Life and Works of Raymond Carver

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Carver as a writer whose common themes are the basics of life and people's struggles. The author states that Carver's stories are largely autobiographical. The paper presents some of Carver's writings especially his short stories in his book, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love".

From the Paper:

"Before considering how Carver's life impacted on his work, it is useful to give a brief biography of his life. Carver was born in Oregon to parents who both worked in low-paying jobs and struggled to support the family. Carver's alcoholic father died at age 53, leaving Carver's mother to support the family. Carver began working at unskilled jobs early in his life and married at age 20, already having two children to his wife Christine. Carver, like his father, began drinking early, developing the alcoholism that would continue for half of his life. Carver's drinking continued until 1977, accompanied by financial and marital problems. In 1977 he entered rehab for alcoholism. It was in this period after beating the alcoholism that Carver's short story collections were released. These included Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (1977), What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981), Cathedral (1984), and Where I'm Calling From (1988). Carver died of lung cancer in 1988."

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