Distant Neighbors: The Selected Letters of Wendell Berry & Gary Snyder

by Chad Wriglesworth

"The letters are valuable for ecologists, students, and teachers of contemporary American literature and for those of us eager to know how these two distant neighbors networked, negotiated, and remained friends." ― San Francisco Chronicle

"In Distant Neighbors , both Berry and Snyder come across as honest and open-hearted explorers. There is an overall sense that they possess a deep and questing wisdom, hard earned through land work, travel, writing, and spiritual exploration. There is no rushing, no hectoring, and no grand gestures between these two, just an ever-deepening inquiry into what makes a good life and how to live it, even in the depths of the machine age." ― Orion Magazine

In 1969 Gary Snyder returned from a long residence in Japan to northern California, to a homestead in the Sierra foothills where he intended to build a house and settle on the land with his wife and young sons. He had just published his first book of essays, Earth House Hold. A few years before, after a long absence, Wendell Berry left New York City to return to land near his grandfather's farm in Port Royal, Kentucky, where he built a small studio and lived there with his wife as they restored an old house on their newly acquired homestead. In 1969 Berry had just published Long-Legged House. These two founding members of the counterculture and of the new environmental movement had yet to meet, but they knew each other's work, and soon they began a correspondence. Neither man could have imagined the impact their work would have on American political and literary culture, nor could they have appreciated the impact they would have on one another. Snyder had thrown over all vestiges of Christianity in favor of becoming a devoted Buddhist and Zen practitioner, and had lived in Japan for a prolonged period to develop this practice. Berry's discomfort with the Christianity of his native land caused him to become something of a renegade Christian, troubled by the church and organized religion, but grounded in its vocabulary and its narrative. Religion and spirituality seemed like a natural topic for the two men to discuss, and discuss they did. They exchanged more than 240 letters from 1973 to 2013, remarkable letters of insight and argument. The two bring out the best in each other, as they grapple with issues of faith and reason, discuss ideas of home and family, worry over the disintegration of community and commonwealth, and share the details of the lives they've chosen to live with their wives and children. Contemporary American culture is the landscape they reside on. Environmentalism, sustainability, global politics and American involvement, literature, poetry and progressive ideals, these two public intellectuals address issues as broad as are found in any exchange in literature. No one can be unaffected by the complexity of their relationship, the subtlety of their arguments, and the grace of their friendship. This is a book for the ages.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Biography Memoir, History, Biography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 2014

Reviews

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No use talking about getting enlightened or saving your soul if you can't keep the topsoil from washing away.": Wendell Berry to Gary Snyder.

"I'm about to radically change my life--finally--by cutting down on excess projects and efforts and promises. I begin to see it as a kind of very culpable spiritual pride that I keep thinking I can do so much. The effort becomes graceless after while.": Gary Snyder to Wendell Berry.

A couple of highlights from the correspondence between two of the world's most important ecological poets and thinkers that began in 1973 and was still going on when the book went to press a couple of years ago. Snyder and Berry are a fascinating combination. Berry's farm-based approach to sustainable agriculture is deeply grounded in his Christianity (not to be confused with adherence to any narrow church doctrine); Snyder's commitment to a life modeled on the vision of hunting and gathering is entwined with his nearly life-long practice of Zen Buddhism. While they share a fundamental focus on developing a healthier relationship with the food chain, natural world, etc., Snyder and Berry differ on many particulars; at times their arguments became intense, often involving understanding of particular Biblical passages and the question of whether Christianity encourages exploitation of the environment and what might be called "species pride." But they consistently work through the center of the tensions, not always agreeing, but always handling the questions with respect and seriousness.

It's a model of friendship. Fair amount of conversation about travel, the details of the writing life, and family. Having read Snyder's correspondence with Alan Ginsburg previously, I'm hoping there are additional compilations coming.

[Stephen Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first exploration into the world of published letters, and I'm already excited to go back. This particular collection between agrarians Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder is particularly engrossing. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversational tone of the letters and felt like I was an audience of sorts to a growing friendship built upon their love for their place and their love for conservation.

While Berry and Snyder do disagree on a variety of things, the love that is shared is much greater. Both defend their traditions (Western for Berry, Eastern for Snyder) without compromise, but show a mutual respect that is missing in today's dialogue between oppositional ideas. It's worth noting too that they disagree more on the origins of their ideas than their destinations. They often find themselves doing identical work differently. They often use this a sort of fertilizer for conversation.

