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A movie tie-in edition to the brilliant new film by Robert Altman, based on these nine stories by Carver, "one of the great short story writers of our time--of any time" (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Paperback
First published September 14, 1993
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About the author
Raymond Carver
362 books5,130 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 518 reviews
October 21, 2019
Well, here it is. . . time to write my 600th review for Goodreads, and I realized yesterday as I boarded an airplane bound for home that I had 2 special books in my carry-on: Yehuda Amichai's Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm with Fingers and a collection of selected stories by Raymond Carver, Short Cuts.
I knew that, in the 4 hours I was on the plane, I would finish both books and then wonder who'd have the more significant review, but I didn't realize, at the time, that I'd be able to pull both of my two new favorite writers into the same review.
But, would you believe it. . . when I got to page 91 and found Mr. Amichai's poem "We Have Done Our Duty" I realized he had practically written my review of Ray Carver's 9 short stories for me:
We did our duty,
we arranged our lives in flowerbeds and shadows
and straight paths, pleasant for walking,
like the garden of a mental hospital.
Our despair is domesticated and gives us peace,
only the hopes have remained,
wild hopes, their screams
shatter the night and rip up the day.
Two independent works, twenty years apart in their inception. . . communicating the same thing. That our mundane lives, our striving for peace, our desire to do good deeds and be happy is often peppered in the background with our violence and our screams.
Robert Altman, the distinguished director who turned some of Carver's work into his famous film of the same name, Short Cuts, echoes this sentiment in his Introduction of this collection:
I read all of Ray's writings, filtering him through my own process. The film is made of little pieces of his work that form sections of scenes and characters out of the most basic elements of Ray's creations—new but not new.
No. . . living, loving, suffering, fucking, killing, being killed, dying. . . none of it's new.
But Ray Carver's take on it, in his sparse, taut, edgy prose is ALWAYS new, no matter when you discover it for the first time.
And I was discovering 80% of this particular compilation (a tie-in promotion with the movie by Altman), for the first time, on an airplane, and let me tell you. . . if you've never read “A Small, Good Thing” before, may I recommend it? It is one of the most harrowing short stories I've ever read in my life, and I was literally sobbing uncontrollably into the window on the airplane, mortified that I had read such a thing in public.
The young woman next to me (who was practically seated on my lap), looked up at me, suspiciously, from the game on her phone, wondering why a collection of papers, glued together, would make a person cry.
After I gained control of my embarrassing hiccups and sobs, I wondered to myself: who goes on an airplane, intentionally, without a book?
Then I laughed at my own discovery: Ray Carver's characters. That's who.
Five stars, baby. You're the master, Ray.
I knew that, in the 4 hours I was on the plane, I would finish both books and then wonder who'd have the more significant review, but I didn't realize, at the time, that I'd be able to pull both of my two new favorite writers into the same review.
But, would you believe it. . . when I got to page 91 and found Mr. Amichai's poem "We Have Done Our Duty" I realized he had practically written my review of Ray Carver's 9 short stories for me:
We did our duty,
we arranged our lives in flowerbeds and shadows
and straight paths, pleasant for walking,
like the garden of a mental hospital.
Our despair is domesticated and gives us peace,
only the hopes have remained,
wild hopes, their screams
shatter the night and rip up the day.
Two independent works, twenty years apart in their inception. . . communicating the same thing. That our mundane lives, our striving for peace, our desire to do good deeds and be happy is often peppered in the background with our violence and our screams.
Robert Altman, the distinguished director who turned some of Carver's work into his famous film of the same name, Short Cuts, echoes this sentiment in his Introduction of this collection:
I read all of Ray's writings, filtering him through my own process. The film is made of little pieces of his work that form sections of scenes and characters out of the most basic elements of Ray's creations—new but not new.
No. . . living, loving, suffering, fucking, killing, being killed, dying. . . none of it's new.
But Ray Carver's take on it, in his sparse, taut, edgy prose is ALWAYS new, no matter when you discover it for the first time.
And I was discovering 80% of this particular compilation (a tie-in promotion with the movie by Altman), for the first time, on an airplane, and let me tell you. . . if you've never read “A Small, Good Thing” before, may I recommend it? It is one of the most harrowing short stories I've ever read in my life, and I was literally sobbing uncontrollably into the window on the airplane, mortified that I had read such a thing in public.
The young woman next to me (who was practically seated on my lap), looked up at me, suspiciously, from the game on her phone, wondering why a collection of papers, glued together, would make a person cry.
After I gained control of my embarrassing hiccups and sobs, I wondered to myself: who goes on an airplane, intentionally, without a book?
Then I laughed at my own discovery: Ray Carver's characters. That's who.
Five stars, baby. You're the master, Ray.
October 18, 2020
Carver continues to blow me away.
Short story heaven - again.
July 8, 2020
He read a Raymond Carver collection again. He hadn't read one in years. Never mind years. Decades. Only this wasn't Carver's doing, this collection. It was the work of director Robert Altman and Carver's widow, Tess Gallagher, a poet. Apparently a movie called Short Cuts was made of this particular mish-mash of stories. He'd like to see it, all right, how Altman made it all work. But it came out in 1993 apparently and he'd never heard of it, never mind seen it. Christ. Was that 27 years already? Down the tubes, like everything else.
