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My Favorite MishMash of Stories
The short story is my favorite form. I am feeling very blocked on this other stuff I’ve been working on (which means, anxious and not up to the task I set out for myself) so instead, I am going to write this sort of lame ass post. I was perusing my bookshelves (which made me break out in a rash, I am allergic to dust) to make a nice goody bag for Larry–who won the “which 80s punk bands album titles” contest in the Ever review by my man– and I found this collection of stories and felt all warm inside. (It’s super, SUPER beat-up, Larry, that is why I did not send it to you.) Man, what a great collection. All sorts of stuff. Raymond Carver edited it with Tom Jenks (of Narrative Magazine, which we all know is not a favorite around here, but believe me, this collection rocks). Here are some (just some) of the authors and stories:
Richard Brautigan-1/3, 1/3, 1/3
Andre Dubus- The Fat Girl
Stanley Elkin- A Poetic for Bullies
Joy Williams- The Wedding
Jayne Anne Phillips- The Heavenly Animal
Leonard Michaels- The Murderers
Ursula K. Le Guin- Ile Forest
The last story I am going to mention is “Walking Out” by David Quammen. I think Quammen no longer writes fiction. This story burned a hole in my brain. For years, I tried to find more fiction by Quammen. All I can find is good non-fiction. But man, what a shame. I really wish he still wrote fiction. Anyone who has info on Quammen and the possibility that he still writes fiction, I’d love to hear. Truly, reading “Walking Out” was a formative thing for me. It made me go “I want to do this.” Also, this was published in 1987 and so it is missing TONS of things that have gone on in the past, uh, two decades. But it still is a great collection. I am so happy to see that it is still in print. Wow, I really REALLY don’t want to do any real work. I hate me.
Tags: american short story masterpieces, raymond carver
the does look good, and i’m kinda shocked my library doesn’t have it…
sorry about the rash….for a good cause.
the does look good, and i’m kinda shocked my library doesn’t have it…
sorry about the rash….for a good cause.
Larry, I sent you all stuff from my shelves. But this one was just a dirty, falling apart mess (20 yrs old). I did send you stuff that is a BIT beat up. Anyway, I had lots of fun compilng the goody bag. Let me know when you get it!!
You and my hubby could probably talk music endlessly- same stuff, man!
I look forward to it…
on the music (and shameful self-promotion) tip, if you’re night owls “tune” into praradio.org i DJ every Tues. 8-10 pacific… (or click my name for archives)
I look forward to it…
on the music (and shameful self-promotion) tip, if you’re night owls “tune” into praradio.org i DJ every Tues. 8-10 pacific… (or click my name for archives)
I had this as required reading in a workshop, and that Quammen story is unbelievable. That part about the bear brain is awesome–am I remembering that right?
I had this as required reading in a workshop, and that Quammen story is unbelievable. That part about the bear brain is awesome–am I remembering that right?
“Trailing red smears, the tracks preceded them. Within fifty feet, they found the body. It was half-buried. The top of its head had been shorn away, and the cub’s brains had been licked out.”
Is that the line you were thinking of? I searched and searched for this man because of this story- I really think he now just writes nature non-fiction stuff. Breaks my heart.
i only own one fiction anthology. i don’t think i even have the ones i had to buy as an undergrad anymore. but i have seriously considered buying the new pushcart anthology because it has one of my favorite stories of all time in it.
i only own one fiction anthology. i don’t think i even have the ones i had to buy as an undergrad anymore. but i have seriously considered buying the new pushcart anthology because it has one of my favorite stories of all time in it.
pr- I bought this anthology in a bookstore in my home town when I was a kid. I didn’t know who Carver or any of the others in there were. I didn’t read a lot of it, but I did read the Brautigan– it’s a story that has stuck with me for years and years now. I discovered Brautigan’s other work later, and didn’t make the connection for a long time. Ditto the Leonard Michaels. It’s weird. One of the last times I went home before my parents got divorced and my father had to sell their house, I found my original copy of this book in an old box and I took it back to NYC. It’s amazing to see how much of the stuff I was going to come to love went across my radar so long before I knew what to make of it: Grace Paley, O’Connor, fucking WATER LIARS. It really boggles my mind.
Funnily enough, I STILL haven’t read the whole thing, and “Walking Out’ is one of the ones I missed. Promise to correct this ASAP.
I referred back to it most recently when Gordon Lish told me I should read Elkin’s “A Poetics for Bullies.” I found it in this antho, and had vague memories of reading it as a kid, but the experience now was so profoundly different. I mean there just aren’t words. Everyone should read that story.
Plus the whole book is fascinating as a case-study of Carver’s mindset– the way he promotes his own disciples and fellow-travelers (Bobbie Ann Mason, Ann Beattie, etc.); the utter shamelessness of including both himself AND his wife Tess Gallagher; the careful homage paid to the masters (O’Connor, Roth, etc.); but most of all, how even after his break with Lish he still understood (or else couldn’t escape) how important Lish was– Elkin, Brodkey, Joy Williams, Paley, Hannah, etc.