"I think it would be surprising and disappointing if we agreed more than we do. If we agreed about everything, what would we have to say to each other? I am for conversation." -Wendell Berry to Gary Snyder

Some of my favorite letters were the ones that described mundane life on their respective farms; the challenges and hardships of land and family along with the sweet moments of stability and cultivation. These letters span from the late 70s through 2013, and that is a testament to the friendship this book witnesses.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gary Sydner and Wendell Berry are both contemporary writers, now in their 80's, of both fiction and poetry, as well as numerous essays and books about the relationship between human beings and the earth they inhabits. Both emphasize the need for good stewardship. Snyder, perhaps best known for his friendship with beat writers of the 50's and 60's, is a committed Buddhist, while Berry is an avowed Christian.

But they respect each other's differences and have continued their friendship, reflected in these letters, for the past 40 years. The letters are like ones you'd write to your friends, inquiring about their families and present activities, but also talking about important issues. Berry writes to Snyder, "If we agreed on everything what would we talk about?" In another letter he comments, "The idea that truth is all on your side is the worst danger to your side." This willingness to often disagree, often from religious perspectives, but without letting them get in the way of a long and deep friendship, is impressive.

Both are deeply concerned about the harm that humans do to the environment (the last letter quoted was written in 2012, and they'd be even more concerned today). Berry writes that "the human species is dominant and its dominance is disastrous without responsibility." Because humans have the capability to do pretty much what they want, ignoring the long term consequences. there is nothing to stop them. He insists that the ethos of the Christian Bible is opposed to such destruction.

Snyder is critical of that interpretation and would instead base his environmental ethics on Buddhist notions that we are a part of everything and that if we respect our own being, we will revere what is around us as well.

They agree about the nature of "evil." Berry writes, "I see it pretty much your way. If you don't see how much badness comes from stupidity, ignorance, confusion, etc. - if you don't see how much badness is done by good, likeable people, if you don't love, or don't know you love, people whose actions you deplore - then I guess you can go too far into outrage, acquire diseased motives, quit having any fun, and get bad yourself."

He adds that humans suffer from pride, from thinking that there is no value or order that outranks the human. There is no sense of mystery or awe, no humility and in practice this leads to what he calls "technological despotism," the impersonal manipulating of other human beings. Humans, particularly those who control technology became the unchecked measure of all things.

Reading these letters is like listening in on an easy-going, but serious, conversation between two intelligent and open-minded individuals.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This record of a 40-year correspondence between two of our nation’s greatest poets and intellectuals is a testament to friendship, good manners and the lost art of letter writing. Distant Neighbors shares many of the 240 letters the two writers exchanged between 1973-2013.

In their missives, they discuss everything from local weather to opinions on religion and faith, constructive criticism on each other’s poems to experiments in homesteading.

Berry is a 3rd generation farmer in Kentucky, born and raised with Christian values, who has made the exploration and revitalized practice of traditional, agrarian values his life’s work.

Snyder, on the other hand, is a Zen Buddhist who has lived off the grid in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada since the early 1970s. His interests have ranged from Chinese environmental history to Native American mythology to Neolithic lifeways.

Their letters demonstrate how people from disparate backgrounds can have differing opinions and lifestyles, yet find productive common ground by remaining open-minded, respectful and resilient. The poets’ congeniality is striking in this highly polarized age, when opposing sides try to settle arguments by seeing who can shout the loudest.

Berry and Snyder are arguably responsible for bringing concepts like Deep Ecology, the importance of sustainable agriculture and local economics and “watershed thinking” in to our society’s consciousness. Through their poems, essays, interviews, teachings and lectures, they planted seeds that would later bear fruit in the “back to the land” movement of the ‘60s, landmark environmental legislation in the ‘70s and today’s focus on sustainability, green power, permaculture and Slow Food. So it is of great interest to witness the two unfettered minds working over these various concepts through their decades-long correspondence: offering hypothesis, sharing research, testing ideas, challenging presumptions.

And always, in conclusion, asking after each other’s families, reporting on what birds they recently observed at the feeder and a courteous bow of friendship.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forty years of letters exploring the commonality, differences, and affection of two key writers.

[Courtney Sanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving testimony of friendship in the truest sense- seeking to know one another deeply, kindly challenging each other as they refine their thoughts and beliefs, offering support and encouragement in professional endeavors (especially where a spirit of competition could have taken root), and connecting spiritually without allowing (supposed) differences in religion to get in the way. A model for what modern friendship should strive to replicate in its presence, intention, thoughtfulness, and commitment by two amazing authors, conservationists, and men.