Anyway, the stories. It all came back quickly, reading them. The down and outers who look like you and me. Husbands and wives, mostly, having job trouble and liquor trouble and mostly lust trouble. All that lives-of-quiet-desperation stuff Thoreau warned about. The men were especially pitiful. With the damn kids fighting upstairs. With the damn dog pissing on the new living room rug.
Some of these men never grew up. Peter Pan, hell. Sherwood Anderson would call them "grotesques" because, well, their days went from cigarette to cigarette and from beer to beer and no one but no one had enough money and when opportunity called a skirt knocked, they couldn't help but open the damn door and let the damn horse out. You know, as if consequence didn't live here anymore.
The thing about it was how easy it all was. Not only cheating on your wife, but writing these stories. You could be a reader reading this and say to yourself, "Shit. I could write a story like that. Maybe sell it to The New Yorker or something. Big payday. Big deal. Big man on campus. Only after this drink, maybe. I gotta be in the mood for writing, you know? But I have an idea or two, anyway. Just looking in the mirror gives me ideas. Or thinking too much. Or drinking vodka tonics and turning the lights off and listening to jazz in the living room. Me and that orange tip of the cigarette pulsing bright and dull. Me and that up-in-smoke life. It's got to lead somewhere, right? I didn't start with all these great hopes for nothing. Right?"
Anyway, the stories. It all came back quickly, reading them. The down and outers who look like you and me. Husbands and wives, mostly, having job trouble and liquor trouble and mostly lust trouble. All that lives-of-quiet-desperation stuff Thoreau warned about. The men were especially pitiful. With the damn kids fighting upstairs. With the damn dog pissing on the new living room rug.
Some of these men never grew up. Peter Pan, hell. Sherwood Anderson would call them "grotesques" because, well, their days went from cigarette to cigarette and from beer to beer and no one but no one had enough money and when opportunity called a skirt knocked, they couldn't help but open the damn door and let the damn horse out. You know, as if consequence didn't live here anymore.
The thing about it was how easy it all was. Not only cheating on your wife, but writing these stories. You could be a reader reading this and say to yourself, "Shit. I could write a story like that. Maybe sell it to The New Yorker or something. Big payday. Big deal. Big man on campus. Only after this drink, maybe. I gotta be in the mood for writing, you know? But I have an idea or two, anyway. Just looking in the mirror gives me ideas. Or thinking too much. Or drinking vodka tonics and turning the lights off and listening to jazz in the living room. Me and that orange tip of the cigarette pulsing bright and dull. Me and that up-in-smoke life. It's got to lead somewhere, right? I didn't start with all these great hopes for nothing. Right?"
May 22, 2025
I had never read a Raymond Carver (1938-1988) before, so I don't know if these short stories are a representative choice. What struck me most was the very slow rhythm, very un-American, I think. And then the sadness that hangs over all these stories. Carver really puts the emptiness of existence and the inability of people to deal with it in the spotlight. I suspect that I am not at all original, but you might call him the Edward Hopper of literature. Of course, Carver adds his own touch to that: his characters are not static, they go through a crisis, and derail, very briefly, and then the screen goes dark. "Yes, there was a great evil pushing at the world, he thought, and it only needed a little slipway, a little opening", it is a short quote, somewhere in the middle of this book, but it says a lot. I don't know if I'll ever try another Carver, because his approach is a bit too nihilistic for me, but it's clear that he was a remarkable writer.
March 31, 2019
“The past is unclear. It's as if there is a film over those early years. I can't even be sure that the things I remember happening really happened to me.”
― Raymond Carver, "So Much Water So Close to Home" in Short Cuts
Four stars mainly because there isn't much new here. Great here? Absolutely. Most of it is fantastic. Altman loved Carver and you can tell in the movie and his selections of stories. My first introduction to Carver was watching Altman's Short Cuts while still in high school. I liked the film, felt something brutal, raw and strong in the film, but really wasn't old enough to appreciate the source (or Altman's take on it). I probably also didn't have enough lemons in my life to appreciate stories like "A Small, Good Thing" or a poem like "Lemonade". This is as good a place as any to jump into Carver, but I'd seriously recommend any of his collections. He is a master of minimalism, emotion, and humanity.
1. "Neighbors"+* - ★★★★★
2. "They're Not Your Husband"+* - ★★★★
3. "Vitamins"+ - ★★★★
4. "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?"* - ★★★★★
5. "So Much Water So Close to Home"+ - ★★★★★
6. "A Small, Good Thing"+ - ★★★★★
7. "Jerry and Molly and Sam"* - ★★★★★
8. "Collectors"+*- ★★★★★
9. "Tell the Women We're Going"# - ★★★★★
10 "Lemonade" (poem) - ★★★★
* from Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
+ from Where I'm Calling From
# from What We Talk About, When We Talk Abotu Love
― Raymond Carver, "So Much Water So Close to Home" in Short Cuts
Four stars mainly because there isn't much new here. Great here? Absolutely. Most of it is fantastic. Altman loved Carver and you can tell in the movie and his selections of stories. My first introduction to Carver was watching Altman's Short Cuts while still in high school. I liked the film, felt something brutal, raw and strong in the film, but really wasn't old enough to appreciate the source (or Altman's take on it). I probably also didn't have enough lemons in my life to appreciate stories like "A Small, Good Thing" or a poem like "Lemonade". This is as good a place as any to jump into Carver, but I'd seriously recommend any of his collections. He is a master of minimalism, emotion, and humanity.
