About
Raymond Carver is a major figure in the American short story renaissance of the 1980s, often called 'America's Chekhov'. Born in Oregon, he worked various jobs before dedicating himself to writing. His minimalist style, marked by spare prose, depicts the lives of the working class, marital discord, alcoholism, and economic hardship. His major collections include 'Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?', 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love', and 'Cathedral'. After years of alcoholism, he became sober in 1977. He married poet Tess Gallagher in 1988, shortly before his death.
* 1938-05-25 — † 1988-08-02
Major works
- Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (1976)short story collection
- What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981)short story collection
- Cathedral (1983)short story collection
- Where Water Comes Together with Other Water (1985)poetry collection
- Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories (1988)short story collection
Key milestones
- 1977Becomes sober after years of acute alcoholism.
- 1983Receives the Mildred and Harold Strauss Living Award.
- 1988Elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and marries Tess Gallagher.
Themes
Working-class lifeMarital discordAlcoholismEconomic hardshipLiterary minimalism
Sources: poetryfoundation.org · catdir.loc.gov