Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life Paperback - 2010
by Carol Sklenicka
Raymond Carver was the most beloved American short-story writer of the late 20th century. Two decades after his death, this comprehensive biography tells the story of Carver's uncanny ambition, legendary life, and enduring work.
Summary
When Raymond Carver died at age fifty, readers lost a distinctive voice in its prime. Carver was, the Times of London said, "the Chekhov of middle America." His influence on a generation of writers and on the short story itself has been widely noted. Not so generally known are how Carver became a writer, how he suffered to achieve his art, and how his troubled and remarkable personality affected those around him.
Carol SklenickaâÈçs meticulous and absorbing biography re-creates CarverâÈçs early years in Yakima, Washington, where he was the nervous, overweight son of a kindly, alcohol-dependent lumbermill worker. By the time he was nineteen, Ray had married his high school sweetheart, Maryann Burk. From a basement apartment where they were raising their first child and expecting their second, they determined that Ray would become a writer. Despite the handicaps of an erratic education and utter lack of financial resources, he succeeded. Sklenicka describes CarverâÈçs entry into the literary world via "little magazines" and the Iowa WritersâÈç Workshop; his publication by Esquire editor Gordon Lish and their ensuing relationship; his near-fatal alcoholism, which worsened even as he produced many of the unforgettable stories collected in Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. She examines the dissolution of his first marriage and his partnership with poet Tess Gallagher, who helped him enjoy the full measure of his success.
Carol Sklenicka draws on hundreds of interviews with people who knew Carver, prodigious research in libraries and private collections, and all of CarverâÈçs poems and stories for Raymond Carver. Her portrait is generous and wise without swerving from discordant issues in CarverâÈçs private affairs. Above all Sklenicka shows how CarverâÈçs quintessentially American life fostered the stories that knowing readers have cherished from their first publication until the present day.
Carol SklenickaâÈçs meticulous and absorbing biography re-creates CarverâÈçs early years in Yakima, Washington, where he was the nervous, overweight son of a kindly, alcohol-dependent lumbermill worker. By the time he was nineteen, Ray had married his high school sweetheart, Maryann Burk. From a basement apartment where they were raising their first child and expecting their second, they determined that Ray would become a writer. Despite the handicaps of an erratic education and utter lack of financial resources, he succeeded. Sklenicka describes CarverâÈçs entry into the literary world via "little magazines" and the Iowa WritersâÈç Workshop; his publication by Esquire editor Gordon Lish and their ensuing relationship; his near-fatal alcoholism, which worsened even as he produced many of the unforgettable stories collected in Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. She examines the dissolution of his first marriage and his partnership with poet Tess Gallagher, who helped him enjoy the full measure of his success.
Carol Sklenicka draws on hundreds of interviews with people who knew Carver, prodigious research in libraries and private collections, and all of CarverâÈçs poems and stories for Raymond Carver. Her portrait is generous and wise without swerving from discordant issues in CarverâÈçs private affairs. Above all Sklenicka shows how CarverâÈçs quintessentially American life fostered the stories that knowing readers have cherished from their first publication until the present day.
Details
- Title Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
- Author Carol Sklenicka
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reprint
- Pages 592
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Scribner Book Company, New York
- Date 2010-11-09
- ISBN 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Weight 1.14 lbs (0.52 kg)
- Dimensions 8.42 x 5.54 x 1.44 in (21.39 x 14.07 x 3.66 cm)
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 20th Century
- Library of Congress subjects Authors, American - 20th century, Carver, Raymond
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2009027291
- Dewey Decimal Code B
Media reviews
Citations
- New York Times Book Review, 12/05/2010, Page 62
More Copies for Sale
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver : A Writer's Life
by Carol Sklenicka
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
£5.28FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner, 2010. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.28
FREE shipping to USA
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Sklenicka, Carol
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
£5.28FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner Book Company, 2010. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
£5.28
FREE shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver A Writer's Life
by Sklenicka, Carol
- Used
- very good
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Grandview Heights, Ohio, United States
- Item Price
-
£10.86£2.82 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Very Good. All orders ship SAME or NEXT business day. Expedited shipments will be received in 1-5 business days within the United States. We proudly ship to APO/FPO addresses. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Item Price
£10.86
£2.82
shipping to USA
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Carol Sklenicka
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 10
- Seller
-
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
£31.64£9.95 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Paperback / softback. New.
Item Price
£31.64
£9.95
shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Sklenicka, Carol
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 5
- Seller
-
campbelltown, Florida, United States
- Item Price
-
£25.83£12.11 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner, 2010-11-08. paperback. New. 5x1x8.
Item Price
£25.83
£12.11
shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Sklenicka, Carol
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
£32.74£10.00 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner, 2010. Paperback. New. reprint edition. 578 pages. 8.75x5.75x1.50 inches.
Item Price
£32.74
£10.00
shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Sklenicka, Carol
- New
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Item Price
-
£27.43£12.10 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner. New. Special order direct from the distributor
Item Price
£27.43
£12.10
shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Carol Sklenicka
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used:Good
- Edition
- Reprint
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
£27.76FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner, 2010-11-09. Reprint. Paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
£27.76
FREE shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Sklenicka, Carol
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780743262460 / 0743262468
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, United States
- Item Price
-
£49.69£4.40 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Scribner, 2010-11-01. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
Item Price
£49.69
£4.40
shipping to USA