Raymond Carver

Raymond Carver (1938-1988) was a famed American short-story writer and poet. Gallagher met Carver at a writer's workshop in Iowa, and they began a friendship that would last a decade and would color both Gallagher's life and her writing. Before meeting Gallagher, Carver had turned to alcohol to ease the distress of a failed marriage, several unfulfilling jobs, and a lack of the kind of success in writing that he was craving. In 1977, Carver quit drinking and coincidently met Gallagher. They lived and worked together for ten years. A few months before he died of cancer, Carver and Gallagher were married.

As a cultural figure, a famous writer, and a lover and friend, Carver significantly influenced Gallagher. His writing, which has been credited with bringing the short story back into American literary culture, became more focused and more widely read during the time of his relationship...