Raymond Carver is truly an incredible figure in the world of literature.

His works have had a profound impact on countless readers and writers alike.

Carver's writing style is characterized by its simplicity and directness, yet it manages to convey complex emotions and ideas with great depth.

His stories often focus on the lives of ordinary people, exploring their hopes, dreams, and disappointments.

Despite the seemingly mundane subject matter, Carver has the ability to make these stories come alive and resonate with readers on a deep level.

His use of dialogue is particularly masterful, creating believable and engaging characters.

Overall, Raymond Carver's contributions to literature are immeasurable, and his works will continue to be studied and admired for generations to come.

This book stands out as a graceful and exquisitely lush piece when contrasted with his earlier minimalistic works.

In these final stories, he appears to have a more tender approach towards his characters.

It is truly one of my all-time favorite collections.

The author's evolution from minimalism to this more elaborate and empathetic style is remarkable.

The lush descriptions and the depth of character development make this book a captivating read.

Each story seems to unfold like a beautiful flower, revealing its hidden petals and colors.

The tenderness shown towards the characters adds an extra layer of warmth and authenticity to the narratives.

It is a collection that I will cherish and return to again and again, finding new joys and insights with each reading.

This was Raymond Carver's 11th and seemingly final book of poems. It was published posthumously by his wife Tess Gallagher. She penned a long and thoughtful introduction,描绘了 Carver 在 50 岁因癌症去世前的最后几个月。与他之前的诗集《水与水交汇之处》不同，这本书中有许多更具梦幻和超现实色彩的诗歌，其所指并不总是容易理解。有一些故事诗，与他短篇小说中的人物和情境相似。还有从 Anton Chekhov、Czeslaw Milosz 等人的作品和诗歌中节选的简短片段，为 Carver 自己的诗歌提供了一个暗示性的思想和意象背景。

这些诗中通常带有忧郁和对死亡的意识，而诗人对自己即将到来的死亡的认知使这种忧郁和意识更加引人入胜。读着他的文字，理解它们所传达的情感，你会发现自己深深地珍惜自己活着的每一刻——所有的时刻，无论平凡还是非凡。

这些诗是相关主题、思想和观察的变体，以各种各样的情绪捕捉和呈现。在关于他儿子的诗《在我儿子的一张老照片上》中，有一种悲伤的苦涩。在《关于“诗歌”的一些散文》中，有对在亚基马的童年的回忆和一个类似回忆录的片段，描述了在一个易受影响的年龄，一个陌生人送给他诗歌书籍的礼物。《他的浴袍口袋里塞满了笔记》是一个对随意想法的有趣罗列，然后被当作“胡闹”而摒弃。另一首诗《画家与鱼》，充满了唤起情感的细节，说明了创作过程。还有爱情诗、一首关于他的脚趾的悲伤幽默的诗，以及一首关于亚历山大大帝的过度行为的诗。

这是一本好书，它很好地提醒了真正重要的事情——全心全意地度过日益减少的日子。

To call myself beloved is a profound and beautiful thing.

It means recognizing the inherent worth and value within me, and embracing the idea that I am worthy of love.

When I feel myself beloved on this earth, it is as if a warm embrace surrounds me, filling me with a sense of security and contentment.

It gives me the courage to be myself, to pursue my dreams, and to face life's challenges with a smile.

To be beloved is to know that I am not alone, that there are people who care about me and support me.

It is a feeling that transcends time and space, and it makes me believe that anything is possible.

On this earth, being beloved is a precious gift, and I am grateful for it every day.

It is a reminder that I am loved, and that I have the power to love others in return.

So, I will continue to call myself beloved, and to cherish the feeling of being beloved on this earth.

For it is in this love that I find my true self, and my place in the world.

Carver's collection at the end of his life is a highly personal and reflective one.

He is writing with the knowledge that the end is near, and this awareness gives his poems an added layer of power and a universal appeal.

These poems are not just about his own experiences but speak to the human condition in general.

They are a reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of making the most of the time we have.

This collection is definitely something to return to, especially in old age, when we may be more inclined to reflect on our own lives and the meaning of it all.

It offers a source of comfort and inspiration, and a way to connect with the deeper emotions and thoughts that we all share.

Carver's words have the ability to touch our hearts and souls, and to make us see the world in a new light.

His collection is a testament to his talent as a poet and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience.

Raymond's posthumous poetry collection. I read almost all of it on my birthday. I even cried when I recited "Propina" to my partner.

Carver is a man who accepts his death and leaves clues about what he feels in those moments. He respects his frustrations and decides to travel in the verses led by the writers who inspired him, with stories transformed into poems.

The writer takes a long breath in the middle of a lake and releases all that he was. He dies in silence, in the middle of the night, after reviewing the draft days before. He says goodbye by writing poems, as he began his career.

I finished reading it through his anthology.

This collection of poems offers a profound and moving insight into Raymond Carver's final thoughts and emotions. It allows us to accompany him on his journey towards acceptance and closure. The power of his words and the rawness of his expressions make this posthumous work a truly remarkable piece of literature. It serves as a reminder of the beauty and significance of poetry, even in the face of death.

The introduction, written by Carver's widow shortly after his death, already seems perfect to me. Just like the previous poetry book of his that I read, I especially liked it for the autobiographical touch, very raw and direct. I have loved it. It mixes his own poems, all very harsh, with some fragments of authors who marked his life, especially Chekhov.

