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There was talk of short stories. Someone else is going to have to weigh up Ray Carver who always smelled of smoke and whose pockets were full of biscuits and was never happier than when he was pulling commas out of sentences.

But there is also John Cheever. He gave us The Swimmer which became one of the saddest and strangest films of the late 1960s.

cjh, I just found your poll that no one has responded to!

I shall respond, cjh, for you are a very popular man round these parts!

John Cheever is NOT CRAP! He is in NO WAY CRAP! But he seems to have fallen out of favor with academia. But then again, so has Steinbeck. The lesson: fuck academia.

By the way, I know there aren't too many fans of that Seinfeld show here on electrical, but the discovery of Cheever's love letters to George's father-in-law was a truly brilliant moment. Plus, how many Cheever references do you typically get on prime time television?

Connor

I know there aren't too many fans of that Seinfeld show, but the discovery of Cheever's love letters to George's father-in-law was a truly brilliant moment

the non-fans of Seinfeld are crazy and that moment is evidence.

"the swimmer" also is fantastic. so odd and well-structured. a lot of authors get stuck with one story or book as their calling card whether they like it or not but if you have to have an albatross "the swimmer" is an impressive one.

connor wrote:cjh, I just found your poll that no one has responded to!

I shall respond, cjh, for you are a very popular man round these parts!

John Cheever is NOT CRAP! He is in NO WAY CRAP! But he seems to have fallen out of favor with academia. But then again, so has Steinbeck. The lesson: fuck academia.

By the way, I know there aren't too many fans of that Seinfeld show here on electrical, but the discovery of Cheever's love letters to George's father-in-law was a truly brilliant moment. Plus, how many Cheever references do you typically get on prime time television?

Connor

Remember he said he could barely walk after their wild night at the cabin? Seinfeld is incredible!!! Curb Your Enthusiasm is too.

Speaking of Steinbeck, did you hear his hometown of Salinas CA had to close all of their public libraries? They are now the largest city in the country with no library. Now that is a sad state of affairs!

where's a good place to start?

Eierdiebe wrote:where's a good place to start?

There's a famous collection called The Stories of John Cheever. Get that.

I read Falconer a couple weeks ago. Some of the best tender man-love prose out there.

There's a famous collection called The Stories of John Cheever

it actually won a pulitzer. one of the few short story collections to do it. at least i think it did and i can't be bothered to look it up but i'm commenting anyway.

Cheever - Not Crap.
Love his stuff. I've read the short stories twice.
I dig that Wapshot.

"The Chekhov of the Suburbs."
Sort of like Salinger for adults.

I go for all that Paris Review/Northeastern Fiction, but even if you don't this guy was the best.
Start with the short stories.

-A