[tonia peckover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder have two very different approaches to life (WB is an agrarian in the Christian tradition, GS is an environmental activist and Zen Buddhist) but both men are poets and writers who managed to forge a respectful and affectionate friendship through the years. I was so touched by their admiration and respect for each other's work, for the way they capitalized on agreement and went to each other for understanding their own biases and assumptions. My own affection for both men grew as I read their correspondence, but I was most taken with Berry, whose quiet humility, thoughtfulness, integrity and goodness shines through. What a lovely book for these fractious days.

[The East Bay Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Distant Neighbors: The Selected Letters of Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder is a collection of letters that spans forty years of friendship between two prolific writers who have each spent a lifetime living in harmony with the land in unusual and complementary ways. Gary Snyder’s passionate respect for the wild nature of the land led him to live in the wilderness of the Sierra foothills. Wendell Berry’s deep connection to an agrarian lifestyle drew him back to farm in Kentucky where his family had been stewards of the land for generations. This collection of correspondence begins in 1973, shortly after the writers became acquainted professionally through Jack Shoemaker, an editor and publisher in the Bay Area who worked with both men.

In his introduction, editor Chad Wriglesworth, succinctly describes the relationship between the two writers and the importance of this relationship to a contemporary reader: “By choosing paths of hospitality over mindless competition, these two men—known for giving us alternative models for living in place—have also left us a so-called road map that leads to more generous and imaginative ways of existing together.” Snyder and Berry are both purposeful and thoughtful in their letters—whether penning short notes about planting or composing long letters examining differences in their beliefs, there is a fearlessness in the way they live in the world. Both men are committed activists for the earth, inhabiting the land in a deeply personal way, choosing to raise their families to respect and rely on nature and accept what each season offers, be it bounty or hardship.

As writers, these letters offer their critiques of each other’s work and in doing so display a mutual respect that becomes a deepening and enduring friendship over four decades. Both men passionately express their respective views on spirituality and human’s relation to nature. Snyder views the world from a Zen perspective, while Berry sees the world through a more Christian lens. Their discourse is a spirited exploration of their values, always seeking clarity and precision, but never sinking to an indictment or judgment.

Throughout the letters, there is a patience, a deep sense of following nature’s pace that proceeds from a total lack of pretense in writing and in living. In one letter, Snyder leaves off from a discussion on the spiritual teachings of Zen and early Christians to ask Berry if he believes “one could use a tractor to get his place where it would grow enough grass to keep horses from there?” In response, Berry interrupts a rant on “poet-interviews” to write, “On the tractor question, I think you must do what seems to make the most sense in your particular circumstances. I regret tractors, I guess, at least as much as I regret interviews. Both, however, can be well used.”

Wriglesworth has been scrupulous in documenting the context and chronology of the correspondence and he acknowledges the invaluable assistance he was given by both writers in completing this project. His careful curation has resulted in a cohesive collection that steadily traverses the courses of both men’s lives as they intersect with each other and with the culture and times in which they were written. The questions of what one believes and how these strongly-held beliefs determine the way one lives in this world will always be important. In the case of Snyder and Berry, their principles have not only shaped their own lives but also continue to help shape the ways people think about and interact with this world.

[Al Maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berry and Snyder are both poets, essayists and both settled on small farms after deciding in the late sixties to attempt to find a way to live that was non destructive of their environments. Unlike most of their contemporaries they never gave up on that commitment. This is a record of over forty years of letters between the two documenting their friendship and mutual interests. The book is an interesting record of the development of environmental thought, both being intelligent, articulate and devoted to their cause. I happen to be a fan of the writing of each of them and found the letters interesting for a number of other reasons. Berry's thinking is rooted in Christianity and the English poetic tradition. He knows more about sixteenth century English poetry than anyone else I read. On the other hand Snyder's roots are in oriental poetry, Zen Buddhism and the West Coast labour movement. The way the two orientations interact in the letters was one of my main interests. For example, Berry is much more inclined to articulate his quandaries and qualms while Snyder seems to simply set his aside as he would a vagrant thought or feeling while "sitting". They also regularly challenged what they saw as weak points in each others traditions in a constructive and open way. In this period of militant intolerance it was refreshing to read.

