He passed yesterday at age 92. He is a national treasure, as far as I’m concerned. His beautiful, sensible writing. One of the few authors who wrote both poetry and prose that moves and informs me. He was a dedicated environmental activist and a hands-on farmer who walked his talk.
If you have never read any of his work, I highly recommend it. Almost anything–he’s famous for The Unsettling of America, stunning essays, moving fiction… all highly Druid-appropriate.
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Oh my. That hurts.
I’m a native Kentuckian, and his work has meant so much to me over many decades. I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times.
it’s not unexpected. He had a good, long life, but it hurts.
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Thank you for letting us know. It is sad that he will no longer offer us new writings, but we have the treasures of what he has published to enjoy and learn from.
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And he published a treasure trove of riches. I’m pulling out a book of his essays to read something of his tonight.
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Unfortunately, these days I seem to only become reacquainted with great authors when I hear of their passing. It’s been many, many, many years since I have read any of his work…
Mr. Berry will be my next read.
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The Peace of Wild Things
by
Wendell Berry
| The Peace of Wild Things |
|---|
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
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This one is stunning. Posted on FB without a title.
He goes free of the earth.
The sun of his last day sets
clear in the sweetness of his liberty.
The earth recovers from his dying,
the hallow of his life remaining
in all his death leaves.
Radiances know him. Grown lighter
than breath, he is set free
in our remembering. Grown brighter
than vision, he goes dark
into the life of the hill
that holds his peace.
He’s hidden among all that is,
and cannot be lost.
~ Wendell Berry
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Love it. Wonderful. Grace…
Goodbye Mr. Berry. You will be missed but I will listen for your story in the rustling leaves.
Wendell Berry has shaped my way of thinking and seeing the world for most of my adult life. I named my beloved collie dog after the main character in his novel, Jayber Crow. I had him sign a copy when he came to my town for the release of that book. I told him that one of his poems was a reading at my wedding. He smiled and said ‘I hope you stay stuck with that gal’.
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That is such a wonderfully Berry sort of blessing — plainspoken, funny, rooted, and somehow tender all at once. What a gift to have that memory of meeting him, and tied to both your wedding and your dog.
Jayber Crow is one of those books that seems to settle into people rather than just be read. Thank you for sharing this; it feels exactly right for a remembrance thread.
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Yes this hits hard. Not a native Kentuckian but both my parents are, and lived there for many years growning up. Will honor his memory by digging deeper into his work.
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