What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
Turns out that the published versions of a number of Raymond Carver stories were extremely heavily edited by Carver’s original editor, Gordon Lish. Check the mind-blowing difference between the published ending of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love and Carver’s original ending…
Published ending, as edited by Lish:
L.D. put the shaving bag under his arm again and once more picked up the suitcase.
He said, “I just want to say one more thing.”
But then could not think what it possibly could be.
[end]
Carver’s original ending:
L.D. put the shaving bag under his arm again and once more picked up the suitcase. “I just want to say one more thing, Maxine. Listen to me. Remember this,” he said. “I love you. I love you no matter what happens. I love you too, Bea. I love you both.” He stood there at the door and felt his lips begin to tingle as he looked at them for what, he believed, might be the last time. “Good-bye,” he said.
“You call this love, L.D.?” Maxine said. She let go of Bea’s hand. She made a fist. Then she shook her head and jammed her hands into her coat pockets. She stared at him and then dropped her eyes to something on the floor near his shoes.
It came to him with a shock that he would remember this night and her like this. He was terrified to think that in the years ahead she might come to resemble a woman he couldn’t place, a mute figure in a long coat, standing in the middle of a lighted room with lower eyes.
“Maxine!” he cried. “Maxine!”
“Is this what love is, L.D.?” she said, fixing her eyes on him. Her eyes were terrible and deep, and he held them as long as he could.
[end]
Via a fascinating art & IP story on Techdirt: it may not be possible for Carver’s widow to publish the original versions of these stories.
