شسته رفته و با حداقل کلمات ممکن بوده و
خواندن داستانهای کاور خوب، مفید، آموزنده و تاثیرگذار است داستانهایی که مدتها ذهن شما را مشغول خواهد کرد
من با بعضی از داستان ها خوب ارتباط گرفتم
از جمله پیک، جعبهها و فیل.
November 19, 2023
Relatos inéditos del autor, algunos sin terminar, que se leen en una tarde. Algunos de ellos, como el que da título al recopilatorio, son de otra categoría. Pequeñas obras maestras.
May 22, 2024
*Reseña pendiente*
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December 1, 2022“Esta noche echo de menos a todo el mundo en falta. También a ti.”
“Es la última vez que estaremos juntos en una sala de estar como esta viendo oscurecer. No quiero olvidarlo. Me alegro de que nos queden unos minutos. “
“Cuando uno se sorprende quitando lo que acaba de poner es que el relato ya está terminado.”
“El vacío es el principio de todas las cosas”
Título publicado póstumamente y creado a través diversos cuentos que tenía por acabar, o por corregir. Tiene una sensación de constante despedida, en parte es una despedida. O puede que el principio de una, no lo sé. Ya he terminado de leer todos los libros de cuentos de Carver y tengo una sensación extraña, por una parte, me siento satisfecho, porque he descubierto un mundo completamente nuevo en lo que a literatura se refiere. Por otro lado, no me quiero despedir de sus cuentos, pero no creo que sea una despedida, que volveré a ellos más pronto que tarde. Esta recopilación está hecha con todo el cariño de su mujer, que nos brindó una última recopilación e historias de Carver. Aún me quedo sorprendido por la capacidad y la maestría con la que Carver manejaba el cuento, hasta ahora no he visto nada parecido. Lo que me parece curioso es que él siempre escribió poesía, pero al verse incapacitado al no considerarlos de calidad se dedicó a extrapolarlo al cuento. Siempre he pensado que los poetas son los mejores narradores que puede haber para un cuento. Los hechos lo demuestran. Un escritor que creo que será leído y recordado durante muchos años más, como un referente de la literatura, como un clásico atemporal. Sin aliento me he quedado después de esta odisea literaria.
“Es la última vez que estaremos juntos en una sala de estar como esta viendo oscurecer. No quiero olvidarlo. Me alegro de que nos queden unos minutos. “
“Cuando uno se sorprende quitando lo que acaba de poner es que el relato ya está terminado.”
“El vacío es el principio de todas las cosas”
Título publicado póstumamente y creado a través diversos cuentos que tenía por acabar, o por corregir. Tiene una sensación de constante despedida, en parte es una despedida. O puede que el principio de una, no lo sé. Ya he terminado de leer todos los libros de cuentos de Carver y tengo una sensación extraña, por una parte, me siento satisfecho, porque he descubierto un mundo completamente nuevo en lo que a literatura se refiere. Por otro lado, no me quiero despedir de sus cuentos, pero no creo que sea una despedida, que volveré a ellos más pronto que tarde. Esta recopilación está hecha con todo el cariño de su mujer, que nos brindó una última recopilación e historias de Carver. Aún me quedo sorprendido por la capacidad y la maestría con la que Carver manejaba el cuento, hasta ahora no he visto nada parecido. Lo que me parece curioso es que él siempre escribió poesía, pero al verse incapacitado al no considerarlos de calidad se dedicó a extrapolarlo al cuento. Siempre he pensado que los poetas son los mejores narradores que puede haber para un cuento. Los hechos lo demuestran. Un escritor que creo que será leído y recordado durante muchos años más, como un referente de la literatura, como un clásico atemporal. Sin aliento me he quedado después de esta odisea literaria.
August 27, 2019
Tenía pendiente a Carver hace años y extrañamente quise comenzar con una obra póstuma en un vuelo de 14 horas Tokio-Madrd (¡que da para mucho!)
Me ha encantado. Los relatos que recoge, todos ellos alrededor del desamor y el alcoholismo, me han parecido muy buenos, muy reales y cotidianos.