It’s a truly wonderful collection. It makes me warm inside to know you have a copy of it too.
pr- I bought this anthology in a bookstore in my home town when I was a kid. I didn’t know who Carver or any of the others in there were. I didn’t read a lot of it, but I did read the Brautigan– it’s a story that has stuck with me for years and years now. I discovered Brautigan’s other work later, and didn’t make the connection for a long time. Ditto the Leonard Michaels. It’s weird. One of the last times I went home before my parents got divorced and my father had to sell their house, I found my original copy of this book in an old box and I took it back to NYC. It’s amazing to see how much of the stuff I was going to come to love went across my radar so long before I knew what to make of it: Grace Paley, O’Connor, fucking WATER LIARS. It really boggles my mind.
Funnily enough, I STILL haven’t read the whole thing, and “Walking Out’ is one of the ones I missed. Promise to correct this ASAP.
I referred back to it most recently when Gordon Lish told me I should read Elkin’s “A Poetics for Bullies.” I found it in this antho, and had vague memories of reading it as a kid, but the experience now was so profoundly different. I mean there just aren’t words. Everyone should read that story.
Plus the whole book is fascinating as a case-study of Carver’s mindset– the way he promotes his own disciples and fellow-travelers (Bobbie Ann Mason, Ann Beattie, etc.); the utter shamelessness of including both himself AND his wife Tess Gallagher; the careful homage paid to the masters (O’Connor, Roth, etc.); but most of all, how even after his break with Lish he still understood (or else couldn’t escape) how important Lish was– Elkin, Brodkey, Joy Williams, Paley, Hannah, etc.
It’s a truly wonderful collection. It makes me warm inside to know you have a copy of it too.
one of my favorite anthologies is the anchor book of new american short stories. not the same old anthologized stories, the same old names. sam lipsyte, brian evenson, dfw, gary lutz, lydia davis, mark richard, wells tower, george saunders, stephen dixon, dawn raffel, diane williams, christine schutt, and more..
one of my favorite anthologies is the anchor book of new american short stories. not the same old anthologized stories, the same old names. sam lipsyte, brian evenson, dfw, gary lutz, lydia davis, mark richard, wells tower, george saunders, stephen dixon, dawn raffel, diane williams, christine schutt, and more..
Justin,
It warms me that you have the book! I am so jealous you are going tp AWP. Someday, we’ll get together when I am not drunk off my ass. I really hope.
I have a few thoughts which I want to add which may be disputed rightly so (unlike gay marriage)-
It is very possible that Jenks insisted on including Ray and Tess. Just a thought.
Also, I am a fan of Carver, but his later work, where he told Lish to lay off, is my favorite work of his. Also, say what you will about Paley, Hannah, Elkin ,Brodkey- but when I think of Joy Williams, I think they were together at Iowa and that there was a serendipity to their work that had nothing to do with Lish. I may be wrong. Just a thought. (I do know they were there together with her- I studied with her.)
I love that you have this book. I love short stories. I love so many stories that have come since then. I just had fun finding this book (and all the ones I sent to Larry.) “Walking Out” killed me. In the best way. Quammen and Williams both write very similiar non-fiction- they have wonderful same agendas.
pr, I think that was it, yes. I remember telling people stories needed more bear brains afterward. The Quammen story was the biggest surprise for me mostly because everyone else was pretty famous, no? I also like the Anchor anthology.
pr, I think that was it, yes. I remember telling people stories needed more bear brains afterward. The Quammen story was the biggest surprise for me mostly because everyone else was pretty famous, no? I also like the Anchor anthology.
Yes, great anthology!
Yes, great anthology!
I have this. And it is old and beat up too. I think I discovered Elkin in here.
I have this. And it is old and beat up too. I think I discovered Elkin in here.
i’m gonna check this out. thanks.
this may be way off base, but one anthology that struck me years ago was ‘short novels of the masters’. that’s where i came across kafka’s metamorphosis, joyce’s ‘the dead’, chekhov’s ‘ward no. 6’, and my favorite, dostoyevsky’s ‘notes from underground’. old school classics.
i’m gonna check this out. thanks.
this may be way off base, but one anthology that struck me years ago was ‘short novels of the masters’. that’s where i came across kafka’s metamorphosis, joyce’s ‘the dead’, chekhov’s ‘ward no. 6’, and my favorite, dostoyevsky’s ‘notes from underground’. old school classics.
it was a slow day at the giant.
it was a slow day at the giant.
Everyone is at AWP but me. I am the lonely, lonely htmlgiant contributor.
i’m sorry. i’m always an email away when you need company ;)
i’m sorry. i’m always an email away when you need company ;)
thanks, ryan!
anytime, chief
anytime, chief
Walking Out burned a hole in my brain, too–I nearly missed my subway stop today while reading it; I was in Montana with that boy and his father, not in New York. I found your site while looking for more info on the story and David Quammen. The story is perfectly constructed and absolutely convincing in every detail. I love how it sets up the reader with an initial focus on a certain event, and then delivers something far darker and far more interesting.
Walking Out burned a hole in my brain, too–I nearly missed my subway stop today while reading it; I was in Montana with that boy and his father, not in New York. I found your site while looking for more info on the story and David Quammen. The story is perfectly constructed and absolutely convincing in every detail. I love how it sets up the reader with an initial focus on a certain event, and then delivers something far darker and far more interesting.
Anyone know where I can get a copy of the text?