1. "Neighbors"+* - ★★★★★
2. "They're Not Your Husband"+* - ★★★★
3. "Vitamins"+ - ★★★★
4. "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?"* - ★★★★★
5. "So Much Water So Close to Home"+ - ★★★★★
6. "A Small, Good Thing"+ - ★★★★★
7. "Jerry and Molly and Sam"* - ★★★★★
8. "Collectors"+*- ★★★★★
9. "Tell the Women We're Going"# - ★★★★★
10 "Lemonade" (poem) - ★★★★
* from Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
+ from Where I'm Calling From
# from What We Talk About, When We Talk Abotu Love
July 8, 2022
El presente volumen de cuentos de Carver es una selección que hizo el cineasta Robert Altman de la obra de este excelente autor.
Me di cuenta tarde que eran relatos que ya había leído, en algunos casos hace una década. Igual, notaba que eran algo distintos a como yo los recordaba. La solución es simple. Hay cuentos que leí en “Principiantes” que contiene las versiones originales de “De qué hablamos cuando hablamos de amor”, las cuales pasaron por la tijera que aplicó el editor Gordon Lish.
Volví a releer las dos versiones de un cuento "Tell the Women We're Going" el cual me hizo ruido y descubrí que la recortada tiene un impacto que el original no posee. Hay una fuerza enorme en ese final abrupto y abierto.
Carver es uno de los grandes cuentistas norteamericanos. Vale la pena leerlo ya sea en versiones completas, recortadas, en antologías, lo que sea. Desnuda el alma del ser humano.
Me di cuenta tarde que eran relatos que ya había leído, en algunos casos hace una década. Igual, notaba que eran algo distintos a como yo los recordaba. La solución es simple. Hay cuentos que leí en “Principiantes” que contiene las versiones originales de “De qué hablamos cuando hablamos de amor”, las cuales pasaron por la tijera que aplicó el editor Gordon Lish.
Volví a releer las dos versiones de un cuento "Tell the Women We're Going" el cual me hizo ruido y descubrí que la recortada tiene un impacto que el original no posee. Hay una fuerza enorme en ese final abrupto y abierto.
Carver es uno de los grandes cuentistas norteamericanos. Vale la pena leerlo ya sea en versiones completas, recortadas, en antologías, lo que sea. Desnuda el alma del ser humano.
December 4, 2025
El lunes conducía por Madrid, intentando hacer recados. Fracasé en dos de los tres recados que tenía que hacer y sumé uno que no me apetecía. Otro ni lo intenté. Era una tarde de diciembre gris, fría, oscura, como a mí me gusta. Me iba fijando en los peatones, los conductores, los dependientes de las tiendas y en las ventanas de las casas que se iban iluminando. Hace años me fijaba en esos interiores para atisbar vidas, ahora los miro intentando saber si ahí, en ese edificio, todavía vive alguien o ya son todo oficinas o pisos turísticos.
Iba escuchando de fondo un podcast nuevo de Maxi Guerra (ya sé que esto son «lecturas encadenadas», pero todo tiene que ver) que se titula Seis charlas que nadie me pidió. Iba perdida en mis pensamientos cuando Maxi, hablando de Carver, dijo:
«Un adolescente de quince años que lee a Carver encuentra una ventana sobre la vida e intuye muchas cosas. Alguien de 39 años que lee a Carver ya vive en un cuento de Carver. Hacerse grande es hacerse un personaje de Carver».
Y me ví ahí, metida en mi coche, con ropa mal elegida, el abrigo negro de pelos blancos, la cabeza perdida en mil gestiones y problemas y pensando: «¿Era esto?» Y me sentí eso, un personaje de Carver, porque además fue justo el autor con el que empecé las lecturas encadenadas de noviembre.
Vidas cruzadas recoge una serie de relatos de Raymond Carver que Robert Altman, el director de cine, eligió para llevar a la gran pantalla en versión libre. Este ejemplar lo compré en el mercadillo de antigüedades /trastos de Navacerrada. Ya había leído otros relatos de Carver y es posible que hasta alguno de estos ya hubiera pasado por mis manos, pero no importa. Volví a mis notas anteriores y me reafirmé en la sensación de que sus historias son como si tuvieras la posibilidad de mirar desde una ventana la vida de otros o pudieras contemplarlas a vista de pájaro. No tienes contexto, no sabes qué pasó antes ni qué ocurrirá cuando dejes de leerlo. Me gustó muchísimo y me inspiró para ese texto de hace unas semanas que creo que captura bien la idea de Carver.
Leer Vidas cruzadas me recordó al capítulo que Richard Ford dedica a su amistad con él en Flores en las grietas. Autobiografía y literatura. Volví a mis notas y allí tenía esta descripción de su amigo:
“Pero en 1977 era alto, flaco, huesudo, vacilante y hablaba poco y en un susurro entrecortado. Parecía simpático, aunque un poco asustadizo, pero no de una manera que asustaba a su vez al interlocutor, sino más bien como sugiriendo que acababa de estar contra las cuerdas y que por nada del mundo quería volver a encontrarse en esa situación. Sus dientes necesitaban la atención del dentista. El pelo era tupido y enmarañado. Tenía manos rudas, patillas largas y espesas, llevaba gafas con montura de concha negra, pantalones de color mostaza, una fea camisa de rayas marrón y morado de la planta de oportunidad de Penneys y zapatos de un gusto afín a los de la marca Hush Puppies. Era como si hubiera bajado de un autobús de la Greyhound de 1964 y viniera de algún sitio en donde hubiese estado realizando sobre todo labores de conserjería. Y era absolutamente irresistible”.
