Few contemporary writers have captured the image of “everyman” as well as American short story writer, poet, and essayist, Raymond Carver. In this program, fellow writers, Carver’s wife, and others discuss his lower-middle-class roots in the Northwest as the source of inspiration for his characters and stories. In rare interviews filmed before his death, Carver speaks candidly about his alcoholism, and his struggle to maintain his writing career in the face of looming financial problems and growing family demands. Readings from several works, Gravy, Everything Stuck to Him, Bad Home Life, Tell the Women We’re Going, and the poem, “Bankruptcy,” highlight the disturbing plots and working-class language for which Carver is most noted. A BBC Production. (53 minutes)