Me ha encantado. Los relatos que recoge, todos ellos alrededor del desamor y el alcoholismo, me han parecido muy buenos, muy reales y cotidianos.
August 25, 2017
"Aprì il taccuino e in cima a una pagina bianca scrisse le parole ‘il vuoto è l'inizio di tutte le cose’. Rimase a fissare questa frase e poi scoppiò a ridere. Gesù, che cazzata!"
“Se hai bisogno, chiama” è una raccolta di racconti brevi di Carver; nella prima parte ci sono i suoi racconti postumi, nella seconda quelli giovanili.
Quali sono i temi conduttori della raccolta? Sono quelli suoi tipici: il fallimento del matrimonio, i rapporti di coppia, l’alcol. I personaggi sono persone ordinarie, solitarie, che vivono quotidianamente i disagi e le difficoltà della vita, in fuga da sé stessi, in squallide villette americane. I dialoghi tra i personaggi sono reali, quasi banali, pieni di dettagli della vita di tutti i giorni. E mentre leggiamo, Carver ci aiuta a farci tante domande.
Carver scrive benissimo, la sua è una prosa molto interessante, i racconti scorrono in modo perfetto. Ma cosa succede in questi racconti? Nulla di particolare. I drammi, i fallimenti, le delusioni, i disagi rimangono latenti, silenziosi. E improvvisamente la storia termina e noi restiamo sospesi, in attesa, chiedendoci che cosa succederà ora...
Ecco. Mi sono posto questa domanda, al termine del libro. E allora? Mi sono perso qualcosa? Ho letto mirabolanti recensioni su questo libro. Forse sono io che non l’ho capito; ma fare tante domande senza dare risposte serve a qualcosa?
“Se hai bisogno, chiama” è una raccolta di racconti brevi di Carver; nella prima parte ci sono i suoi racconti postumi, nella seconda quelli giovanili.
Quali sono i temi conduttori della raccolta? Sono quelli suoi tipici: il fallimento del matrimonio, i rapporti di coppia, l’alcol. I personaggi sono persone ordinarie, solitarie, che vivono quotidianamente i disagi e le difficoltà della vita, in fuga da sé stessi, in squallide villette americane. I dialoghi tra i personaggi sono reali, quasi banali, pieni di dettagli della vita di tutti i giorni. E mentre leggiamo, Carver ci aiuta a farci tante domande.
Carver scrive benissimo, la sua è una prosa molto interessante, i racconti scorrono in modo perfetto. Ma cosa succede in questi racconti? Nulla di particolare. I drammi, i fallimenti, le delusioni, i disagi rimangono latenti, silenziosi. E improvvisamente la storia termina e noi restiamo sospesi, in attesa, chiedendoci che cosa succederà ora...
Ecco. Mi sono posto questa domanda, al termine del libro. E allora? Mi sono perso qualcosa? Ho letto mirabolanti recensioni su questo libro. Forse sono io che non l’ho capito; ma fare tante domande senza dare risposte serve a qualcosa?
February 4, 2023
Le pongo un 4,5.
No había leído nada de Carver y no conocía nada de él. He leído el libro sin pretensiones. Es más, no sabía ni que se trataba de un libro de relatos.
Las historias se suceden en momentos de la vida cotidiana de gente corriente. Es más, al terminar cada relato me parecía estar viendo un cuadro de Edward Hopper.
La prosa es sencilla y los diálogos no aparentan contar nada excepcional. Sin embargo, los relatos logran crear una tensión en la historia en la que el lector se sumerge casi sin darse cuenta. Carver tenía un verdadero talento para decir mucho sin decirlo.
Destacar el relato que da nombre a este volumen. Me ha tocado mucho.
No había leído nada de Carver y no conocía nada de él. He leído el libro sin pretensiones. Es más, no sabía ni que se trataba de un libro de relatos.
Las historias se suceden en momentos de la vida cotidiana de gente corriente. Es más, al terminar cada relato me parecía estar viendo un cuadro de Edward Hopper.
La prosa es sencilla y los diálogos no aparentan contar nada excepcional. Sin embargo, los relatos logran crear una tensión en la historia en la que el lector se sumerge casi sin darse cuenta. Carver tenía un verdadero talento para decir mucho sin decirlo.
