Raymond Carver: An Oral Biography

by Sam Halpert

Raymond Carver has become a literary icon for our time. When he died in 1988 at the age of fifty, he was acclaimed as the greatest influence on the American short story since Hemingway. Carver's friends were the stuff of legend as well. In this rich collection—greatly expanded from the earlier When We Talk about Raymond Carver —of interviews with close companions, acquaintances, and family, Sam Halpert has chronologically arranged the reminiscences of Carver's adult life, recalling his difficult “Bad Raymond” days through his second life as a recovering alcoholic and triumphantly successful writer. The result is a spirited Irish wake—toasts, anecdotes, lies, songs, confessions, laments—all beautifully orchestrated by Halpert into a very readable and moving narrative. These funny, poignant, intensely remembered interviews juxtapose personal anecdotes and enlightening criticism. Memory mixes with analysis, and a lively picture of Carver emerges as we hear different stories about him—of the same story told from different viewpoints. He is here presented as hero, victim, and even villain—Carver's readers will recognize the woof and warp of his stories in these affectionate narratives.

206 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

Reviews

[M. Sarki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time through and I liked it better than the first. Any fan of Carver's life and writing needs to read this book. I even raised my rating from three to four stars.

[William Mangum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming and heartbreaking recollections

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know Halpert's original book was published a year later by the Iowa Press in a much expanded and chronologically-linear version! This is REQUIRED reading for any Carver fan or scholar.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved reading carver since discovering the pleasure of whisky and self pity while living in a shotgun shack in north Carolina. Carver writes all these mini stories that you can read in four minutes but which pack such impact.
I've read his story "why don't you dance" many times and tried to figure out what is going on under the surface.
Now of course the story is getting a ton of attention because will ferrel has turned dance into a movie. I am all for it.

So this book offers all these people who knew carver telling their story and its a great read. We see more about carver and his drinking. Guests who spent the night at his house would be woken early by him banging on the door: " let's have a heart starter!" and watch carver drink bloody marts and eat donuts.

This "dance" story is based on a story told to carver by a waitress who got stoned with her boyfriend and moved their crap into their front yard!

Can't make it up!

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the expected juicy biographical details from his "Bad Raymond" days, there are some amazing insights into his writing from a bunch of his writer friends: Richard Ford, Tobias and Geoffrey Wolff, Stephen Dobyns, Jay McInerny, etc. Their insights are interesting because they demonstrate a writer's understanding of the techniques Carver employed and this provides a completely different perspective than the one you get reading commentary from critics or book reviewers. And there is a great skirmish in the interviews between Halpert and Richard Ford, with Ford taking exception to Halpert’s pursuit of the autobiographical foundations in Carver’s stories, as well as the inevitable psychoanalysis that follows. Unfortunately, Tess Gallagher pulled her interviews at the last moment, so we don’t get that perspective on his later life.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into the life of Raymond Carver provided by those who knew him best. Sometimes the interviewer/author does a bit too much to inject his own opinion into the interviews, but it's a minor complaint.

I was not aware of the Carver/Bukowski connection until reading this book.

[Chad]

I borrowed this book from someone (Hi, Kate) for 3.5 years - a new record!