I truly relished this book. In particular, the four essays and the short stories were highly engaging. Additionally, I believe I have discovered one of my favorite short stories by Carver, titled "Distance," which was extremely cool. Nevertheless, I am not a great enthusiast of poetry. Although I liked his works, I don't think any of them were extremely memorable. Still, I do consider it to be a rather good book. Moreover, it serves as a great starting point with Carver as it offers a little bit of everything - essays, stories, and poems. This can provide a better understanding of who he was as a writer and his writing style.

"Things change, he says. I don't know how they do. But they do without you realizing it or wanting them to." This quote really struck a chord with me. It emphasizes the unpredictable nature of life and how things can transform without our awareness or consent.

"Things change, he says. I don't know how they do. But they do without you realizing it or wanting them to".

Wow! This book is truly a remarkable collection.

While many of the poems within it are light and elegant, like gentle breezes caressing the soul, the short stories take a completely different turn. They are dark, rich, and filled with intricate details that make them vividly come alive.

Carver has a unique way of telling stories. He doesn't spoon-feed the reader with overly explicit details. Instead, he leaves room for the reader to bring their own thoughtful consideration to the story. It's as if he has an unwavering trust in the reader's ability to understand and interpret. And I, for one, felt that trust deeply.

I also found myself completely enamored with the poems about the outdoors. The descriptions of the environment, fishing, boating, and being in the forest were so vivid that I could almost smell the fresh air and feel the gentle sway of the trees.

The juxtaposition of these idyllic outdoor scenes with the gritty stories was truly surprising and added an extra layer of depth to the collection.

After reading this book, I am left with a burning desire to read more by Raymond Carver. I can't wait to explore the other literary gems he has to offer.

Carver is an author that I always read thinking, at the beginning, "is it him or Lish?". But it's a doubt that I forget as soon as I immerse myself in the stories.

They are effective, engaging, emotional, some even strange and others downright disconcerting. "The Turkey" makes one think a lot. And the last one in the collection "With so much water so close to home" is crazy and for me, deeply disturbing.

As for the poems, I only liked some of them. I found all the essays very interesting and in some, as usual, I even identified with them.

Carver, to say how good he is, for me, manages to make me read stories about topics that I don't care about or that I hate completely, like hunting. But he puts in there descriptions, emotions, that I even forget about the topic and only see the people.

Is it him or is it Lish? I know they are stories, I know they are emotions, I know they are good stories.

This is a lot closer to 4 stars for me than the 3 I chose to give it. However, I had to simplify for the poems.

This book consists mostly of poems that, in my opinion, are not nearly as profound or gripping as his short stories.

To me, this also comes off as a book that is better suited for an up-and-coming Carver fan rather than an introduction to his body of work.

If you're already a fan, the essays at the start and the interview at the end will be entertaining and insightful. You'll not only get a glimpse at Carver's life but also into his writing process. You'll also receive a boatload of author recommendations from him.

The short story collection here is what you'll really want, and it's a great selection. I loved these stories, and I get something new out of them the more I reread and think about them. "The Cabin" is a particular favorite of mine. On the surface, it's quite simple and seemingly uneventful. But it is teeming with a subtle loneliness and melancholy that pushes you towards self-reflection and maybe introspection. And really, all of these stories seem to carry that quality with them in some way. It's great stuff.

I could write like Carver, I think.

Simple, direct. No bullshit.

Like a guy just talking to you,

telling you what happened

without dressing it up too much.

No big words, no showing off.

Just the thing itself, clear as a window

someone forgot to shut.

So I start.

The first sentence,

the second,

then I stop.

Outside, a car door slams.

Someone’s leaving or coming home.

The fridge hums,

a dog barks down the street.

I let the words sit there,

see if they hold.

Maybe I can write like Carver.

Or maybe, like always,

I’ll just sit here,

listening to the world go on,

waiting for the next line to show up,

like a drunk friend knocking at the door,

asking if I’ve got one more left in me.

I imagine myself in a quiet room, a pen in hand, trying to capture the essence of life as Carver did. The simplicity of his writing is both appealing and challenging. I start with a sentence, hoping it will lead to another, but then I hesitate. The sounds outside the room intrude, adding a layer of reality to my thoughts. I wonder if I have the talent and the perseverance to write like him. Maybe this is just a passing fancy, or maybe it’s the beginning of something more. Only time will tell.

I discovered that the essays in Fires were truly inspiring and masterfully written. They had a certain charm that pulled me in and made me eager to explore each word.

Among the poems, I found a few that were quite readable. However, as a collection of stories, I felt they were somewhat mismatched. It wasn't the best work of Carver that I've ever read, but it was still worth it for the essays alone.

The essays titled On Writing and Fires were my absolute favorites. On Writing not only inspired me but also filled me with a sense of hope. It was poignantly authentic, just like most of his other works.

Fires, on the other hand, changed my perspective on a few assumptions I had about the definition of the word "influence". It provided an intriguing glimpse into Carver's private life, which was both fascinating and thought-provoking.

If these two works were the only ones in the book, I would have easily given it a 5-star rating.

As for the poems, I particularly loved At Night The Salmon Move and Trying To Sleep Late On A Saturday Morning In November. At Night The Salmon Move had a hypnotic effect on me, sending me into a state of welcome torpidity. The last line of the poem left me with a strange feeling, almost like a hangover.