Quiero ver la película. Son tres horas, así que lo intentaré en vacaciones. Y voy a releer a Ford.
Iba escuchando de fondo un podcast nuevo de Maxi Guerra (ya sé que esto son «lecturas encadenadas», pero todo tiene que ver) que se titula Seis charlas que nadie me pidió. Iba perdida en mis pensamientos cuando Maxi, hablando de Carver, dijo:
«Un adolescente de quince años que lee a Carver encuentra una ventana sobre la vida e intuye muchas cosas. Alguien de 39 años que lee a Carver ya vive en un cuento de Carver. Hacerse grande es hacerse un personaje de Carver».
Y me ví ahí, metida en mi coche, con ropa mal elegida, el abrigo negro de pelos blancos, la cabeza perdida en mil gestiones y problemas y pensando: «¿Era esto?» Y me sentí eso, un personaje de Carver, porque además fue justo el autor con el que empecé las lecturas encadenadas de noviembre.
Vidas cruzadas recoge una serie de relatos de Raymond Carver que Robert Altman, el director de cine, eligió para llevar a la gran pantalla en versión libre. Este ejemplar lo compré en el mercadillo de antigüedades /trastos de Navacerrada. Ya había leído otros relatos de Carver y es posible que hasta alguno de estos ya hubiera pasado por mis manos, pero no importa. Volví a mis notas anteriores y me reafirmé en la sensación de que sus historias son como si tuvieras la posibilidad de mirar desde una ventana la vida de otros o pudieras contemplarlas a vista de pájaro. No tienes contexto, no sabes qué pasó antes ni qué ocurrirá cuando dejes de leerlo. Me gustó muchísimo y me inspiró para ese texto de hace unas semanas que creo que captura bien la idea de Carver.
Leer Vidas cruzadas me recordó al capítulo que Richard Ford dedica a su amistad con él en Flores en las grietas. Autobiografía y literatura. Volví a mis notas y allí tenía esta descripción de su amigo:
“Pero en 1977 era alto, flaco, huesudo, vacilante y hablaba poco y en un susurro entrecortado. Parecía simpático, aunque un poco asustadizo, pero no de una manera que asustaba a su vez al interlocutor, sino más bien como sugiriendo que acababa de estar contra las cuerdas y que por nada del mundo quería volver a encontrarse en esa situación. Sus dientes necesitaban la atención del dentista. El pelo era tupido y enmarañado. Tenía manos rudas, patillas largas y espesas, llevaba gafas con montura de concha negra, pantalones de color mostaza, una fea camisa de rayas marrón y morado de la planta de oportunidad de Penneys y zapatos de un gusto afín a los de la marca Hush Puppies. Era como si hubiera bajado de un autobús de la Greyhound de 1964 y viniera de algún sitio en donde hubiese estado realizando sobre todo labores de conserjería. Y era absolutamente irresistible”.
Quiero ver la película. Son tres horas, así que lo intentaré en vacaciones. Y voy a releer a Ford.
December 3, 2016
I'd never read Carver before and probably won't read more even though I admired and liked his pithy "just-telling-what-happened" style. Most of these stories are slices of life: drinking men's dark nights of the soul, the unhappy women in their lives (even if the narrator is a woman), male violence, and the ultimate futility of existence. But then there was one story called "A Small Good Thing" about the death of a child, and it knocked the wind out of me. It was dark as well, but a lot more—worth reading the book.
February 27, 2016
If I could give this book ten stars, I would. I LOVE Ray Carver's book(s) so freaking much. I remember reading stories from this collection before I really decided to become an author, and his scope of storytelling made me write in my journal, even as an undergrad: I wish I wrote that sentence. About 100 times! I can't even remember how many times I have read just this one book of his, let alone other Carver books, also.
If you ever think you might not be a writer, or might not want to be in this industry, pick up this book. Read even one of these fantastic stories (the Altman directed 1993 movie was made from this book's combined stories- also worth a view!) Then contemplate... and write!
If you ever think you might not be a writer, or might not want to be in this industry, pick up this book. Read even one of these fantastic stories (the Altman directed 1993 movie was made from this book's combined stories- also worth a view!) Then contemplate... and write!
January 16, 2019
This was my first foray into Raymond Carver's oeuvre. I expected to love this because of what I'd read about his writing and several of my favourite authors citing him as an inspiration. Clean, sleek minimalist short stories that pack a punch sounded just like my kind of thing.
And there were some brilliant stories, most notably "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" (what an amazing title too!), but others I found not really going anywhere. Also, due to the very minimalist style and the briefness, I had trouble to connect to the characters, and in general I love character-driven stories the most.
I'd definitely be interested in reading more Carver but I wasn't as wowed as I'd hoped to be.
And there were some brilliant stories, most notably "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" (what an amazing title too!), but others I found not really going anywhere. Also, due to the very minimalist style and the briefness, I had trouble to connect to the characters, and in general I love character-driven stories the most.
I'd definitely be interested in reading more Carver but I wasn't as wowed as I'd hoped to be.
January 11, 2024
FINALLY - A short story collection, I can recommend. Not one dud here. Some stories will break you a bit but other times you'll laugh and just marvel at how Raymond Carver was able to craft these little perfect nuggets of hope and despair.
