The tributes have poured in for Wendell Berry, who recently passed away at age 92. He was described as a novelist, poet, essayist, farmer and environmental activist.
I had figured out Mr. Berry lived only a few hours' drive from me, in Port Royal, Kentucky, and it had been my goal (fantasy?) to meet him, and drink iced tea on his front porch while he pontificated.
I have read some of his non-fiction and poetry, and I have read all of his fiction except his most recent, Marce Catlett, his final volume in the Port William series, published last year. It's near the top of my TBR.
For those who have not read Berry, I will give you my standard recommendation. Start with Jayber Crow, then move on to any in the Port William series. Although I am usually a stickler for reading series books in order, for this one I relax that rule. The characters are so rich and the narrative so sweet that chronology can be set aside.
As it turns out, Jayber Crow is the pick for our book club in September, and we will be discussing it next Tuesday. I rarely re-read, but I am reading Jayber again, since it's been quite a few years since I first read it and I want to fully participate in the discussion.
5 comments:
I've not read anything by this author, but I do have Jayber Crow on my wishlist!
Thanks for honouring Mr. Berry, Bob.
For those that are more the non-fiction types, I would recommend The Unsettling Of America and The Long-Legged House. The Unsettling of America was my first read of him and changed how I thought about land and agriculture; one of the essays in The Long Legged House (I do not recall now, but maybe the eponymous essay The Long Legged House) was what caused Gene Logsdon, one of my agriculture heroes, to return back to his native town in Ohio.
I am ashamed to say that I have only read some of his poems.
Nothing to be ashamed of, Debby! His poetry is a big part of his work.
To Bob's point, his books often included his poetry as well.
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