Raymond Carver

Lineup for April 23, 2008

Lose an editor; gain a media property. John Koblin details every maneuver in one very busy week for Rupert Murdoch. This piece has everything: The Wall Street Journal, Marcus Brauchli, Newsday, The New York Times, and Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.  read more »

Carver Still Kicking

Word from Knopf is that Sonny Mehta is still in negotiations with Andrew Wylie about what to do with The Beginners, the controversial volume of unedited, Gordon Lish-less Raymond Carver stories that Knopf originally published in 1981 as What We Talk About. Carver’s widow, Tess Gallagher, has long been trying to get The Beginners into print, arguing that it is more faithful to her late husband’s vision for his stories than the version that was published. Mr. Wylie took up the Carver account last year, after differences over the drafts project led Ms.  read more »

Carving Out the Editors

Unbound: Raymond Carver in 1985.
Getty Images
Unbound: Raymond Carver in 1985.

James Campbell of The Guardian considers "restorations" through the publication of Raymond Carver's short stories with handy slicing and rewriting work of his editor Gordon Lish taken out. On the Road by Jack Kerouac and Native Son by Richard Wright are other restoration cases that have drawn attention in the past few years.  read more »

House-Sitting Politics: Food, Perfume, Dogs– All Mine! Or Is It?

I'm typing this on someone else's computer while listening to her PJ Harvey CD on her stereo, occasi  read more »

Editing: An Act of Generosity, Not a Stab at Co-Authorship

Editing a book is an act of generosity. It's a mind-meld, an act of love–love for the work.  read more »