'Fire' is the best introduction to the full range and humanity of Carver's writing. It contains four essays, including a moving memoir of his father's working life in the saw mills of the Pacific Northwest, a tribute to his mentor John Gardner, and the title essay about the influences on his writing life: fifty poems and seven stories, including three from the early collection 'Furious Seasons'.
Carver is a master. His stories are word perfect. His sentences stalk out meaning, following a trail of clues with patient care and painful anticipation. This is an indispensable volume and provides further proof of Carver's stature as a major American writer.