Destacar el relato que da nombre a este volumen. Me ha tocado mucho.
January 24, 2016
یک تا صد: دستات مریزاد کارور!
صد و یک : یکمجموعهداستانِخوببودناش به کنار؛ یک کارگاه خوب داستاننویسی هم بود.
صد و دو: یک جاهایی ترجمه بد میشد؛ بیشتر عجیب تا بد. اما هنوز هم از اسدالله امرایی راضیام.
صد و سه: «صد و سه» به بعد را وقتی مینویسم که دوباره خواندماش. و کاش میتوانستم دوبارهخواندناش را از همین الان شروع کنم.
صد و یک : یکمجموعهداستانِخوببودناش به کنار؛ یک کارگاه خوب داستاننویسی هم بود.
صد و دو: یک جاهایی ترجمه بد میشد؛ بیشتر عجیب تا بد. اما هنوز هم از اسدالله امرایی راضیام.
صد و سه: «صد و سه» به بعد را وقتی مینویسم که دوباره خواندماش. و کاش میتوانستم دوبارهخواندناش را از همین الان شروع کنم.
June 26, 2022
Yazmak üzerine kısa sohbetler, yazılar, kitap değerlendirmeleri, makaleler. Raymond Carver bazen güldürüyor bazen de "yazmak - yazarlar" üstüne doğal süreçleri, sıkıntıları rahat bir dille aktarıyor.
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September 6, 2024la belleza de salir corriendo y empezar de 0 cuando lo familiar ha sido sustituido por sentimientos de extrañeza. onírico y brutalista, con algún tinte kafkiano, te machaca como un ladrillo de cemento. carver maravilloso siempre.
January 19, 2019
Sus relatos son intriga pura.
September 2, 2025
Looks like I'm getting near the end of Raymond Carver's short stories. I still haven't read any of his poetry, so that may be coming up.
"Call If You Need Me: The Uncollected Fiction and Other Prose" gets 4 big stars from me although most of Carver's collections are 5 star works imho! For more info on the others I've read, please see my reviews of some of those on my own shelves: "Cathedral," "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," and "Beginners" which is the original manuscript of WWTAWWTAL before being slashed heavily by Gordon Lish, the editor. I've also listened to "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" on audio.
But back to the matter at hand...CIYNM includes 5 uncollected, discovered stories from after the author's death, more early stories, essays, book reviews, etc. My favorites were the later stories. Much of the other material has to do with comments on works I haven't read, therefore I couldn't really relate to much of it other than the author's thoughts on writing in general.
5 discovered stories
Kindling in which Myers starts getting over being abandoned by his wife by sawing and chopping two cords of wood in the backyard of his rented room.
What Would You Like to See? in which we see the end of a relationship and the couple each going their separate ways.
Dreams in which a wife wakes up every morning to tell her husband what she dreamed and then a tragedy happens in the neighborhood.
Vandals in which a couple is visiting another and one of the wives used to be married to another man who was friends with the second couple and then a tragedy happens in the neighborhood.
Call If You Need Me in which a couple is trying to make it work again after infidelity, but will they be successful? I like this sentence--Sun fell through the curtain onto the table as it got later in the morning.
Although these sound like simple, even repetitive, themes about working class people, they are anything but. In fact, Carver doesn't care for the term "theme," and prefers to refer to them as "obsessions." His stories are filled with obsessions of alcoholism, infidelity, how to stay together as a couple or fall apart, life in hardscrabble Carver Country.
It's often the execution which drives these stories into the stratosphere of excellence. The dialogue is superb, natural, realistic, and leaves much for the reader to infer. Each story is filled with a kind of stomach-churning suspense as the plot zooms forward frenetically. We often feel that the couple just won't make it, but sometimes there is a faint glimmer of hope to squint at.
Essays Here are some of my favorites from this section.
My Father's Life
Dad wanted steady work at decent pay and was a drunk and a constant womanizer. Sound familiar?
On Writing
Carver lost his patience for reading or writing novels in the mid 60s and started creating his own world in short stories. Lucky for us!!! It's possible, in a poem or a short story, to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language, and to endow these things-a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman's earring-with immense, even startling power. Carver is the king of the following...I like it when there is some feeling of threat of sense of menace in short stories.
