tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15916138.post1872707983088969419..comments2023-09-25T05:45:41.437-07:00Comments on The Art of Fiction: Carving up CarverUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15916138.post-51836629999320012892007-10-21T05:14:00.000-07:002007-10-21T05:14:00.000-07:00Thanks for the more authoritative view. I'd not he...Thanks for the more authoritative view. I'd not heard that "hourglass" analogy - but I like it. Literary careers are too often reduced to their commercial highs or a single book - whereas, like a musician or an artist, its sometimes as interesting how they got there, and where they were going.Adrian Slatcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13946068316432524571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15916138.post-4832068872834201322007-10-21T04:27:00.000-07:002007-10-21T04:27:00.000-07:00In terms of style, Carver's career has been descri...In terms of style, Carver's career has been described as being like an hourglass, with 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love' the narrow bit in the middle. There are a number of quite lengthy stories in the first two collections, 'Furious Seasons' and, 'Will You Please Be Quiet Please', as well as in the books that came after 'What We Talk about...', 'Cathedral' and 'Elephant'. So 'What We talk About...' has always been the exception really, leading to the misconception in some minds that Carver was a minimalist. Yet it was the collection that made his name, so we should thank Lish for that. Tess Gallagher was a great help and inspiration to Carver, particularly in the development of his poetry, and I'd trust her in this. 'What We Talk About' was edited in such a way as to enable Carver to afford to buy and then have his cake, perhaps his widow is now enabling him to eat the last of it. I'm sure the man himself would simply refer to it as 'Gravy'.Charles Carverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02721617500321441580noreply@blogger.com