Synopsis shortly before his death, this was Carver's fourth collection of short fiction. It was nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award Publisher's Note A major collection of Carvers short stories, including seven new stories written shortly before the author's death in 1988. A unique collection by an extraordinary writer, this collection of Carver's best spans his literary career and includes seven new works. Since his untimely death in August of 1988, Raymond Carver's popularity has increased dramatically.