Trying To Sleep Late On A Saturday Morning In November, on the other hand, brought a tear to my eye. It made me think about the idea of finding salvation by force, of being pulled out of an adverse circumstance by an unseen force due to its benevolent necessity.

Among the stories, The Cabin captivated me the most. The setting was so comfortable and the plot felt so authentic that it left me with a desperate longing to go home.

Overall, I would rate this collection 3 stars solely because, as a whole, it felt a bit top heavy. The essays were outstanding, but the stories and poems didn't quite measure up to the same level.

Essays ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Poems ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stories ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Can you imagine me rating poems only four stars? Well, this man is truly remarkable. I'm not exaggerating! I firmly believe that his poems are like concise short stories. They manage to convey profound emotions and vivid images in just a few lines. And let's not even start discussing his essays and stories. They are equally outstanding.

I have an unwavering love for Carver's writing. It is characterized by its sincerity and authenticity. It feels like a mirror reflecting real life. In his works, life unfolds in all its complexity and simplicity. We witness the ordinary moments that make up our existence, as well as the extraordinary events that shape us. Carver has a unique ability to capture the essence of life and present it to us in a way that is both engaging and thought-provoking. His writing makes us feel, makes us think, and makes us appreciate the beauty and tragedy of the human experience.

My poetry collection holds some of my favorite poems so far. It is not a perfect collection by any means. There are flaws and imperfections within its pages. However, it also has its perfect moments. Each poem tells a story, evokes an emotion, or paints a vivid picture in my mind. Some of them make me laugh, while others bring tears to my eyes. They are a reflection of my own experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

Although it may not be flawless, this collection is precious to me. It is a work in progress, constantly evolving and growing as I continue to write and discover new poems. I look forward to adding more beautiful and meaningful works to it in the future.

Overall, my poetry collection is a source of inspiration and joy. It reminds me of the power of words and the beauty that can be found in the simplest of expressions. I will always cherish it and continue to explore the wonderful world of poetry.

How can I ever go back to that other life? I find myself constantly looking up at the stars, as if they hold the answers to my questions. I wave to them with my feelers, a gesture of hope and longing. I hold on for hours, just resting, trying to find some sort of peace within myself. But as time passes, grief begins to settle around my heart in tiny drops. I remember that my father is dead, and I am going away from this town soon, forever.

Meanwhile, certain things around us will change, becoming either easier or harder. But deep down, I believe that nothing will ever really be any different. We have made our decisions, and our lives are set in motion. They will continue to unfold until they come to an end. But what if you believe this, yet keep it hidden away? What if one day something happens that should change something, but then you realize that nothing will actually change after all? What then? The people around you continue to talk and act as if you are the same person as before, but inside, you are undergoing a crisis, your heart feels damaged.

"How did all this happen to us?" she asked. "We started out as good people." I wonder the same thing. Ross, you son of a bitch, I hope you're okay now. I hope things are better for you too. I absolutely love Carver's short stories, and the poem "Forever" really touched me. I'm looking forward to reading "Beginners" to see what his unedited stories are like. I believe two of them, "Where Is Everyone?" (which I loved and which was unfortunately retitled "Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit") and "So Much Water So Close to Home", are featured in "Fires".

It is truly amazing, obviously. But Jesus, one has to wonder how Gordon Lish managed to get away with messing up “So Much Water So Close to Home” to such an extent. The version presented here is soooo much better. The same goes for “Where Is Everyone?” which became “Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit” in WWTAWWTAL. The version in this collection is far superior to the edited one. “Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit” wasn't even a story that I cared too deeply for, but “Where Is Everyone?” absolutely blew me away. I always thought that Lish enhanced Carver's writing by making it more impactful, and I'm sure in some cases that was true. However, if these two stories are any indication, he really meddled with some of the depth that should have been left intact (in my opinion).

Anyway, this is a great collection. I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read Carver before as it includes essays, poems, and stories. However, if it's your first time reading Carver, I'd suggest starting with the stories at the back, then moving on to the poems, and finally the essays.

Finally, I am getting through the books that I started in the summer.

Raymond's short stories, poems, and essays have truly been a source of great interest and inspiration for me to write.

What I really love about Raymond's works is that he doesn't feel the need to convey some grand and overarching message, nor does he have to write some subtly profound message hidden between the lines.

Instead, he simply writes, with honesty and rawness, about the everyday life that we all experience. He writes about the pains that we endure, the normality that we take for granted, and the peace that we sometimes long for.

His words have a way of making me see the beauty and significance in the simplest of things, and have encouraged me to do the same in my own writing.

I am truly grateful to have discovered Raymond's works and look forward to reading more of his writing in the future.

I have just finished reading a collection that consists of 4 essays, 7 stories, and a whole bunch of poems.

Some of the stories seemed familiar to me, perhaps I had read earlier versions of them before.

The poem about Bukowski really caught my attention and it made me realize that I should read more of his works.

There is a particular poem titled "The Mosque of Jaffa" that has given me a great deal of inspiration. It has made me want to write a story called "Leaving Jaffa". I am really curious to know what happens after the poem ends.

I think it would be interesting to explore the characters and the setting further and create a narrative that continues from where the poem leaves off.

This collection has really激发了 my creativity and I am looking forward to getting started on my new story.

I hope that I can do justice to the inspiration that I have received from these wonderful works.