k-mart, k-mart realism; the rise, struggle, decline of

the rise

1977-1980

• S.S. Kresge Co. changes its name to Kmart Corp.
• John Gardner, teacher of Raymond Carver, publishes On Moral Fiction, a sort of attack on Postmodernism.
• Raymond Carver stops drinking with the help of alcoholics anonymous, publishes Furious Seasons and Other Stories. Writes What we Talk About When we Talk About Love.
• Mary Robison recieves a Masters degree from John Hopkins, publishes her first story collection, Days.
• Ann Beattie plays a waitress in the movie of her own novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter, which is released twice.

1981-1987

• Kmart opens its 2000th store. There are Kmart stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Probably other places too.
• Bobbie Ann Mason publishes Shiloh and Other Stories, wins the PEN/Hemingway Award. Raymond Carver says, "These stories will last."
• Frederick Barthelme publishes his first story collection, Moon Deluxe, 13 stories of which (out of 17) appeared previously in the New Yorker.
• Joy Williams publishes Taking Care, her first story collection. Raymond Carver says, "Joy Williams is simply a wonder." Ann Beattie says, "One of our most remarkable storytellers."
• Raymond Carver publishes Cathedral.
• Kmart starts relationship with Martha Stewart as spokeswoman and consultant.

the struggle

1988-1993

• Raymond Carver dies of Lung Cancer.
• Joy Williams publishes Escapes. Four of the stories appeared previously in Best American Short Stories. One won an O'Henry Prize. But one story is called "Gurdjieff in the Sunshine State" and is literally that, and is ignored by all reviewers. Zoe Heller says, " ... the market is flooded with laconic little slices of life [...] Joy Williams is undoubtably part of the factory team."
• "Less is Less," Madison Smartt Bell's anti Kmart realism essay, previously published in Harper's, is translated into Japanese and published in Switch.
• Kmart buys stake in OfficeMax, The Sports Authority. Buys Borders, the book chain.

the decline

1993-1999

• Kmart sells its stake in The Sports Authority and OfficeMax.
• Mary Robison divorces her second husband, Jim.
• Frederick Barthelme publishes a story in Ploughshares. Has not published a story in The New Yorker since sometime before 1992; will not publish another story in the New Yorker ever.
• Kmart realism attacked by Frederick Busch, Tom Wolfe.

2000-2002

• Kmart buys its BlueLight.com Internet service.
• Joy Williams publishes The Quick and the Dead, a novel with wild, abstract, and affected language; a ghost who comes back to haunt and make-fun of its husband; and strange, self-concious, postmodern-y sort of introductions to each section of the book. Blurbed by Don Delillo, Bret Easton Ellis.
• Mary Robison publishes Why Did I Ever, a novel told in over 500 fragments, of which she says can pretty much be read in any order.
• Ann Beattie publishes an essay in the New York Times, reminiscing about how at readings people used to talk to her about Joy Williams and Raymond Carver. Complaining about how now at readings people just ask her "specious questions to ellicit amusing answers."
• Kmart files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.