The Autopoetics of Raymond Carver: A Study of His Poetry Career

The purpose of this project is a research trip to the United States in 2011 to complete the main chapters of a book manuscript: The Autopoetics of Raymond Carver: A Study of His Poetry Career. This book is the most important step in the applicant's proces s of attaining the competence necessary for a position of full professor at her current institution, Hedmark University College. Raymond Carver (1938-1988) is one of the best known American short story writers of the 20th century, yet his poetry career ha s been understudied and the book will be the first full-length monograph on this neglected topic, thus filling a critical gap in the field. The applicant will spend 5 months of research and writing at the University of Washington Libraries where there are important out-of-print poetry books that Carver published in the 1960s/70s that are the object of study. The applicant has received an invitation from the Director of the Special Collections at the UW and will thus have direct access to the materials und er scrutiny. Two chapters of this book have already been completed and blind-reviewed by UW Press (level 2 publisher), who are interested in publishing it. The applicant will meet with this press during her stay at the UW to pursue a book contract, and wi ll pursue copyright permission to quote from Carver's poems and to reprint paintings by Alfredo Arreguín that are studied comparatively in the book manuscript. The applicant will also present a chapter from the book at the 2011 MMLA Convention in St. Loui s, Missouri, and organize panels and meetings there in her function as Director of the International Raymond Carver Society (IRCS). 2011 marks the 5 year anniversary of this international network and we will hold two panels (6 speakers, including the appl icant, from the original member countries Norway, Canada and the U.S.), a board meeting of the IRCS and general members' meeting.