O. Henry Award
2 appearances
-
Edition 63 (1983) Winner
-
Edition 68 (1988) Winner
Raymond Carver
レイモンド・カーヴァー
Raymond Carver
Aliases:
Raymond Clevie Carver Jr.
Pen Names:
John Vale（Pseudonym used occasionally in the college literary magazine Toyon and other early publications）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1938-05-25 （Clatskanie, Oregon, U.S.）
- Died
- 1988-08-02 （Port Angeles, Washington, U.S.） age 50
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Clatskanie, Oregon → Yakima, Washington → Paradise, California → Sacramento, California → Palo Alto / Sunnyvale, California → El Paso, Texas → Syracuse, New York → Port Angeles, Washington → Tucson, Arizona
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Poet, University lecturer, Editor
- Active Years
- 1958-1988
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- John Gardner, Gordon Lish, William Faulkner
- Influenced
- Richard Ford, Tobias Wolff, Amy Hempel, Lorrie Moore
- Nominations
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction nomination (Cathedral)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakima High School (Davis High School) | — | — | — | 〜1956 | United States |
| Chico State College (California State University, Chico) | — | Studied creative writing (took courses) | — | 1958頃 | United States |
| Humboldt State College (California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt) | — | General Studies | B.A. | 1960–1963 | United States |
| University of Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop) | — | Creative writing workshop | — | 1963–1964（在籍、非学位） | United States |
| Stanford University (non-degree program) | — | Creative writing program | — | 1972–1973 | United States |
Yakima High School (Davis High School)
Period:
〜1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
United States
High school diploma
Chico State College (California State University, Chico)
Studied creative writing (took courses)
Period:
1958頃
Country:
United States
Period when he became interested in writing; took courses with John Gardner
Humboldt State College (California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt)
General Studies
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1960–1963
Year of Graduation:
1963
Country:
United States
Received a B.A. in general studies; did not complete foreign language requirement for English program
University of Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop)
Creative writing workshop
Period:
1963–1964（在籍、非学位）
Country:
United States
Admitted on fellowship but did not complete an M.A./M.F.A.
Stanford University (non-degree program)
Creative writing program
Period:
1972–1973
Country:
United States
Attended Stanford's creative writing program on stipend (non-degree)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | O. Henry Award | "Are These Actual Miles" (short story) | — | O. Henry Award committee | 受賞 |
| 1974 | O. Henry Award | "Put Yourself in My Shoes" (short story) | — | O. Henry Award committee | 受賞 |
| 1975 | O. Henry Award | "Are You A Doctor?" (short story) | — | O. Henry Award committee | 受賞 |
| 1983 | O. Henry Award | "A Small, Good Thing" (short story) | — | O. Henry Award committee | 受賞 |
| 1988 | O. Henry Award | "Errand" (short story) | — | O. Henry Award committee | 受賞 |
| 1977 | National Book Award (shortlisted) | Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? | — | National Book Foundation | 最終候補（Shortlisted） |
| 1988 | Induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 選出／会員 |
O. Henry Award
1972
Work:
"Are These Actual Miles" (short story)
Organization:
O. Henry Award committee
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Award
1974
Work:
"Put Yourself in My Shoes" (short story)
Organization:
O. Henry Award committee
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Award
1975
Work:
"Are You A Doctor?" (short story)
Organization:
O. Henry Award committee
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Award
1983
Work:
"A Small, Good Thing" (short story)
Organization:
O. Henry Award committee
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Award
1988
Work:
"Errand" (short story)
Organization:
O. Henry Award committee
Result:
受賞
National Book Award (shortlisted)
1977
Work:
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
最終候補（Shortlisted）
Induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters
1988
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
選出／会員
Awards & Nominations
Ambassador Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (1989) Winner
Works
Major Works
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
1976 Short story collection 160 pagesA collection of early short stories that portray blue-collar life, fractured relationships, and quiet sorrows of everyday existence; the book helped establish Carver's reputation.
Blue-collar lifeLonelinessMarital breakdownSilence and communication
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
1981 Short story collection 128 pagesOne of his breakthrough collections, exploring hidden emotions in everyday conversation and divergent notions of love through short, powerful stories.
Uncertainty of loveGaps in conversationViolence and tenderness
Cathedral
1983 Short story collection 160 pagesA highly regarded collection often seen as Carver's masterpiece, marking a shift toward a more poetic and optimistic style; several stories in the book are widely acclaimed.
RenewalInsight and empathyVision and understanding
Adaptations
- [Film] Short Cuts / ロバート・アルトマン (1993)
Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories
1988 Short story collection (selected) 320 pagesA definitive collection of his stories published shortly before his death, gathering late work and selections that present an overview of his career.
ReminiscenceAtonementFragments of life
Bibliography
- Near Klamath (1968)
- Winter Insomnia (1970)
- Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (1976)
- At Night the Salmon Move (1976)
- What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981)
- Cathedral (1983)
- Where I'm Calling From (1988)
- All of Us: The Collected Poems (1996)
Adaptations
- Short Cuts (1993) — directed by Robert Altman; based on multiple short stories
- Everything Must Go (2010) — based on "Why Don't You Dance?" (director: Dan Rush)
- Jindabyne (2006) — based on "So Much Water So Close to Home" (director: Ray Lawrence)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Minimalist, concise proseDirty realism (depicting gritty reality)Condensed expression in short fiction
- Recurring Motifs
- Silence and failed communicationAlcoholism and recoveryBlue-collar existenceFragmentary moments of redemption
Health
-
Alcoholism1960年代中盤〜1977（1977年6月2日に断酒）Led to interruptions in writing and difficulties in professional and family life; after achieving sobriety in 1977 he resumed creative activity.
-
Lung cancer1988（死因）Died of lung cancer in 1988 at age 50.
Legacy
Regarded as a major figure who helped revive the short story. Representative of literary minimalism and dirty realism, he influenced subsequent generations of short story writers. Posthumous publications, editorial controversies, and continuing scholarly and popular interest have sustained his reputation.
Museums
- Raymond Carver Memorial Park (statue/monument) Clatskanie, Oregon (near the public library)
Academic Societies
- International Raymond Carver Society
- Raymond Carver Reading Series (Syracuse University)
Archives
- The Ohio State University Rare Books & Manuscripts Library (Raymond Carver Papers)
- Library of America (Collected Stories inclusion)
In Popular Culture
- Raymond Carver and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love are referenced in the film Birdman
- Robert Altman's Short Cuts is based on multiple Carver short stories
Quotes
-
LATE FRAGMENT — And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth.
Source: Tombstone inscription, Ocean View Cemetery (Port Angeles) (1988) -
“The story [or poem] can be written and read in one sitting.”
Source: Foreword to Where I'm Calling From (1988)
Trivia
- He sometimes used the pen name John Vale in college publications.
- Cathedral is regarded as marking a shift to a more poetic and optimistic style.
- Married Tess Gallagher in June 1988, six weeks before his death.
- Early in his career his work was heavily edited by Gordon Lish; the edited vs. original versions have been the subject of posthumous debate.