From John Gardner: The Writer as Teacher He was Carver's writing teacher in Creative Writing 101 and greatly influenced his development.
Understand that nobody in my family has ever gone to college or for that matter had got beyond the mandatory eighth grade in high school. School was only mandatory until 8th grade at the time!
I'll leave out my impressions of the rest of this book as the early stories, though interesting, were not up to his usual level. As I mentioned earlier in this review, I couldn't relate much to the other prose writing.
Any other die-hard Carver fans out there in Goodreads land?
"Call If You Need Me: The Uncollected Fiction and Other Prose" gets 4 big stars from me although most of Carver's collections are 5 star works imho! For more info on the others I've read, please see my reviews of some of those on my own shelves: "Cathedral," "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," and "Beginners" which is the original manuscript of WWTAWWTAL before being slashed heavily by Gordon Lish, the editor. I've also listened to "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" on audio.
But back to the matter at hand...CIYNM includes 5 uncollected, discovered stories from after the author's death, more early stories, essays, book reviews, etc. My favorites were the later stories. Much of the other material has to do with comments on works I haven't read, therefore I couldn't really relate to much of it other than the author's thoughts on writing in general.
5 discovered stories
Kindling in which Myers starts getting over being abandoned by his wife by sawing and chopping two cords of wood in the backyard of his rented room.
What Would You Like to See? in which we see the end of a relationship and the couple each going their separate ways.
Dreams in which a wife wakes up every morning to tell her husband what she dreamed and then a tragedy happens in the neighborhood.
Vandals in which a couple is visiting another and one of the wives used to be married to another man who was friends with the second couple and then a tragedy happens in the neighborhood.
Call If You Need Me in which a couple is trying to make it work again after infidelity, but will they be successful? I like this sentence--Sun fell through the curtain onto the table as it got later in the morning.
Although these sound like simple, even repetitive, themes about working class people, they are anything but. In fact, Carver doesn't care for the term "theme," and prefers to refer to them as "obsessions." His stories are filled with obsessions of alcoholism, infidelity, how to stay together as a couple or fall apart, life in hardscrabble Carver Country.
It's often the execution which drives these stories into the stratosphere of excellence. The dialogue is superb, natural, realistic, and leaves much for the reader to infer. Each story is filled with a kind of stomach-churning suspense as the plot zooms forward frenetically. We often feel that the couple just won't make it, but sometimes there is a faint glimmer of hope to squint at.
Essays Here are some of my favorites from this section.
My Father's Life
Dad wanted steady work at decent pay and was a drunk and a constant womanizer. Sound familiar?
On Writing
Carver lost his patience for reading or writing novels in the mid 60s and started creating his own world in short stories. Lucky for us!!! It's possible, in a poem or a short story, to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language, and to endow these things-a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman's earring-with immense, even startling power. Carver is the king of the following...I like it when there is some feeling of threat of sense of menace in short stories.
From John Gardner: The Writer as Teacher He was Carver's writing teacher in Creative Writing 101 and greatly influenced his development.
Understand that nobody in my family has ever gone to college or for that matter had got beyond the mandatory eighth grade in high school. School was only mandatory until 8th grade at the time!
I'll leave out my impressions of the rest of this book as the early stories, though interesting, were not up to his usual level. As I mentioned earlier in this review, I couldn't relate much to the other prose writing.
Any other die-hard Carver fans out there in Goodreads land?
March 10, 2024
Han sido los primeros relatos que leo de Carver pero seguro no serán los últimos. Me ha encantado esta colección. Carver tiene un estilo tan duro tan existencial muy muy intenso pero sin sentimentalismos. Me han llegado mucho los símbolos que utiliza y su crudeza, y las atmósferas y soledades que evoca.
De Leña me gustó la melancolía del protagonista y el olor a palomitas y serrín, sentí muchísima nostalgia. Qué bonito cómo encuentra en la tarea de cortar leña motivación para seguir escribiendo y para seguir, en general. El "renacer" está también presente en otros relatos de la colección.
