If there is a contemporary writer who has done much the same for the concept of “place” as William Faulkner, it is poet, novelist and essayist Wendell Berry, who has based the fictitious Port William on his particular region of Kentucky. Berry has gone far beyond Faulkner, however, is developing a body of literary, philosophical and economic work that is rooted in his concept of place.
Berry’s latest work is a collections of essays and reflections on another poet of place – The Poetry of William Carlos Williams of Rutherford. Including “of Rutherford” in the title implies more than is seen at first glance – Berry sees Wiliams as the poet of Rutherford, his hometown in New Jersey where he lived and practiced as a doctor, but he also places that “Rutherford-ness” in a much larger context.
To continue reading, please see my post today at The Master's Artist.
4 comments:
Interesting. I enjoyed this post.
Best wishes,
Joseph
You do good reviews! :)
I love WCW, but when I taught my students his poetry, they treated him with disdain.
"What?" they say, "I can write this."
I'd reply, "Then do it."
They never did. LOL -- I appreciate all kinds of poetry; some I like better than others, but there was something about his simplicity that was universal -- if that makes any sense.
Thanks for recommending this book; I'll put it on my list.
and I have always liked Wendell Berry's commentary...
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