September 15, 2025
Loved this a lot and gobbled it up quickly. My friend Zac recommended Carver to me when he happened to crash a night on my couch at the tail end of a last minute weekend in Paris. He downloaded a PDF of one of his stories, Why don’t you dance?, on my laptop. It was very short and I read it while he did the dishes. We were talking about writing, I was saying how I need to learn to sustain an idea longer, write longer stories. Zac showed me Carver as an example of beautiful, effective, brief short story writing. That story and its punctilious style have stayed with me since. I’m sure these stories will too.
I recommend Carver to you! But buy a different collection. This one I read is a film tie-in and all too short.
I recommend Carver to you! But buy a different collection. This one I read is a film tie-in and all too short.
December 16, 2015
-La potencia de lo que se esconde detrás de lo cotidiano.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de diez relatos del autor, más un poema, sobre los que el director de cine Robert Altman (que firma el prólogo) se basó para construir su película del mismo título y que generó la publicación de este libro, que se aproximan a diferentes escenarios de apariencia cotidiana pero que cubren mucho más.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de diez relatos del autor, más un poema, sobre los que el director de cine Robert Altman (que firma el prólogo) se basó para construir su película del mismo título y que generó la publicación de este libro, que se aproximan a diferentes escenarios de apariencia cotidiana pero que cubren mucho más.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....
January 6, 2025
Exemplary, masterful short stories. I'll be looking out for more Carver.
August 19, 2017
هیچ وقت برا ی خودم مشخص نشده که چرا نمی تونم اون همراهی و همذات پنداری ای رو که باید با کارهای امریکایی داشته باشم. اما با این حال برای بار چندم تصمیم گرفتم که یه بار دیگه امتحان کنم و انتخاب این بار من شد مجموعه گزیده داستان های راه های میانبر از ریموند کارور. به دو دلیل: اول به دلیل تمرکز نداشته ای این روزهام که فکر کردم داستان کوتاه گزینه ی بهتری برام هست و دوم به خاطر وسواس عجیب ام توو دنبال کردن کارای یک نویسنده خاص تا جایی که بتونم
... و چه قدر سرد و تنهان کارهای کارور. چه باد موذی ای از درز و دالان هاش می خوره به صورت آدم. چه قدر واقعی اند و چه قدر خونسرد به آدم زخم می زنند. با پایان بندی های درخشان توو کارای کوتاه. واقعا درخشان. این قدر ساده و راحت این پاراگراف های پایانی جا می خورن توو پازل داستان که می مونم من خواننده که چی شد؟ راستی این قدر راحت؟ اون اوج و هیجان کجا رفت؟ چرا قلب هیچ کی ایست نکرد توو تکاپوی این همه جدایی؟ چرا این قدر ساده پیش رفت، " مثل آب خوردن" ؟
موضوع اصلی و حاشیه ای تمام داستان های این مجموعه _ که منتخب یک کارگردان برای فیلم اش بوده _ جدایی و اتمام یه رابطه ی عاشقانه تو بطن روزمرگی ها و پوچی های باز هم هر روزه است. جدایی های ساده، بی داد و فریاد و بدون اکشن های تند و پرخاش. جدایی های ساده ای که توو طول زمان شکل گرفتند. یه پذیرش و غمی هست توو قلب این قهرمان های کوچیک چند صفحه ای. یه انفعال که نه ، یه پذیرش هایی یه دونستن های پیشاپیش همراه با احترام توو همشون هست. تمام شخصیت های ما توو صفحه های آخر تنها می شند یا از قصه ی تنها شدن اشون برامون می گن و این تنهایی و این قصه از پشت برگ های کتاب میاد بیرون و می شینه رو صورت آدم مثل یه تور یا مثل یه مه. نمی شه داستان هاش رو پشت هم ادامه داد چون این پرده های مه رو هم می شینن و ضخیم می شن. شاید بشه تک تک جلوشون رفت: یک تنهایی بزرگ تووی دل یه قهرمان کوچیک برای هر روز.
خوشحالم که داستان " وقتی از عشق حرف می زنیم از چه حرف می زنیم" توو این مجموعه گنجونده شده بود. مدت ها بود که دوست داشتم بخونمش. خیلی به من نزدیک و خیلی برام واقع گرایانه بود.
آوا
مرداد 96
پ.ن: خوندن این ریویو رو هم بهتون پیشنهاد می کنم:
http://www1.jamejamonline.ir/newstext...