¿Qué queréis ver?, otra vez sobre el final de una relación y el empezar de nuevo en el horizonte. Todo lo que sugiere con los diálogos me pareció algo increíble. Me encantó el final, durísimo, cuando al casero que dejan atrás se le estropea la comida, perecedera como las relaciones románticas de estos relatos. También me gustó mucho el símbolo del anillo, todos los detalles te introducen en su universo. Vuelve a aparecer el alcoholismo (presente en todos los relatos).
En Sueños no sé si entendí la importancia de los sueños de la mujer, que dan título al relato, pero fue de mis prefes. Qué ternura la rutina matinal del matrimonio, aunque implique descontento y desconexión. El hombre siempre observador es también testigo de la desgracia de la vecina y, de nuevo, de su renacer cuando planta las semillitas.
Vándalos, otra vez con la presencia del fuego, el alcoholismo, los amores y desamores.
Si me necesitas llámame fue mi otro preferido. Un matrimonio dando sus últimos coletazos para separarse irremediablemente después. Me ha gustado cómo cuando ella se va él descubre el jardín lleno de las huellas y el estiércol de los caballos. Terrible y tristísimo pero la vida sigue. Me fascina con qué intensidad golpean los sentimientos a los protagonistas esta última noche (los caballos el fuego...). Terminé destrozada. Se repiten la deriva existencial, el alcoholismo... La sutileza presente en todos los relatos.
De Leña me gustó la melancolía del protagonista y el olor a palomitas y serrín, sentí muchísima nostalgia. Qué bonito cómo encuentra en la tarea de cortar leña motivación para seguir escribiendo y para seguir, en general. El "renacer" está también presente en otros relatos de la colección.
¿Qué queréis ver?, otra vez sobre el final de una relación y el empezar de nuevo en el horizonte. Todo lo que sugiere con los diálogos me pareció algo increíble. Me encantó el final, durísimo, cuando al casero que dejan atrás se le estropea la comida, perecedera como las relaciones románticas de estos relatos. También me gustó mucho el símbolo del anillo, todos los detalles te introducen en su universo. Vuelve a aparecer el alcoholismo (presente en todos los relatos).
En Sueños no sé si entendí la importancia de los sueños de la mujer, que dan título al relato, pero fue de mis prefes. Qué ternura la rutina matinal del matrimonio, aunque implique descontento y desconexión. El hombre siempre observador es también testigo de la desgracia de la vecina y, de nuevo, de su renacer cuando planta las semillitas.
Vándalos, otra vez con la presencia del fuego, el alcoholismo, los amores y desamores.
Si me necesitas llámame fue mi otro preferido. Un matrimonio dando sus últimos coletazos para separarse irremediablemente después. Me ha gustado cómo cuando ella se va él descubre el jardín lleno de las huellas y el estiércol de los caballos. Terrible y tristísimo pero la vida sigue. Me fascina con qué intensidad golpean los sentimientos a los protagonistas esta última noche (los caballos el fuego...). Terminé destrozada. Se repiten la deriva existencial, el alcoholismo... La sutileza presente en todos los relatos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2025
"Esta noche echo a todo el mundo en falta. También a ti. Hace mucho que te echo de menos. Te he echado tanto de menos que es como si no estuvieras conmigo. No sé cómo explicarlo, pero te he perdido. Ya no eres mío."
June 21, 2020
Más de diez años después de la muerte de Carver, su viuda Tess Gallagher —escritora y poetisa ella misma— encontró cinco relatos inéditos o que solo habían aparecido de manera póstuma y aislada en revistas como Esquire, y decidió reunirlos en esta antología. Como ella misma explica en el epílogo, se trata de historias escritas en diferentes épocas de la vida del autor norteamericano, y en las que podemos encontrar elementos que recuerdan o que, directamente, se repetirán en algunos de sus relatos más conocidos; deducimos que muchas de ellas debieron de ser formas embrionarias de estos últimos, —para mi gusto— más pulidos y redondos. Ello no quita para que en Si me necesitas, llámame nos encontremos con cinco relatos de primer nivel en los que se tratan algunos de los temas recurrentes del universo carveriano: parejas que intentan recomponer una relación rota, tipos que han dejado de beber pero siguen siendo sombras de sí mismos o escritores que se enfrentan a la escritura del vacío.
