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Call If You Need Me: The Uncollected Fiction and Other Prose

raymond carver

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Perhaps no other writer of his generation has had more impact on the shape of fiction in the latter decades of the twentieth century than Raymond Carver. From the blue-collar realism of his early writing to his expansive later stories, the cool-eyed intensity and steady witnessing of Carver's work remains an inspiration for readers and writers alike.

Call If You Need Me traces the arc of Carver's career, not in the widely anthologized stories that have become classics, but through his uncollected fiction and his essays. Here are the five "last stories," discovered a decade after Carver's death. Also here are Carver's first published story, the fragment of an unfinished novel, and all of his nonfiction--from a recollection of his father to reflections on writers as varied as Anton Chekhov and John Gardner, Donald Barthelme and Sherwood Anderson. Call If You Need Me does not merely enhance the stature of a twentieth-century master; it invites us to travel with a singular artist, step by step, as he discovers what is worth saying and how to say it so it pierces the heart.

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,2000

This edition

Format
300 pages, Paperback
Published
January 9, 2001 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN
9780375726286
ASIN
0375726284
Language
English

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About the author

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raymond carver

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Carver 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.

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
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99 reviews All reviews
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Abyssrl
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This beautiful book, incredibly well-preserved, is composed of a series of short stories selected by his wife, the poet Tess Gallagher, years after Carver's death and collected from various places.

Although not his best stories, the fact that many or perhaps all of them were unfinished completely reveals the author's influences: Ernst Hemingway, Gordon Lish, Anton Chekhov, Flannery O'Connor... Besides, the stories are clothed in an incredible ordinariness, especially because they don't end in anything radical, only that tomorrow will be another day and things will continue as an accessory of whatever happened the previous day.

It is a book with many references to other works of Carver. In conclusion, it is recommended.

Overall, this collection offers a unique perspective into Carver's writing process and the evolution of his ideas. The unfinished nature of the stories adds an element of mystery and invites the reader to engage more deeply with the text.

The influence of his literary predecessors is palpable, yet Carver manages to maintain his own distinct voice. The stories are simple yet profound, capturing the essence of everyday life in a way that only he can.

Whether you are a fan of Carver's work or simply interested in exploring the world of short fiction, this book is well worth a read. It will leave you with a greater appreciation for the art of storytelling and the power of the written word.

So, pick up this book, sit back, and let Carver's stories transport you to a world of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. You won't be disappointed.
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mangabrat
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Carver's collection of stories begins with a beautiful tale: Firewood. In our opinion, the central theme of this story, as well as of Carver's later stories, lies in the idea of "change".

This is the podcast of the episode:

https://soundcloud.com/radiokairos/42...

Carver's works often explore the subtleties and profoundness of human experiences and relationships. The concept of change is a recurring motif that adds depth and complexity to his stories. In Firewood, we can see how the characters' lives are affected by various changes, whether it be in their circumstances, emotions, or perspectives.

The podcast provides an in-depth analysis and discussion of this story, delving into the themes, characters, and literary techniques used by Carver. It offers listeners a chance to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of his work.

Overall, Carver's stories, including Firewood, are a testament to his skill as a writer and his ability to capture the essence of the human condition.
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Sir_Zero_A
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I give it a 4.5.

I had never read anything by Carver and knew nothing about him. I read the book without any expectations. In fact, I didn't even know it was a collection of short stories.

The stories unfold in the ordinary moments of the lives of ordinary people. Moreover, at the end of each story, I felt as if I were looking at a painting by Edward Hopper.

The prose is simple and the dialogues don't seem to tell anything extraordinary. However, the stories manage to create a tension in the narrative in which the reader immerses almost without realizing it. Carver had a true talent for saying a lot without saying it.

Highlight the story that gives its name to this volume. It has touched me deeply.
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HoloisHolo
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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**Call If You Need Me, Raymond Carver**

Call If You Need Me is a remarkable collection that encompasses all the prose previously found in No Heroics, Please, along with four essays from Fires. Additionally, it features five outstanding stories that span the period of Carver's mature writing. This gives his dedicated readers one final opportunity to witness the great writer in action.


