WENDELL BERRY
Wendell Berry (1934 - present and going strong, we hope) holds a special place here at Whistlestop. For years we have enjoyed the experience of customers coming in and asking tentatively if we had any Wendell Berry, to which we answer confidently, "what area of his writings are you seeking? Essays, novels, or poetry?" We stock almost all we can (and we can order what little is missing). Berry is a clear strong voice for remembering your roots, thinking clearly and calmly in times of stress and danger, and living truly in relation to your family, your community, and your conscience. He articulates the philosophical and practical advantages of living locally (know local, eat local, shop local, read global). In our quest to fashion our website to be like our store, we thought it necessary to provide a special place for Wendell Berry.
Roots to the Earth
Roots to the Earth
In his introduction to the 2014 collection, Bates wrote: “As our society moves toward urbanization, the majority of the population views agriculture from an increasingly detached position… In his poetry [Berry] reveals tenderness and love as well as anger and uncertainty… the wood engravings in this collection are intended to be companion pieces to the way he expresses what it is to be a farmer.”
Having once put his hand into the ground,
seeding there what he hopes will outlast him,
a man has made a marriage with his place,
and if he leaves it his flesh will ache to go back.
Roots to the Earth is a captivating look at our fundamental need to root ourselves in the land itself.