TrickyBuddha Studios

Candice and I cat-sat tonight and, wandering around a strange new house, I flashed back to a Raymond Carver story called Neighbors. And that made me realize I’ve never once written about Carver at this site – even though he’s my far-and-away favorite writer.

My love affair with Carver started in school at Tennessee. I think we may have essentially picked a writer out of a hat for the purpose of writing a research paper, but getting Carver was pure serendipity. One of the memories of UTK that stands out the most is sitting at the cafeteria by the law building across the bridge on way-too-hot days and reading from my Raymond Carver collections for hours on end.

So who is Raymond Carver? Wikipedia tells us that “Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s.”

And why do I like him so much? I like that he wrote about normal stuff, but with an edge. It’s not about saving the world. It’s not about deep introspection. Nothing surreal. Just people behaving like real people. Writing without judgment. Observational. Cold and distant. You watch, removed – but you catch all the little details. And it’s thrilling.

One story I like has a couple hosting another couple for dinner. They get tipsy, then smoke marijuana. They talk about random things – about shoes and their favorite foods to munch. Another story has a waitress serving a very-overweight man. She is fixated on him and the way he talks, what he eats, and how nice he is to her – but the way the writing is, you want to sit and stare, too.

Neighbors is a story about a couple who are house-sitting for another couple. They’re supposed to feed the cat and water the plants, but when one goes to the other house they get lost in the idea of living another life. They make more and more excuses to check on the other house. I’ll stop there, but here’s a little excerpt from the couples saying goodbye to one another that makes me smile:

Bill and Jim shook hands beside the car. Harriet and Arlene held each other by the elbows and kissed lightly on the lips.

“Have fun,” Bill said to Harriet.

“We will,” said Harriet. “You kids have fun too.”

Arlene nodded.

Jim winked at her. “Bye, Arlene. Take good care of the old man.”

“I will,” Arlene said.

“Have fun,” Bill said.

“You bet,” Jim said, clipping Bill lightly on the arm. “And thanks again, you guys.”

The Stones waved as they drove away, and the Millers waved too.

“Well, I wish it was us,” Bill said.

“God knows, we could use a vacation,” Arlene said. She took his arm and put it around her waist as they climbed the stairs to their apartment.

After dinner Arlene said, “Don’t forget. Kitty gets liver flavor the first night.” She stood in the kitchen doorway folding the handmade tablecloth that Harriet had bought for her lat year in Santa Fe.

I really wish I could buy a copy of Where I’m Calling From and send it to everyone. Or at least find a decent on-line collection of his writing. His stories are so good! It makes me want to pick his books up and read them all through (again).