[Keith Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Berry and Snyder for over 40 years now, so a book like this is inevitably an important addition to my library. Perhaps someone who hasn't spent the time with these two writers might not find these very interesting, but I can't imagine that reader.

The best thing, of course, is the intimacy of these letters, that we are allowed in to their lives as they figured out the work -- the practical work on their own places, the theoretical and spiritual work that supported the practical, and the artistic work that has brought it all alive for so many readers. There are long letters from the mid-80s where they are very frank about their disagreements and go into long discussions about the different Buddhist and Christian approaches to the land.

In the end, this is a great picture of how two brilliant writers followed two very different paths to get to the same place, where they found friendship and support.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a wonderful, enjoyable, and compelling book to read. The interaction between two keen and curious individuals was a joy to wade into. I have previously enjoyed Wendell Berry's work, both poetry and prose (fiction and nonfiction), but I was not acquainted with Gary Snyder's work. This, for me, is the sign of a book I've enjoyed - when I added half a dozen more books to my reading list as a result of having read this work.

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evidence of a long and thoughtful friendship.


"Things are going ahead here at an unsurprising rate, and our complaints are more or less normal."


"We obviously can't, mustn't, be optimistic. But how good to think, beyond the thought of victory, of making some happy, useful sense with companions!"

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A view into the friendship of two important writers—full of the ordinary news of their places, their families, their work, and their efforts to connect and reconnect with each other. Helpful notes and an index of names. A great gift to their long-time readers.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've not read a book of letters before, but I really enjoyed this collection spanning nearly 40 years of two of the leading lights of environmental / bioregionalist thinking in the US. I know of Wendell Berry from his brilliant Port William Membership novels, but knew little of Snyder beyond his fame as Japhy Ryder in Kerouac's Dharma Bums. As an insight into both writers thinking I can't think of a better introduction. I think what is most arresting about this collection is the quality of conversation represented within. As an antidote to the diatribe and vitriol that passes for debate in the modern social media post-truth world, it was like a breath of fresh air to read such clear and considered writing. Indeed, even when the correspondents disagree about points, there is always a clear sense of respect and thoughtful consideration of each other's position, and perhaps more telling, the feeling that in considering each other's views respectfully, at times each has modified or widened their opinions or stance.

As both writers are poets and essayists, of course you'd expect moments of beauty in the writing, and it is in the small details and observations of the daily passage of life that this is most evident. And it is from this everyday awareness that a clearer sense of both writers ecological thought strongly emerges. Both Snyder and Berry are rooted in a sense of place, their own chosen places, and places visited. It's lovely to see the short but insightful comments that display the mindful interactions between the writers and place. I am left encouraged to read more of Berry's prose (his collection "The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry" is high on the wants' list) as well as to explore some of Snyder's writings.

[Greta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's just say you haven't read any of Gary Snyder or Wendell Berry's books, or poetry, or heard any of their lectures. Maybe you don't know anything about the people they associate with. Perhaps you're not familiar with the "deep ecology movement" or care much about homesteading. If that's the case and you're like me, then you might not get much out of their correspondence than blah blah blah-de-blah blah. (I'm not unfamiliar with reading other people's letters: I've read all 919 of those in the Vincent van Gogh collection and enjoyed them very much.) Wendell and Gary were obviously good friends but their written conversations don't convey much depth of anything else. Reading this collection of their correspondence is like listening in on a 40-year conversation that focuses mostly on the weather. Bor-ing. I think it would be much more interesting to read some of their actual "work" than read about them talking about working.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book enough, but I felt that it was 80% planning trips and 20% fascinating discussions between two fascinating people. I'm here for the 20% though!

I love that these two have such a strong and lasting friendship across a country and across their beliefs. They are wildly opposite - a dharma bum living in what seems a commune kind of style and a Christian with old fashioned values living a style closer to the Amish than not - but they connect over their love for place, the natural world, and their belief that local agriculture and simple living is the solution to the world's problems. They argue, they plan to see each other, and they support each other's work and lives. Its a lovely relationship to behold and a lesson of friendship in our world of deep divide.

I enjoyed my time reading this compilation of letters and feel like I know each of these great thinkers a little better.