... و چه قدر سرد و تنهان کارهای کارور. چه باد موذی ای از درز و دالان هاش می خوره به صورت آدم. چه قدر واقعی اند و چه قدر خونسرد به آدم زخم می زنند. با پایان بندی های درخشان توو کارای کوتاه. واقعا درخشان. این قدر ساده و راحت این پاراگراف های پایانی جا می خورن توو پازل داستان که می مونم من خواننده که چی شد؟ راستی این قدر راحت؟ اون اوج و هیجان کجا رفت؟ چرا قلب هیچ کی ایست نکرد توو تکاپوی این همه جدایی؟ چرا این قدر ساده پیش رفت، " مثل آب خوردن" ؟
موضوع اصلی و حاشیه ای تمام داستان های این مجموعه _ که منتخب یک کارگردان برای فیلم اش بوده _ جدایی و اتمام یه رابطه ی عاشقانه تو بطن روزمرگی ها و پوچی های باز هم هر روزه است. جدایی های ساده، بی داد و فریاد و بدون اکشن های تند و پرخاش. جدایی های ساده ای که توو طول زمان شکل گرفتند. یه پذیرش و غمی هست توو قلب این قهرمان های کوچیک چند صفحه ای. یه انفعال که نه ، یه پذیرش هایی یه دونستن های پیشاپیش همراه با احترام توو همشون هست. تمام شخصیت های ما توو صفحه های آخر تنها می شند یا از قصه ی تنها شدن اشون برامون می گن و این تنهایی و این قصه از پشت برگ های کتاب میاد بیرون و می شینه رو صورت آدم مثل یه تور یا مثل یه مه. نمی شه داستان هاش رو پشت هم ادامه داد چون این پرده های مه رو هم می شینن و ضخیم می شن. شاید بشه تک تک جلوشون رفت: یک تنهایی بزرگ تووی دل یه قهرمان کوچیک برای هر روز.
خوشحالم که داستان " وقتی از عشق حرف می زنیم از چه حرف می زنیم" توو این مجموعه گنجونده شده بود. مدت ها بود که دوست داشتم بخونمش. خیلی به من نزدیک و خیلی برام واقع گرایانه بود.
آوا
مرداد 96
پ.ن: خوندن این ریویو رو هم بهتون پیشنهاد می کنم:
http://www1.jamejamonline.ir/newstext...
August 30, 2016
Stories about ordinary lives and ordinary people, where an extraordinary thing happens, or something not so extraordinary, but it becomes so by the action of the characters. I liked them all, I like Carver's style of writing (reminding me of Richard Yates, John Williams, even Richard Ford a bit) - matter of fact. But what is striking is how these stories end. They all finish at odd, but perfect points, as if the story isn't quite ended, but it is ended enough, as though Carver has allowed the reader space to go and finish the story for ourselves. It's very brave, but it works.
March 1, 2021
Καθημερινές ιστορίες, φουλ ρεαλιστικές, φαίνονται απλές σε θεματολογία αλλά εξερευνούν σε βάθος τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις και την ανθρώπινη φύση γενικότερα. Πρώτος Κάρβερ για μένα, θα προσπαθήσω σίγουρα να διαβάσω όλες τις συλλογές του στο πρωτότυπο.
August 12, 2021
꧁ 3 stars ꧂
not amazing, but not terrible either. it's a collection of stories about middle aged married couples and their marriage problems, so i didn't have high expectations. some stories really felt lackluster and had no real purpose or message, but some others were touching and felt complete. overall, i was just confused most of the time, since carver really doesn't like to spell it out for you. anyways, it's a quick, easy read.
my favorite of the collection was 'a small, good thing', perhaps followed by 'tell the women we're going' (which is so strange that it's interesting). i wish 'so much water so close to home' would just tell us if the husband and his clique of men killed the girl?? but it says nothing and i'm just so confused. my least favorite of the bunch was probably 'jerry and molly and sam' because it was just boring and the title makes no sense (who even is sam??).
anyways... some of the short stories were really good, and some were really boring. thanks ib i guess.
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not amazing, but not terrible either. it's a collection of stories about middle aged married couples and their marriage problems, so i didn't have high expectations. some stories really felt lackluster and had no real purpose or message, but some others were touching and felt complete. overall, i was just confused most of the time, since carver really doesn't like to spell it out for you. anyways, it's a quick, easy read.
my favorite of the collection was 'a small, good thing', perhaps followed by 'tell the women we're going' (which is so strange that it's interesting). i wish 'so much water so close to home' would just tell us if the husband and his clique of men killed the girl?? but it says nothing and i'm just so confused. my least favorite of the bunch was probably 'jerry and molly and sam' because it was just boring and the title makes no sense (who even is sam??).
anyways... some of the short stories were really good, and some were really boring. thanks ib i guess.
꧁ find me at my socials ꧂
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January 12, 2020
This collection was assembled to promote the Robert Altman movie Short Cuts, which adapts all these stories and weaves them into an interlocking broader story where all the characters cross paths through blind chance etc etc., Robert Downey Jr and Julianne Moore and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits are all in it and it rocks.
ANYWAY, there is some overlap with the Carver collection I hold near & dear, Cathedral, and those are without a doubt the best stories here. I think "A Small Good Thing," which is here and in Cathedral, is one of my favorite short stories ever. Some of the stories ("They Aren't Your Husband" comes to mind) are a little more minor and are definitely improved upon in the movie I think, but because it's still Raymond Carver they're all at the very least interesting and offbeat, and at the very best some of the most incredible, perceptive short stories you'll find anywhere. Would definitely recommend Cathedral over this—it's more consistent in quality and writing style—but there's a lot of wonderful stuff in here and I'm excited to rewatch the movie and see them ~on the silver screen~ now that I've read the source material.
ANYWAY, there is some overlap with the Carver collection I hold near & dear, Cathedral, and those are without a doubt the best stories here. I think "A Small Good Thing," which is here and in Cathedral, is one of my favorite short stories ever. Some of the stories ("They Aren't Your Husband" comes to mind) are a little more minor and are definitely improved upon in the movie I think, but because it's still Raymond Carver they're all at the very least interesting and offbeat, and at the very best some of the most incredible, perceptive short stories you'll find anywhere. Would definitely recommend Cathedral over this—it's more consistent in quality and writing style—but there's a lot of wonderful stuff in here and I'm excited to rewatch the movie and see them ~on the silver screen~ now that I've read the source material.
