Raymond Carver, master of the short story, patron saint of many a creative writing program, regular of many a bar, was born on May 25, 1938. Since then, thousands of aspiring writers all over the world have carried his collections under their arms, displayed them on their bedside tables, and probably even read them. I’ve often been particularly charmed by the Carver covers I have come across, which seem as enigmatic and withdrawn as the writing itself. So just because I love you, and because it’s (almost) Carver’s birthday, here are some of the best Carver covers—for Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and Cathedral—from around the world. Some of them are beautiful. Some are irreverent. Some are so 80s it hurts. All make me want to go back and reread.

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First Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1976 will you please be quiet please First Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1976 First McGraw-Hill Paperback Edition, 1978 what we talk about when we talk about love First Edition, Knopf, 1981 First Edition, Knopf, 1981 Carver Cathedral First Edition, Knopf (1983) First Edition, Knopf, 1983 Vintage, 1984 cathedral Vintage, 1984 Carver Tammi, 1986 (Finnish) Tammi, 1986 (Finnish) Mazarine, 1986 (French) Mazarine, 1986 (French) Carver Teorema, 1987 (Portuguese) Teorema, 1987 (Portuguese) Club degli Editori su licenza Serra e Riva, 1987 (Italian) Carver Cathedral Club degli Editori su licenza Serra e Riva, 1987 (Italian) Carver Garzanti, 1987 (Italian) Garzanti, 1987 (Italian) Carver Cathedral Vintage Contemporaries, 1989 Vintage Contemporaries, 1989 Carver Vintage Contemporaries, 1989 Vintage Contemporaries, 1989 Carver Anagrama, 1989 (Spanish) Anagrama, 1989 (Spanish) Carver Bratstvo Jedinstvo, 1990 (Serbian) Bratstvo Jedinstvo, 1990 (Serbian) LGF, 1991 (French) Anagrama, 1992 (Spanish) Cathedral Anagrama, 1992 (Spanish) Carver Cathedral Elkar, 1993 (Basque) Elkar, 1993 (Basque) Odeon, 1994 (Czech) Carver Cathedral Odeon, 1994 (Czech) Carver Cathedral Zlatko Crnković vam predstavlja, 1997 (Croatian) Zlatko Crnković vam predstavlja, 1997 (Croatian) Carver Livre de Poche, 2000 (French) Livre de Poche, 2000 (French) Carver Minimum Fax, 2001 (Italian) Minimum Fax, 2001 (Italian) Berliner Taschenbuchverlag, 2001 (German) Anagrama, 2003 (Spanish) Teorema, 2004 (Portuguese) Carver Polirom, 2005 (Romanian) Polirom, 2005 (Romanian) Polirom, 2006 (Romanian) Carver Polirom, 2006 (Romanian) Carver Cathedral Vintage Classics, 2009 (Australia) Vintage Classics, 2009 (Australia) Vintage Classics, 2009 (Australia) Vintage Classics, 2009 (Australia) Vintage Classics, 2009 (Australia) Vintage, 2009; design by Peter Buchanan-Smith, photo by Todd Hido Vintage, 2009; design by Peter Buchanan-Smith, photo by Todd Hido Vintage, 2009; design by Peter Buchanan-Smith, photo by Todd Hido Fischer Klassik, 2012 (German) Fischer Klassik, 2012 (German) Fischer Klassik, 2012 (German) Fischer Klassik, 2012 (German) Cathedral Fischer Klassik, 2012 (German) Nhã Nam & NXB Văn học, 2012 (Vietnamese) Nhã Nam, NXB Văn Học, 2013 (Vietnamese) Carver Cathedral Nhã Nam, NXB Văn Học, 2013 (Vietnamese) Carver Anagrama, 2018 (Spanish) Anagrama, 2013 (Spanish) Points, 2013 (French) Points, 2013 (French) Points, 2013 (French) Carver Can Yayınları, 2013 (Turkish) Can Yayınları, 2013 (Turkish) Raymond Carver Cathedral Can Yayınları, 2014 (Turkish) Can Yayınları, 2014 (Turkish) Einaudi, 2014 (Italian) Cathedral Einaudi, 2014 (Italian) carver Einaudi, 2015 (Italian) Einaudi, 2015 (Italian) Polirom, 2015 (Romanian) Polirom, 2015 (Romanian) Einaudi, 2017 (Italian) Carver Polirom, 2018 (Romanian) Polirom, 2018 (Romanian) Carver Cathedral Μεταίχμιο, 2018 (Greek) Μεταίχμιο, 2018 (Greek) Carver Penerbit BACA, 2018 (Indonesian) Penerbit BACA, 2018 (Indonesian) Anagrama, 2019 (Spanish)

Emily Temple

Emily Temple

Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.