Quizás por lo reducido del volumen, quizás por esa suerte de escritura embrionaria que comentaba, quizás porque no fue el propio Carver quien las seleccionó, las historias resultan menos espectaculares que las ya leídas en Catedral o en De qué hablamos cuando hablamos de amor, por ejemplo, y pueden dar cierta sensación de repetición respecto a estas. Con toda probabilidad, si estas dos últimas antologías no existieran Si me necesitas, llámame cobraría un nuevo estatus de libro magistral, así que es solo por la comparación con sus hermanas que este libro sale perdiendo —aunque solo sea un poco.
Dicho todo esto, hay dos relatos que destacan por encima del resto:
(i) Sueños: en esta historia de vecinos espiados y tintes casi místicos, vemos elementos de Parece una tontería o Quienquiera que hubiera dormido en esta cama, y es fácil quedarse con un extraño pero tangible sentimiento de desazón desde los primeros párrafos —que no va a hacer otra cosa que aumentar hasta el gélido final. Sin duda, tiene el sabor de los clásicos del autor norteamericano, y gustará por su brillante creación de la atmósfera.
(ii) Si me necesitas, llámame: me atrevería a decir que el cuento que da nombre a la antología es una versión más desenfadada, menos cerebral y más humana de Caballos en la niebla; no solo porque la metáfora de situación sea exactamente la misma, sino porque también lo es el tema y su desenlace. Para gustos, colores, pero me costaría quedarme con uno de los dos; si bien aquel es más un ejercicio de estilo brillante y descorazonador, este va directo al meollo del asunto —¿es posible arreglar lo que se ha roto en mil pedazos?—, y puede que por ello sea un texto más honesto y sincero.
Quizás por lo reducido del volumen, quizás por esa suerte de escritura embrionaria que comentaba, quizás porque no fue el propio Carver quien las seleccionó, las historias resultan menos espectaculares que las ya leídas en Catedral o en De qué hablamos cuando hablamos de amor, por ejemplo, y pueden dar cierta sensación de repetición respecto a estas. Con toda probabilidad, si estas dos últimas antologías no existieran Si me necesitas, llámame cobraría un nuevo estatus de libro magistral, así que es solo por la comparación con sus hermanas que este libro sale perdiendo —aunque solo sea un poco.
Dicho todo esto, hay dos relatos que destacan por encima del resto:
(i) Sueños: en esta historia de vecinos espiados y tintes casi místicos, vemos elementos de Parece una tontería o Quienquiera que hubiera dormido en esta cama, y es fácil quedarse con un extraño pero tangible sentimiento de desazón desde los primeros párrafos —que no va a hacer otra cosa que aumentar hasta el gélido final. Sin duda, tiene el sabor de los clásicos del autor norteamericano, y gustará por su brillante creación de la atmósfera.
(ii) Si me necesitas, llámame: me atrevería a decir que el cuento que da nombre a la antología es una versión más desenfadada, menos cerebral y más humana de Caballos en la niebla; no solo porque la metáfora de situación sea exactamente la misma, sino porque también lo es el tema y su desenlace. Para gustos, colores, pero me costaría quedarme con uno de los dos; si bien aquel es más un ejercicio de estilo brillante y descorazonador, este va directo al meollo del asunto —¿es posible arreglar lo que se ha roto en mil pedazos?—, y puede que por ello sea un texto más honesto y sincero.
May 7, 2022
Amo immensamente Carver. Ma questa operazione di pubblicare postumi racconti che l’autore aveva messo in un cassetto per scartarli o rimaneggiarli (chissà) è parassitismo. Se aveva stabilito di non darli alle stampe aveva ottimi motivi. E infatti.
July 11, 2008
I guess it was bound to happen one day--Carver died when I was in college, when I was still a young writer who was finding inspiration from his work. I didn't really mean to, but I most likely built a kind of Carver mythology in my head and made the mistake of taking my reverence for his writing as a reason to also revere the man as a wise soul. Perhaps it was also knowing the story of the Lish-Carver split, of a writer who broke free from the confines of an editor who had helped bring him to notoriety so that he could write according to his own vision and not the vision of another, that also made Carver a kind of iconic figure in my developing artistic sensibility.
