His demeanor suggested that he was not at all comfortable with such a position of authority. According to McInerney, Carver was not a born teacher, to say the least: He had no definite method, he preferred listening to lecturing, he avoided criticizing his students, and he mumbled when he spoke.
In his article “Raymond Carver: A Still, Small Voice,” Jay McInerney describes how Raymond Carver taught literature and creative writing at Syracuse University in the early eighties. The book is dedicated to my dear parents, Michal and Tsion Amir, for their unconditional love and support, and to Yizhar. My first ideas and thoughts originated from their fresh and original responses to Carver’s stories. Finally, I would like to thank my students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Thanks to The Raymond Carver Review and its editor, Robert Miltner, who published an abridged version of the first chapter in the opening issue. Aloma Halter, Eva Weiss, Naomi Michlin, and Batnadiv HaKarmi-Weinberg helped in editing the manuscript and preparing it for publication. Special thanks go to Sara Friedman for her generosity in sharing her knowledge and acute sense of style. My good friends and colleagues, Shachar Bram and Tirtza Even, introduced me to new and exciting perspectives on the topics discussed here. John Landau, in reading groups and conversations, stimulated ideas and enriched my thoughts. Shimon Sandbank tirelessly read early drafts and chapters and has been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.
I cannot thank him enough for the time and effort he invested in it, and for his insightful comments and suggestions. Baruch Hochman accompanied this project from the very beginning. Professor Ron also read an early version of this study and helped me greatly with his keen remarks. However, I am still grateful to the translator of that slim volume-Moshe Ron-who eventually introduced a very enthusiastic Israeli audience to all of Carver’s short fiction. A long time passed from that day until I began to write about Carver. My first encounter with Raymond Carver’s stories took place in 1989, through the Hebrew translation of Cathedral. “View Finder” Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? What We Talk about When We Talk about Love Cathedral Where I’m Calling From: Stories Fires: Essays, Poem, Stories All of Us: The Collected Poems Call If You Need Me: The Uncollected Fiction and Other Prose Collected Stories V WYPB WWTA Cathedral WICF Fires AOU CIYN CS Works by Raymond Carver KEY ABBREVIATIONS Raymond Carver’s “Man in a Case”-Frame and Character Singularity or Doubleness-Effet de réel or Symbol?- Toward Conclusion “Whoever Was Using This Bed”-Voice “Why Do I Notice That?”-Vision “I Don’t Do Motion Shots”-Representation of Movement “Does That Have a Hidden Meaning?”-Dialogue ⬁ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Carver, Raymond, 1938-1988-Criticism and interpretation. Includes bibliographical references and index.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Amir, Ayala, 1963The visual poetics of Raymond Carver / Ayala Amir. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. Cover Photography: “Phonebooth” by Tirtza Even copyright © 2010 All rights reserved. Excerpts from Where I’m Calling From copyright © 1986, 1987, 1988 by Raymond Carver. Excerpts from Fires copyright © 1983, 1984 by the Estate of Raymond Carver. Excerpts from Cathedral by Raymond Carver copyright © 1981, 1982, 1983. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom Copyright © 2010 by Lexington Books Excerpts from What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver copyright © 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. Published by Lexington Books A division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. LEXINGTON BOOKS A division of ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver AYALA AMIR