April 2, 2015
This has been sitting on my DVD shelf for a few years now as the Criterion companion to the movie. While I really enjoy the movie, I think I ended up buying it just because there was a book included in the packaging. And thank goodness...Carver might have continued to go undetected by me as--for the most part--all I've ever heard him discussed is a one sentence nod of approval in passing. Not that I could have predicted it, but I'm glad I've waited to read his work because I might not have appreciated it as much had I read it before this particular moment of my life...whatever that is.
So this is a collection of his stories (plus one poem) that Robert Altman used in his film, which added a whole other level to my reading that I enjoyed. I usually like to read the book before I see the movie, but in this case I'm glad it went the other way around. It was fascinating to find what elements Altman used and their point of departure, and really I can't say that I enjoyed one more than the other in its own right. However, Carver's style really shines through...I love the open ends he leaves in his stories. In other authors' writing, this technique often seems to me like a cop out, a lazy solution for a plot they never quite thought out, but with Carver I feel a sense of certainty planted within what might seem ambiguous. Like this is where we close our eyes to go to sleep for the day, and even though the future likely will sling us every which way, at least we know tomorrow will come, even if maybe not for us...that much we may rely on.
I give this four stars because this is Altman's selection of Carver. Now I want to read Carver's selection of Carver, the way he intended. I am enamored. I have been wooed. I am prepared to blissfully writhe in his stories like a pup when he finds that funky patch of grass in the park. Yeah.
So this is a collection of his stories (plus one poem) that Robert Altman used in his film, which added a whole other level to my reading that I enjoyed. I usually like to read the book before I see the movie, but in this case I'm glad it went the other way around. It was fascinating to find what elements Altman used and their point of departure, and really I can't say that I enjoyed one more than the other in its own right. However, Carver's style really shines through...I love the open ends he leaves in his stories. In other authors' writing, this technique often seems to me like a cop out, a lazy solution for a plot they never quite thought out, but with Carver I feel a sense of certainty planted within what might seem ambiguous. Like this is where we close our eyes to go to sleep for the day, and even though the future likely will sling us every which way, at least we know tomorrow will come, even if maybe not for us...that much we may rely on.
I give this four stars because this is Altman's selection of Carver. Now I want to read Carver's selection of Carver, the way he intended. I am enamored. I have been wooed. I am prepared to blissfully writhe in his stories like a pup when he finds that funky patch of grass in the park. Yeah.
December 6, 2007
At my birthday party, I mentioned to someone that I had recently read these stories, and two other people, seperate from each other and from me, started raving about how good Carver is. It's true.
All I want to do after reading this guy's stories is drink and beat my wife. Except beautifully.
Sample quote, from "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?":
"For their honeymoon they drove to Guadalajara, and while they both enjoyed visiting the decayed churches and the poorly lighted museums and the afternoons they spent shopping and exploring in the marketplace, Ralph was secretly appalled by the squalor and open lust he saw and he was anxious to return to the safety of California. But the one vision he would always remember and which disturbed him most of all had nothing to do with Mexico. It was late afternoon, almost evening, and Marian was leaning motionless on her arms over the ironwork balustrade of their rented casita as Ralph came up the dusty road below. Her hair was long and hung down in front over her shoulders, and she was looking away from him, staring at something in the distance. She wore a white blouse with a red scarf at her throat, and he could see her breasts pushing against the white cloth. He had a bottle of dark, unlabeled wine under his arm, and the whole incident put Ralph in mind of something from a film, an intensely dramatic moment into which Marian could be fitted but he could not."
All I want to do after reading this guy's stories is drink and beat my wife. Except beautifully.
Sample quote, from "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?":
"For their honeymoon they drove to Guadalajara, and while they both enjoyed visiting the decayed churches and the poorly lighted museums and the afternoons they spent shopping and exploring in the marketplace, Ralph was secretly appalled by the squalor and open lust he saw and he was anxious to return to the safety of California. But the one vision he would always remember and which disturbed him most of all had nothing to do with Mexico. It was late afternoon, almost evening, and Marian was leaning motionless on her arms over the ironwork balustrade of their rented casita as Ralph came up the dusty road below. Her hair was long and hung down in front over her shoulders, and she was looking away from him, staring at something in the distance. She wore a white blouse with a red scarf at her throat, and he could see her breasts pushing against the white cloth. He had a bottle of dark, unlabeled wine under his arm, and the whole incident put Ralph in mind of something from a film, an intensely dramatic moment into which Marian could be fitted but he could not."
April 16, 2023
A compelling, realist collection of nine short stories and a poem that were selected for the film titled ‘Shortcuts’, directed by Robert Altman, (1993).
Five of the short stories are from the author’s first published collection in 1976, ‘Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? The five stories are ‘Neighbors’, ‘They’re not Your Husband’, ‘Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?’, ‘Jerry, Molly and Sam’, and ‘Collectors’.
Two stories are from ‘What we talk about when we talk about Love’. They are ‘So much water so close to home’, and ‘Tell the women we’re going’.
Two stories, ‘A small good Thing’, and ‘Vitamins’ are from ‘Cathedral’.
The poem is ‘Lemonade’.
Short story writing at its best, highly recommended.
