Walker teaches courses in poetry and fiction at the University of Washington. In the following essay, he considers Carver's short story as a stylistic tribute to Chekhov.

"An artist observes, selects, guesses, and synthesizes." So wrote Anton Chekhov in an 1888 letter to his friend and publisher, A. S. Suvorin. Chekhov's description of the artistic process has proved persuasive to many of his literary heirs, the most important of these in recent years has been Raymond Carver. "Errand," the last story Carver published before his untimely death in 1988, serves not only as a tribute to the beloved Russian writer but also as a nod to his artistic principles.

"I thought I saw an opportunity to pay homage— if I could bring it off, do it rightly and honorably—to Chekhov, the writer who has meant so much to me for such a long time," Carver wrote...