Over time, of course, I found the less lustrous moments of Carver's work and found myself more in respect than awe. In rereading his stories, I found the gears behind the magic, saw his process of moving narrative and even allowed myself to note what stories of his I didn't like. I consider this a closer affection for Carver's work than when I was in awe of it, for it allowed me to touch the humanity of Carver's art, which I find a more solid basis for connection than reverence and idolatry. Note that I have made no mention of Carver's poetry--this is because I simply could never find myself appreciating much of it, and this is another aspect of my respect for Carver. In order to truly embrace something and hold it dear, we also need to know what's wrong with it.
So I was of course intrigued to read Carver stories that had never come to light before, and of late I have been finding myself more and more interested in the thinking processes of artists, so I wanted to read the nonfiction too, not only for insight on his own writing but in the writing of others.
The five uncollected stories here are all quite wonderful and confirm the direction of Carver's work--the compassionate insight into characters struggling to make themselves better, though that improvement is not always in the direction they initially foresee. We of course see a lot of couples in flux, even on the verge of breaking up as their best option. Among these, I think the strongest of them is the title story, for it combines the essence of what has always Carver's work so powerful--a touch of magic rooted squarely in the mundane. I would rather not give away the magical moment here, but Carver does it with skillful handling so that it is a moment as natural as any other, and his handling of characters is as thorough and as kind as ever.
The five essays included here are also quite wonderful. "On Writing" and his essay on John Gardner are excellent treatises on the art of writing, done of course in a rather unobtrusive style that focuses on what Carver himself did rather than demand certain efforts from others. My wife was also quite taken with "Fires," and how Carver talks about writing (or not writing) while having children. The early stories, which are next included, are interesting but not thoroughly engaging (though, in "The Hair," it is quite funny to see Carver parodying Hemingway), but as I got through these, and of course into Carver's book reviews and commentaries, I started to get a sense of a stilted man, who had decided, through circumstance or philosophy, that writing worked best under certain circumstances. This became quite clear in his comments on Donald Barthelme and his introduction to American Short Story Masterpieces.
Perhaps Carver was still reeling at the time of these with his split from Gordon Lish, for Carver seems to insist in these works on a style of writing that is very much different from the school of writing that was (and probably is) promoted heavily by Gordon Lish, something that Carver was directed towards (willingly or unwillingly) by Lish when it came to putting together his early collections. In his review of Barthelme's Great Days, he talks about his admiration of the Donald's work, which is good to see, but he also goes on a tirade against those who imitate Barthelme's work in writing programs (a criticism that, ironically, could now be applied to many students in college writing programs who now flatly imitate Carver). In the introduction to American Short Story Masterpieces, Carver insists even more directly on fiction that exhibits the lives of "grown-up men and women engaged in the ordinary but sometimes remarkable business of living and, like ourselves, in full awareness of their mortality."
This, of course, is a good summary of Carver's aesthetic, but he seems to insist in this introduction that it is the best kind of writing, and this seems to undermine the compassionate Carver, one who might accept differences in others, for these differences seem to be okay only if they apply exclusively to this aesthetic.
Carver's shortcomings become best known through his introduction to Best American Short Stories, 1986, something I had read long ago soon after the volume had come out but hadn't revisited until reading this collection. Carver clearly made some good choices (Charles Baxter, Amy Hempel), but there is a certain amount of nepotism among his choices--Richard Ford, Tobias Wolff, and Tess Gallagher. That the first two were close friends, the last a significant other, tainted those choices for me (also the included fact that some of the selections were hand-picked by Carver and not provided by series editor Shannon Ravenel) now that I knew more about Raymond Carver the man than I did in the late 80's when I first picked up that book.
But these kinds of revelations are bound to happen and, let's face it, necessary. But was this the point of this collection? From Tess Gallagher's introduction, I think not. I am no longer in awe of Carver, and haven't been for a long time, and I still respect his work quite highly, and frankly it is good to see some chinks in the armor and evidence of his own weaknesses, but I kind of doubt that the collection was meant to leave me feeling this way.