Five of the short stories are from the author’s first published collection in 1976, ‘Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? The five stories are ‘Neighbors’, ‘They’re not Your Husband’, ‘Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?’, ‘Jerry, Molly and Sam’, and ‘Collectors’.
Two stories are from ‘What we talk about when we talk about Love’. They are ‘So much water so close to home’, and ‘Tell the women we’re going’.
Two stories, ‘A small good Thing’, and ‘Vitamins’ are from ‘Cathedral’.
The poem is ‘Lemonade’.
Short story writing at its best, highly recommended.
May 11, 2011
Non deve sorprenderci il fatto che Raymond Carver non abbia mai scritto romanzi: è troppo felice l’incontro fra la narrazione breve e la miseria di un’umanità semplice, di periferia, quasi sempre derelitta, fotografata nel suo tentativo di restare in piedi nonostante tutto, la cui vita è priva degli avvenimenti straordinari e dei complessi intrecci che meglio si adattano ai grandi romanzi.
Continua a leggere: http://www.temperamente.it/contempora...
Continua a leggere: http://www.temperamente.it/contempora...
October 27, 2015
One horrific character after another. The darkness within these men is written with mind-blowing simplicity. The American Dream gone bad. Love this collection!
February 4, 2016
Me estoy aficionando a este estilo amargo.
April 7, 2019
Este señor sabe desentrañar la vida cotidiana y lo detestable que viene con ella.
August 17, 2022
I found these stories unsettling.
As to prose: Carver takes the whole Hemmingway thing farther than I’ve seen it taken afore. There’s is no ornamentation. There’s not one pretty line. This isn’t a dejection, in fact with what I’ll say later it seems apt. But regardless, beauty is not for here. Beauty in this world would seem out of place, and at worse, chintzy kitsch.
Now I know that the 70’s were a dark time in American history, so the fact that is book came out in 80 or 81, it would seem to fit the proscript. We can all dust off our hands and say, “Good job, Carver.” But still, something remains. It almost seems that the darkness here has less to do with the 70’s than it has to do with the figure of Raymond Carver.
I don’t know shit about Carver besides that he probably liked his booze. But this is one of those “reading into” sitch’s wherein I summon doubts as to how bad the world the was VS. Carver himself that feels like a somewhat disturbed individual. It calls to mind Zola’s definition of a piece of art as a corner of the world distorted by the artist’s temperament. This fits Carver like a pair of assless chaps. That’s the mystery of these sad, dark stories: was the world this bad or was Carver bad with the world?
The writers that followed held Carver as a deity. People like Baxter and Chaon and, well, I’m not going to parade a litany of names. Regardless, they were able to take what worked from the corner of the world without lapsing into the fury and sadness that is thee writer, Raymond Carver.
As to prose: Carver takes the whole Hemmingway thing farther than I’ve seen it taken afore. There’s is no ornamentation. There’s not one pretty line. This isn’t a dejection, in fact with what I’ll say later it seems apt. But regardless, beauty is not for here. Beauty in this world would seem out of place, and at worse, chintzy kitsch.
Now I know that the 70’s were a dark time in American history, so the fact that is book came out in 80 or 81, it would seem to fit the proscript. We can all dust off our hands and say, “Good job, Carver.” But still, something remains. It almost seems that the darkness here has less to do with the 70’s than it has to do with the figure of Raymond Carver.
I don’t know shit about Carver besides that he probably liked his booze. But this is one of those “reading into” sitch’s wherein I summon doubts as to how bad the world the was VS. Carver himself that feels like a somewhat disturbed individual. It calls to mind Zola’s definition of a piece of art as a corner of the world distorted by the artist’s temperament. This fits Carver like a pair of assless chaps. That’s the mystery of these sad, dark stories: was the world this bad or was Carver bad with the world?
The writers that followed held Carver as a deity. People like Baxter and Chaon and, well, I’m not going to parade a litany of names. Regardless, they were able to take what worked from the corner of the world without lapsing into the fury and sadness that is thee writer, Raymond Carver.
September 11, 2025
BRILLANTE.
Qué talentazo el de Carver: por lo que dice y por cómo lo dice. Pero sobre todo por lo que no dice. Tremenda capacidad para construir historias de agudo análisis socio-psicológico. Siniestro, didáctico (no en su intención pero sí un posible camino) y fatal.
Robert Altman quedó maravillado por sus relatos y realizó una genial adaptación cinematográfica, hilvanando las historias que componen esta compilación.
Qué talentazo el de Carver: por lo que dice y por cómo lo dice. Pero sobre todo por lo que no dice. Tremenda capacidad para construir historias de agudo análisis socio-psicológico. Siniestro, didáctico (no en su intención pero sí un posible camino) y fatal.
Robert Altman quedó maravillado por sus relatos y realizó una genial adaptación cinematográfica, hilvanando las historias que componen esta compilación.
November 5, 2025
Relatos, pero no es que tengan ritmo, es que son un punto de ebullición silenciosa. Cuesta un poco cogerle el gusto.
Por otra parte Carver no escribe finales. Escribe amputaciones. La tensión no se resuelve, se corta en seco. Como un cable pelado que toca el suelo y se queda ahí electrificando el silencio que queda.
Por otra parte Carver no escribe finales. Escribe amputaciones. La tensión no se resuelve, se corta en seco. Como un cable pelado que toca el suelo y se queda ahí electrificando el silencio que queda.
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