Carol Sklenicka
Encyclopedia
Carol Sklenicka is an American biographer and essayist best known as the author of Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life, the first comprehensive biography of short story writer Carver
to be published after his death.
Sklenicka was raised in Santa Maria, California
, attended college in San Luis Obispo
and received a Ph. D. in English and American literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 1986. She taught writing at Marquette University
and at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
prior to devoting herself to fulltime writing. She lives near the Russian River in northern California with poet, novelist, and lyricist R. M. Ryan
, author of Vaudeville in the Dark and several other books.
The publication of her biography of Carver, which was named a notable book of the year by both The New York Times
and the Washington Post, followed more than a decade of interviews with Carver's friends, family and writing colleagues. However, Carver's widow, poet Tess Gallagher
, refused to be interviewed by Sklenicka. Some critics, most notably novelist Stephen King
, writing in The New York Times
, found that Sklenicka displayed "something like awe for Carver the writer" and was "almost nonjudgmental when it comes to Carver the nasty drunk and ungrateful (not to mention sometimes dangerous) husband." Time
found the book "judicious, thorough and sometimes harrowing".
Among the journals to which Sklenicka has contributed are Confrontation
, South Atlantic Quarterly and Sou'wester.
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
to be published after his death.
Sklenicka was raised in Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
, attended college in San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
and received a Ph. D. in English and American literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 1986. She taught writing at Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
and at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is a four-year, professional college of art and design, founded in 1974. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 11 majors and is considered the successor to the Layton School of Art....
prior to devoting herself to fulltime writing. She lives near the Russian River in northern California with poet, novelist, and lyricist R. M. Ryan
R. M. Ryan
R. M. Ryan is the author of Vaudeville in the Dark, which was lauded by the New York Times as "written at the juncture of rapture and rupture." He is also the author of Goldilocks in Later Life and The Golden Rules...
, author of Vaudeville in the Dark and several other books.
The publication of her biography of Carver, which was named a notable book of the year by both The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and the Washington Post, followed more than a decade of interviews with Carver's friends, family and writing colleagues. However, Carver's widow, poet Tess Gallagher
Tess Gallagher
Tess Gallagher is an American poet, essayist, author and playwright. She attended the University of Washington, where she studied creative writing with Theodore Roethke and later Nelson Bentley as well as David Wagoner and Mark Strand...
, refused to be interviewed by Sklenicka. Some critics, most notably novelist Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, found that Sklenicka displayed "something like awe for Carver the writer" and was "almost nonjudgmental when it comes to Carver the nasty drunk and ungrateful (not to mention sometimes dangerous) husband." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
found the book "judicious, thorough and sometimes harrowing".
Among the journals to which Sklenicka has contributed are Confrontation
Confrontation (journal)
Confrontation is an American literary magazine founded in 1968 and based at Long Island University in Brookville, New York. It publishes fiction, essays and poetry twice each year. The journal helped launch the careers of Cynthia Ozick, Paul Theroux and Walter Abish...
, South Atlantic Quarterly and Sou'wester.