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers over 40 years of correspondence between Gary Snyder (West Coast poet/essayist, Zen Buddhist advocate of hunter/gathering and gardening) and Wendell Berry (Kentucky poet/essayist, Christian but non-denominational, and pro-agrarian), during which they discuss their differences in a civilized manner as their friendship grows. They also share the happenings in their busy lives -- tending the land, animals, and the wild forests that surround them. Both bemoan the destructive practices required by industrial farming, logging, the wholesale raising of animals.

Given it's two fellas gabbing back and forth, I'm reminded of Didi and Gogo in Waiting for Godot. Only Gary and Wendell don't sit around with thumbs up their asses. They are constantly doing something productive, but not for personal profit. They work on bettering society and its relationship to nature.

As Snyder has written: "An ethical life is one that is mindful, mannerly, and has style."

[Susan Eubank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here are the questions discussed at the Reading the Western Landscape Book Club at the Arboretum Library of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden on October 25, 2017:

• What was your main takeaway with this book?
• Would you take Gary Snyder’s planting advice? Why? Why not?
• What are the letters a record of?
• How did Gary and Wendell’s relationship change over time?
• What was the point of publishing these letters?
• What role did women play in their worlds?
• What is the main difference in their belief systems?
• What do they want for the world? Do you agree? Why? Why not?
• What did you like best about this book? Least?
• Could you live the way they do? What would you like about it? Not like?
• Is their lifestyle feasible for a large population? Why? Why not?
• What did you like/ not like about their descriptions of nature, weather, farming, etc.?

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letters back and forth between Wendell Berry in Port Royal, Kentucky and Gary Snyder in Sierra Nevada, California. Itineraries of lectures, panels and presentations, along with observations of the seasons, family news and travels; an easy back and forth. Valuable input given between the two as they clarify and question their lives and work. Bonds between the two are deep and trusted. Letters are so telling and yet are becoming more rare, and this back and forth between these two poet, farmer-friends was a rare treat. 240 letters over the course of 40 years.
Wendell writes to Gary: "Most poet-interviews I see strike me as glib, shallow, self-exhibiting, worthless, embarrassing and irresponsible. But I have read some that I thought were valuable-yours preeminently among them."

[Josh Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder are two men separated by boundaries of religion, place, philosophy and thought that would likely cause one to observe a wide berth of the other. Instead they became great friends. This book is a testament to rejecting ideology, thinking for one's self, loving others and of course, living locally and in concert with the environment around you.

There is a lot of practical discussion, particularly in the middle years regarding travel and speaking arrangements, that some may see as boring. However, it is still well worth the read if either of these men are of interest to you.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read a great deal of Wendell Berry and some Gary Snyder, I found this volume of correspondence between the two fascinating. They wrote back and forth, shared their writing and philosophy for over 40 years. Their families visited often, back and forth between the Sierra Nevadas and Kentucky . This was published in 2014 and at this point Mr. Snyder is over 90 and Berry not far behind. They shared the stage as both spoke publicly around the world. The legacy of a profound friendship.

[Tomek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two brilliant thinkers, writers, and friends. A lovely exchange by people who can agree to disagree without capitulating or necessarily compromising, consider each other's viewpoints critically but openly, and at the end of the day realize that we can learn from our differences. The one issue I had is that they often reference writings that aren't present in this compendium, which can make interpreting their letters a bit challenging.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much good, thoughtful writing in here. And so many more books to read that are mentioned in it! I especially liked hearing both of the writers thinking so much about the compromises between traveling, staying in place, working, family, all of that. It starts out slow with them getting to know each other but gets lovely and meaty soon enough.

[Candorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of the documentation of a deep and rewarding friendship between two unlikely individuals. As a reader who felt like an unspoken observer of this ongoing conversation, I was truly saddened when the book ends, the door is shut, and I am no longer privileged to be able to participate vicariously in this learned conversation.

[Peter Thwaites · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is interesting in places, but there are so many letters in which the two of them are simply organising meetings with one another (meetings which we don't get to witness), and too few letters in which they really get stuck into their ideas and hammer out their differences. It's a little frustrating.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gift book from friend who will be corresponding. Unique story of two men who chose to use letter writing to shae personal journeys in farming and belief systems. Intereesting perspectives, would like to read some of their actaul written works.

[Mark Hazell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to read the letters between these two gentlemen -- so aligned and so distinct at the same time.

[Matthew Stolte · Rating 4 out of 5]

distractingly jagged in the beginning a coherence emerges - tidbit gems throughout

[Claire g]

did not finish this :(

[Noelle]

I enjoyed the depths of their correspondence and the way it created a better frame for their work.