The last part of the book already makes a more explicit reference to his illness. Many of the poems were written in the last months of his life, being aware that he didn't have much time left, knowing that he had to make the most of the little that remained. There is even a poem where, in gratitude to his wife, who collaborated in the preparation of this last book, he imagines her death, which he will never witness, in a really harsh way, knowing what leads him to write this.

I thought it was very good, able to convey without any intermediary the harshness of what life itself is.

Carver's last book is an interesting collection of poems and prose. It features a very good introduction by Tess Gallagher. In addition to Carver's own works, the book also includes the work of some other authors. Most notably, it contains the works of Anton Chekhov, who was a hero of Carver's. This collection offers readers a unique opportunity to explore the literary world of Carver and his influences. The poems and prose in the book are diverse in style and主题, ranging from the simple and profound to the complex and thought-provoking. Whether you are a fan of Carver or simply interested in literature, this book is definitely worth reading.

Raymond Carver's prose has had a profound impact on shaping my perspective of the world.

I chanced upon his work during a crucial phase of my life when I was yearning for a father figure and a sense of purpose. His writing, with its simplicity and profoundness, filled those voids within me.

While Carver's poetry may not possess the same strength as his prose, it does, at times, flicker with the same intensity that characterizes his finest prose paragraphs.

It is a pity that he was taken from us untimely, as I truly wish he had delved deeper into this aspect of his writing.

Perhaps, with more exploration, his poetry could have reached even greater heights and offered us a more comprehensive understanding of his creative genius.

Nevertheless, the body of work he has left behind will always be cherished and studied for its unique insights and powerful expressions.

The ending of this book just manages to scrape a 3-star review. It has a few better poems than the first half, but overall, it is underwhelming. This is Carver's last book, consisting of poetry rather than prose. It was written after he was diagnosed with cancer and right before he passed away. It feels like a rushed effort, as if he was in a strange mental state while writing it.

I don't doubt that he was in a difficult place, but unfortunately, this comes across as empty on the page. However, there are a few poems near the end where the emotion truly shines through. The introduction, written by his wife and long-time editor and writing partner, Tess Gallagher, is excellent. It is heartfelt, moving, and provides an explanation for the book's shortcomings.

I realized just a few pages in why an explanation was needed. The book seems disjointed, almost as if it is pleading with the reader: "The man was dying. Cut him some slack." It is definitely an interesting look into Carver's mindset at the end of his life, which is something to be said for it. However, the poetry itself is mostly forgettable. There is nothing particularly poetic or engaging about it. It is mostly prose broken into lines, but the ideas are not fully developed or profound.

It feels like little thought was put into something that is trying to appear deep and thoughtful. There are a handful of half-decent pieces, but most of it is, sadly, boring and ordinary, with few lines that really grab my attention. Thankfully, Carver left behind enough other works that we don't have to rely on this one for anything other than a study. The poems worth mentioning are "The Kitchen," "Another Mystery," a prose piece called "Some Prose on Poetry," "Margo," "Summer Fog," a prose piece called "Nearly," "Lemonade" (which is actually very good and sad), "Wake Up," and "Proposal." It should be noted that almost all of these are barely poems; they read more like short stories or flash fiction, broken into lines. While simply breaking lines doesn't impress me when it comes to poetry, the prosiness of these pieces is decent enough.

This is Carver's final work. It was compiled by his wife Tess a little after his death.

It is a unique mix. It includes early poems, poems written close to his death, and the prose/poetry of writers he adored, mostly Chekhov.

However, it lacks the cumulative force that other short story and poetry collections possess. There are indeed glimmers of beauty and weight within it. But often, the epigraphs manage to wow me more than Carver's own writing.

Still, I am happy to have read it. It provides a fascinating glimpse into a man who is aware that his time is short.

The line "Who, secretly, doesn't lust after every experience?" really stirred my thoughts. It makes one wonder what it is that compels us to desire hardship over ease or complexity over simplicity.

Carver has a penchant for asking "what if?" only to respond with "even so." This adds an interesting layer to his work and makes the reader reflect on the nature of life and our choices.

Overall, while this may not be Carver's most outstanding work, it still offers valuable insights and food for thought.

Contemplating death and the meaning of life is a profound and often challenging theme.

This collection is sourced from works penned before Carver's untimely demise (at the age of 50 due to lung cancer). The Introduction by his wife, the poet Tess Gallagher, offers valuable insights into the significant influence that Chekhov had on his fiction. Both Carver and Chekhov are masters in seizing life's poignant metaphors or those crucial moments when everything can transform in an instant.

Some of the poems in this collection are excerpts taken and credited from translations of Chekhov's work, with a keen sense of appreciation. Other poems are snapshots of memoir, depicting the coziness of domestic life in sharp contrast to the harsh realities of illness.

---

"What the Doctor Said" presents a powerful exchange. The doctor states that the situation doesn't look good, in fact, it's really bad. He reveals that he counted thirty-two of something on one lung before stopping. The patient responds that he's glad not to know about any more. The doctor then asks if the patient is a religious man, if he kneels in forest groves and asks for help when facing a waterfall with mist blowing against his face and arms. The patient says not yet but intends to start today. The doctor expresses his sincere sorrow and wishes he had better news. The patient says Amen, and the doctor says something else that the patient doesn't catch. Not wanting the doctor to repeat it and himself to fully absorb it, the patient simply looks at the doctor for a minute, and the doctor looks back. It is then that the patient jumps up and shakes hands with the doctor, who has just given him something no one else on earth has ever given him, perhaps even thanking him out of habit. This interaction highlights the complex emotions and thoughts that arise when confronted with the possibility of death.