Ray Carver Filter: what was the name of that story?
June 25, 2010 12:23 AM

Raymond Carver wrote a story in which a character writes a novel, or a story, about and/or titled "The beast that ate Cleveland," or something.

I read the story maybe fifteen years ago and can't find it anymore.

In the story a guy is breaking up with his wife. His wife is starting to write and she writes a story called "The monster (or beast) that ate Cleveland" - or something like that.

I remember it as being a really good story about the process of writing and being selfish with one's time and want to recommend it fairly regularly, but I can never find it.
posted by From Bklyn to Writing & Language (5 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
For what it's worth, I searched the archives of The New Yorker and didn't find it there.
posted by cocoagirl at 3:17 AM on June 25, 2010


Thanks. I've looked in all the collections I have and of course I've google-ed it. I'm hoping for a jolted memory, an "oh yeah, that story..."
posted by From Bklyn at 3:55 AM on June 25, 2010


Oh weird, I think that's also the name of one of the chapters in Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.
posted by balmore at 1:19 PM on June 25, 2010


I searched all my Carver collections too and didn't find anything, but it does somehow sound familiar. Are you sure it's by him? Carver has a ton of stories about breakups.
posted by ryaninoakland at 3:09 PM on June 26, 2010


Am I sure it's by him? Unfortunately, I'm sure. I could, of course be wrong, but I feel sure.

@balmore: I read Mysteries of Pittsburgh years before this story. But it's a funny/good suggestion, thanks.
posted by From Bklyn at 10:23 PM on June 26, 2010


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