In this post, I wrote some early thoughts on the differences between these two versions. Here at The Millions you can read my comparisons after having finished both collections.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
Restoring Carver's Voice
I'm about 90 percent through with Raymond Carver's Collected Stories now, and I've found that the most enjoyable part of reading the volume has been comparing Beginners, Carver's original manuscript version of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, with the published version as heavily edited by Gordon Lish.
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I enjoyed your article at The Millions, and have subscribed to your blog. Thanks -
Thanks, Matt!
I'm guessing Lish didn't edit any of Carver's poetry? I finally read your Millions article, and I looked up Carver on Wikipedia. I found that his grave has the words to "Late Fragment" on it.
And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
His poem Gravy is also inscribed. How do you think Lish would change this? "I wanted to be loved, and I nailed it."
I haven't read much of the poetry, though I'd like to.
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