This collection of Wendell Berry poems and essays—written outdoors
on the Sabbath—“[shines] with the gentle wisdom of a craftsman who
has thought deeply about the paradoxical strangeness and wonder of
life” (Christian Science Monitor) More than 35 years ago, Wendell
Berry began spending his sabbaths outdoors, when the weather allowed,
walking and wandering around familiar territory, seeking a deep
intimacy only time could provide. These walks sometimes yielded poems.
Each year since, he has completed a series of these poems dated by the
year of its composition. This new sequence provides a virtual syllabus
for all of Berry’s cultural and agricultural work in concentrated
form. Many of these poems were written on a small porch in the woods,
a place of stillness and reflection. Recently Berry has been
reflecting on more than a half century of reading, to discover and to
delight in the poetical, spiritual, and cultural roots of his work. In
The Presence of Nature in the Natural World, Berry’s survey begins
with Alan of Lille’s 12th-century work, The Plaint of Nature. From
the Bible through Chaucer, from Milton to Pope, from Wordsworth to the
moderns, Berry’s close reading is exhilarating. Moving from the
canon of poetry to the sayings and texts found in agriculture and
science, we gain new appreciation for the complexity of the issues
faced in the 21st century by the struggling community of humans on
earth. With this long essay appended to these new Sabbath Poems, the
result is an unusual book of depth and engagement. A new collection of
Wendell Berry poems is always an occasion for celebration, and this
eccentric gathering is especially so.
Les mer
Sabbath Poems 2014 and 2015
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781619028036
Publisert
2017
Utgiver
Random House Publishing Services
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter