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May 21, 2013, 12:25pm

Any Port in a Storm :: On the Plaza :: The Library :: Post Message

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Posted by gyro on Mar 3, 2009, 7:15pm

is, to me, one of the best short story writers of the last century.

Do you like him, do you not like him ?

Let's talk about Ray.

Posted by casimira on Mar 3, 2009, 11:04pm

I first read him in the New Yorker magazine and then read some more of his stuff. After "Where I'm Calling From" which hit me on a very personal level,I became curious about Ray Carver ,the man . I must say people either love him or totally dismiss him. I was dismayed when that piece came out 2 years or so ago about his editor and they printed the 2 vastly different drafts of one of his stories. I was very angered by that and spoke with several friends about the butchering of his work in my opinion. Whereas I found his work edgy,if that's the right word,the unedited work was downright RAW and honest in a very beautiful kind of way. I felt I and his fans had been cheated. I imagine this happensall the time but this was unpardonable to me. His angst and soul was toyed with.
To be continued.

Posted by gyro on Mar 4, 2009, 5:29am

Which two versions of his story was that ?

My favourite one is A Small Good Thing. It is by far one of his longest, and is his rewrite of The Bath, which was so deliberatley oblique and vague it was really annoying. I really hope you're not talking about that .....

You know that, in the beginning, he only ever really used to write on a Sunday as that was the only time between two jobs he had ? That was one of the main reasons he chose the short story format, alledgedly.

I first came across him when I went back to college in the early 90's. Reading his stuff helped me to get over the writing 'block' I'd had in resolving short stories. I sat down one day and decided I was just going to write something in his style. I did, and finished it within a day or so. It wasn't terrifically good, but it helped me realise that the format doesn't HAVE to have a specific ending, (ie. a twist, etc. etc.) and freed me up in writing stuff for the future.

Posted by bazfaz on Mar 4, 2009, 8:44am

Casimira, editors are like that. They need to show that deep down they are superior to the author. American editors are the worst. I won't bore you with examples.

Posted by casimira on Mar 4, 2009, 11:28am

I believe it was "What Talk About When We Talk About Love",another favorite of mine which made it that much more painful.

Posted by gyro on Mar 4, 2009, 11:42am

Ah. Yes, that's a good one. Do you ahve a link to the article, or what happened ?

Posted by casimira on Mar 4, 2009, 12:30pm

I am still learning how to do the copy and paste thing,and I'm not quite there yet. I know it was about 2 years ago. I will find it for you I promise. It is a must read.
Do you like his poetry?

Posted by gyro on Mar 4, 2009, 12:41pm

Never really read a lot of his poetry, to be honest.

Posted by casimira on Mar 4, 2009, 12:46pm

It's good but I prefer his stories.
I ggogled Raymond Carver New Yorker article and came up with a reference to it called Beginner's which is what the original story was called. I'm gonna find the whole article and get it to you,give me a little time.

Posted by gyro on Mar 4, 2009, 8:01pm

Cheers. Have you seen the Robert Altman movie Shortcuts ? Did you like it ?

Posted by casimira on Mar 5, 2009, 4:01am

No, I haven't, I love Altman though. Is it good?

Posted by gyro on Mar 5, 2009, 5:57am

Yes, you should see it. They use quite a number of his stories, all woven together into the film. Also, I haven't seen Jindabyne (sp?) yet, but that's based on one of his, So Much Water So Close To Home, which also features in part in Shortcuts.

Posted by casimira on Mar 5, 2009, 12:05pm

Thanks,I will check it out.

Posted by gyro on Mar 5, 2009, 12:35pm

And, just as an extra, in Shortcuts, you also get to see Julianne Moore's minge ...

Posted by casimira on Mar 7, 2009, 9:23pm

have it on order thru Netflix,may arrive today.

Posted by gyro on Mar 7, 2009, 10:31pm

You'll enjoy it; it's a good film. The only time I've appreciated Julia Roberts in a role, so it must be pretty special !

ps. good minge.

Posted by casimira on Mar 12, 2009, 11:16am

SHORT CUTS arrived last p.m.,will probably watch this afternoon. Will keep you posted Mr. G.

Posted by gyro on Mar 12, 2009, 12:04pm

Please do. I think you'll enjoy it. Been a while since I last saw it; might look it up again myself. And will soon give Jindabyne a try too, I reckon.

Posted by casimira on Apr 10, 2012, 10:08am

Recently,I checked out of the library a collection of Raymond Carver short stories and was reminded,instantly, upon reading them what the OP suggests,that this man is one of the greatest short story writers ever.
He is able to nail all the emotion,simply and beautifully, in just a few pages.
Phew!


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