Over time, of course, I found the less lustrous moments of Carver's work and found myself more in respect than awe. In rereading his stories, I found the gears behind the magic, saw his process of moving narrative and even allowed myself to note what stories of his I didn't like. I consider this a closer affection for Carver's work than when I was in awe of it, for it allowed me to touch the humanity of Carver's art, which I find a more solid basis for connection than reverence and idolatry. Note that I have made no mention of Carver's poetry--this is because I simply could never find myself appreciating much of it, and this is another aspect of my respect for Carver. In order to truly embrace something and hold it dear, we also need to know what's wrong with it.
So I was of course intrigued to read Carver stories that had never come to light before, and of late I have been finding myself more and more interested in the thinking processes of artists, so I wanted to read the nonfiction too, not only for insight on his own writing but in the writing of others.
The five uncollected stories here are all quite wonderful and confirm the direction of Carver's work--the compassionate insight into characters struggling to make themselves better, though that improvement is not always in the direction they initially foresee. We of course see a lot of couples in flux, even on the verge of breaking up as their best option. Among these, I think the strongest of them is the title story, for it combines the essence of what has always Carver's work so powerful--a touch of magic rooted squarely in the mundane. I would rather not give away the magical moment here, but Carver does it with skillful handling so that it is a moment as natural as any other, and his handling of characters is as thorough and as kind as ever.
The five essays included here are also quite wonderful. "On Writing" and his essay on John Gardner are excellent treatises on the art of writing, done of course in a rather unobtrusive style that focuses on what Carver himself did rather than demand certain efforts from others. My wife was also quite taken with "Fires," and how Carver talks about writing (or not writing) while having children. The early stories, which are next included, are interesting but not thoroughly engaging (though, in "The Hair," it is quite funny to see Carver parodying Hemingway), but as I got through these, and of course into Carver's book reviews and commentaries, I started to get a sense of a stilted man, who had decided, through circumstance or philosophy, that writing worked best under certain circumstances. This became quite clear in his comments on Donald Barthelme and his introduction to American Short Story Masterpieces.
Perhaps Carver was still reeling at the time of these with his split from Gordon Lish, for Carver seems to insist in these works on a style of writing that is very much different from the school of writing that was (and probably is) promoted heavily by Gordon Lish, something that Carver was directed towards (willingly or unwillingly) by Lish when it came to putting together his early collections. In his review of Barthelme's Great Days, he talks about his admiration of the Donald's work, which is good to see, but he also goes on a tirade against those who imitate Barthelme's work in writing programs (a criticism that, ironically, could now be applied to many students in college writing programs who now flatly imitate Carver). In the introduction to American Short Story Masterpieces, Carver insists even more directly on fiction that exhibits the lives of "grown-up men and women engaged in the ordinary but sometimes remarkable business of living and, like ourselves, in full awareness of their mortality."
This, of course, is a good summary of Carver's aesthetic, but he seems to insist in this introduction that it is the best kind of writing, and this seems to undermine the compassionate Carver, one who might accept differences in others, for these differences seem to be okay only if they apply exclusively to this aesthetic.
Carver's shortcomings become best known through his introduction to Best American Short Stories, 1986, something I had read long ago soon after the volume had come out but hadn't revisited until reading this collection. Carver clearly made some good choices (Charles Baxter, Amy Hempel), but there is a certain amount of nepotism among his choices--Richard Ford, Tobias Wolff, and Tess Gallagher. That the first two were close friends, the last a significant other, tainted those choices for me (also the included fact that some of the selections were hand-picked by Carver and not provided by series editor Shannon Ravenel) now that I knew more about Raymond Carver the man than I did in the late 80's when I first picked up that book.
But these kinds of revelations are bound to happen and, let's face it, necessary. But was this the point of this collection? From Tess Gallagher's introduction, I think not. I am no longer in awe of Carver, and haven't been for a long time, and I still respect his work quite highly, and frankly it is good to see some chinks in the armor and evidence of his own weaknesses, but I kind of doubt that the collection was meant to leave me feeling this way.
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