More on Wendell Berry

Since I wrote the post about Wendell Berry, I have been doing a lot more thinking about his, his philosophies, his lifestyle. The more that I think about his work the more difficult it is. He is a person that has put into practice what he believes. Who of us can say that? I will include some links, quotes and some other reading recommendations for those of you who are interested.

"“Be ye separate” and “Go ye into all the world” are not new commands, and neither is the church’s struggle to satisfy both. Wendell Berry’s spiritual retreat to Henry County Kentucky after his stint at Stanford has entered its fifth decade."--Devine, Mark. Martin Luther and Wendell Berry: To Seperate, Serve or Both? That is the Question.

"We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives, so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us. . . We must recover the sense of the majesty of the creation and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it."

I have read most of Wendell Berry's Port William fiction. My favorites are the following.

Hannah Coulter (2004)
At the end of her life, Hannah Coulter remembers her life of grief. For anyone who has lost someone they love, this is an important read. From when she was young, Hannah was surrounded by sorrow and loss. Berry discusses different types of loss: from death, to children moving away, to the loss of self.


Jayber Crow (2000)
The story of Port Williams barber, Jayber Crow follows the story of how an outsider becomes part of "the membership." Jayber longs to love someone and to belong. The story is of how he becomes an important part of the lives of all of the people in Port William.


Fidelity: Five Stories (1993)
Some of my favorite Berry fiction, Fidelity deals with topics of marriage, death and love. My favorite story in this collection is of how Burly Coulter, one of the main characters through the Port Williams narratives, dies. It is the story of his family's struggle to figure out how Burly would want to spend his last days.



Nathan Coulter (1960)
This is the first story about the Port William community. It is a story once again of loss and of the growing and changing of a young boy. One of my favorite scenes in this story if when Nathan's older brother decides to take is dad on in a crop mowing contest. Berry describes the tension of a boy wanting to become a man and the father standing in his way, so well. I read this as a part of a later collection entitled Three Short Novels.

So check out the links above for better reviews of these books and then head to the library or Amazon. Have a great weekend and thanks for reading.