Keats and Chapman were discussing
the relative merits of various American short story writers. Seeing
as they had both expressed admiration for Raymond Carver Chapman was
surprised to hear his friend's impassioned condemnation of John
Cheever. At the end of a lengthy tirade Keats declared, 'Cheever was
a workaholic whose prodigious output took a toll on the quality of
his writing. Take 'The Swimmer' for instance, I would rather read
a... a...' he searched for the most tedious publication he could
imagine, 'an accountancy
manual'.
'So you're talking about a textbook
over a Cheever', suggested Chapman, pleased with himself.
'I sometimes think you're only in
this for the jokes', snapped Keats.