The sheer delight of Carver's writing is palpable throughout his work, and this collection is no exception. It rivals those stories that have already secured their place in the canon of modern literature.


The book was first read on November 8, 2012. It was written by Raymond Carver and translated by Asadollah Amiriyeh. Published by Naqsh va Negar in Tehran in 2002, it contains 269 pages with the ISBN 9646235565. Subsequent printings occurred in 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, and 2020, with the updated ISBN 9789646235564. The subject matter consists of short stories by American writers in the 20th century.


The table of contents includes various engaging pieces such as "A Note about the Author," "The Unsettled World," "Lies," "Shiftless," and many more. The collection offers a diverse range of stories that showcase Carver's unique literary style and his ability to capture the essence of human experience.


Transcribed from the note about the author: (Years ago, I read a letter from Chekhov that was instructional for one of those he was writing to: "Dear friend! There is no need to write about extraordinary people who perform memorable deeds. Imagine that I was studying at the university and was entirely occupied with plays about dukes and princes who reign in chaos; heroic factory workers who assert themselves; novels with heroes larger than life.") Reading Chekhov's advice in that letter, and other letters, and reading his stories, made me see the need to break with the past.


Published on June 17, 2021; A. Sharbiani

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Th3DarkLight
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Esta noche echo de menos a todo el mundo en falta. También a ti.


Es la última vez que estaremos juntos en una sala de estar como esta viendo oscurecer. No quiero olvidarlo. Me alegro de que nos queden unos minutos.


Cuando uno se sorprende quitando lo que acaba de poner es que el relato ya está terminado.


El vacío es el principio de todas las cosas.



The title was posthumously published and created through various unfinished or uncorrected stories. It has a sense of constant farewell. In part, it is a farewell. Or perhaps it is the beginning of one, I don't know. I have finished reading all of Carver's short story books and have a strange feeling. On the one hand, I feel satisfied because I have discovered a completely new world in terms of literature. On the other hand, I don't want to say goodbye to his stories, but I don't think it's a goodbye. I will return to them sooner or later. This compilation was made with all the love of his wife, who gave us a final compilation and stories of Carver. I am still amazed by the ability and mastery with which Carver handled the short story. So far, I haven't seen anything similar. What I find curious is that he always wrote poetry, but when he was unable to consider them of quality, he dedicated himself to extrapolating it to the short story. I have always thought that poets are the best narrators for a short story. The facts prove it. A writer who I believe will be read and remembered for many more years, as a reference in literature, as an eternal classic. I have been left breathless after this literary odyssey.

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goatwitch
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Raymond Carver is a writer made for short stories. His ability to convey in few words is extraordinary, and one can sense the work of correction and revision. However, the anecdote that his editor cut many pages from his stories before sending them for final printing is also very famous.

Tragically, in these specific stories, this work is not noticeable. Rather, there are flashes of greatness but they are irregular and there is no refined final work.

As a reader of Carver, and if you have read all of the above, then it is worth going for this compilation. Otherwise, I would recommend starting with others that are much better, such as Cathedral or What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.

1. Firewood
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CommonSence
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Raymond Carver is a remarkable writer who engages in various forms of literary expression. He indulges in short conversations, pens thought-provoking writings, offers incisive book reviews, and composes engaging articles. His works often revolve around the theme of writing and writers. Sometimes, his words bring a smile to the reader's face with their inherent humor. At other times, he presents the natural processes and difficulties associated with writing in a relaxed and accessible language. His ability to convey these complex aspects with ease makes his works highly engaging and relatable. Whether it's the joys and challenges of the writing process or the inner world of writers, Carver has a unique way of bringing these elements to life on the page. His contributions to the literary world are significant and continue to be appreciated by readers and critics alike.

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koffeekid
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I had been meaning to read Carver for years, and strangely enough, I decided to start with a posthumous work on a 14-hour flight from Tokyo to Madrid (which gives you a lot of time!).

I absolutely loved it. The stories it contains, all centered around heartbreak and alcoholism, seemed to me to be very good, very real, and very everyday.

Carver has a way of capturing the essence of human relationships and the struggles that come with them. His writing is simple yet powerful, and it really makes you think about the choices we make in life.

I'm glad I finally took the time to read his work, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of it in the future.
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