what we talk about when we talk about love by raymond carver

This book not only details his Mormon troubles but eventually describes a segment of his important scholarly research regarding the Carver-Lish relationship. Unfortunately (and perhaps unfairly) I eventually tired of Evenson’s fiction but always kept his character and personage in high esteem due to his extensive Lilly research into the Carver-Lish relationship as well as his own struggles with the Mormon church. That early work of Evenson’s scared the bejeezus out of me as I recognized a budding genius perhaps the measure of another favorite writer of mine going by the name of Cormac McCarthy. Other writers who have worked under the tutelage of this great teacher and editor will also add their personal experience to an already growing oeuvre.īrian Evenson’s fiction was first introduced to me in seasonal increments discovered in the Lish-edited litmag titled The Quarterly originally published by Random House beginning in 1987.

And much will still come to be written of Gordon Lish. Learning the history of Evenson’s development as a writer and scholar, and being privy to a few of the trials he sustained while maturing to become the elder Evenson of today, by turns, is an interesting story.

This engaging work highlights the parallels and genesis devolved within both their somewhat parallel literary relationship with the infamous editor Gordon Lish. What a multi-faceted memoir and critical review focusing on the work of Raymond Carver as well as the writing career of the author Brian Evenson.

What we talk about when we talk about love by raymond carver