Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (1976), Carver's first major book, a collection of stories written over thirteen years. This book marked a turning point in its author's career when it was nominated for a National Book Award in 1977

The stories document the development of Carver's minimalist writing style and bleak outlook on modern life.

Where Water Comes Together with Other Water (1985), Carver's best-known collection of poetry. His poems address familiar topics from daily life in a "prose-like" way, often incorporating narrative elements. This prize-winning collection has been praised for the highly distilled slices of American life it contains.

Back In the World (1985), by Tobias Wolff, Carver's friend and fellow writer. The ten stories in this collection reveal Carver's influence in their tone and subject matter. Wolff s characters, like Carver's, tend to be alienated and dispossessed, but they are perhaps...