The Rabbit Room

Sounds great. I’m about to dive into my first Wendell Berry book, Jaybar Crow.

Wendell Berry > Gandalf
Gandalf = Samwise
Samwise > Colin Firth
Colin Firth = Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch = sliced bread

I’ve been reading Berry’s novels, anyone have a good recommendation for a book of his poetry, he seems to have many volumes. Starting place?

A Mad Farmer poem is what first piqued my interest in Berry when I was sixteen or so. I still go back and read it four or five times a year.

From 1979-1997, Berry spent many Sundays out in nature writing the poems of _A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems._ I don’t agree with every theological or political nuance he makes. However, it is still one of my favorite poetry books of all time.

I also love Berry’s writings on marriage. His prose on this subject is beautiful, but there are poems as well. Here’s one: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-country-of-marriage/

The last verse of Wendell Berry’s poet, How to be a Poet really took my breath away. Very beautiful.

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

“How To Be A Poet” comes from Berry’s 2005 collection – “Given”, which I reviewed for “Rock & Sling” back in 2006. It would be a wonderful place to start, for it includes eight years’ worth of his “Sabbath Poems”. Here is a link to my post about Wendell Berry at Kingdom Poets.
http://kingdompoets.blogspot.com/2010/09/wendell-berry.html

I have not yet read Berry’s fiction; would anyone recommend the best place to start?

D.S. Martin

D.S. A lot of people round these parts tend to like _Hannah Coulter_ best. I enjoyed H.C., but my favorite of Berry’s so far has been _The Memory of Old Jack._

Because it is written from the perspective of an old man looking back over his life, time seems to bend throughout the work. This is one of the most haunting and beautiful things I’ve ever seen in literature.

I have loved several aging people, and I have watched time do this inside them. And since I’ve always wondered if the dimension of time functions only in a pulsing, linear way, or if it just appears to do so from our perspective, watching the mind interweaving through a piece of prose is a wonder.

_Old Jack_ doesn’t discuss this issue, of course, but somehow it gave me a sense of comprehensive “is-ness” to living life. Some of his conclusions at the end didn’t jive with me in full; but the work as a whole was so powerful, it’s still my most loved.

_Jayber Crow_ is my second favorite.

I LOVE that radio show and highly recommend it to my RabbitRoom-mates. I listen every Sunday on my way to work. The discussions are rich and thought-provoking. I heard part of the Wendell Berry discussion and missed you all like crazy!

This is great, Pete. I especially like the snippit, “How to be a poet”. It’s nice to have a little vignette to digest in the midst of a busy day!