Roots to the Earth: Poems and a Story

by Wendell Berry, Wesley Bates

In 1995, Wendell Berry’s Roots to the Earth was published in portfolio form by West Meadow Press. The wood etchings of celebrated artist and wood engraver, Wesley Bates, were printed from the original wood blocks on handmade Japanese paper. In 2014, this work was reprinted at Larkspur Press, along with additional poems. It is now with great pleasure that Counterpoint reproduces this collaborative work for trade publication, as well as expanding it with the inclusion of a short story, “The Branch Way of Doing,” and additional engravings by Bates. In his introduction to the 2014 collection, Bates "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."

Genres: Poetry, Art, Short Stories

55 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2016

About the author

Wendell Berry is a conservationist, farmer, essayist, novelist, professor of English and poet. He was born August 5, 1934 in Henry County, Kentucky where he now lives on a farm. The New York Times has called Berry the "prophet of rural America."

Reviews

[Beckiezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5? I don't have anything bad to say about the content of this book, but I did not love the format and it's very short. All the edition options here say it's 96 pages but it's only 56 at best and nearly half of those are blank pages because every poem and every wood engraving is on a separate page faced by a blank page. I think it would've been better to have the accompanying picture opposite the poem that inspired it, it would have been a more enjoyable reading experience. Instead I was distracted from the poem wondering what the picture would be and barely glanced at the picture to get to the next poem. I didn't love the weird photocopied quality to the poems, either, an inconsistent gray cast to the pages with a slight blurriness to the text.

I liked the poems more than the wood engravings. I'm sure they took a lot of skill to create, they're just not my preferred style of art and are overall kind of dark. The poems were thought-provoking and the short story was interesting even if it didn't have much of a plot. I probably could have spent more time pondering both the art and the writing, this is more of an art piece/coffee table book than something to be quickly read.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me preface this with I LOVE Wendell Berry. I have been enthralled with his critiques of capitalism since I was an undergraduate. I love his discussion of the need to be centered in places and to develop local communities.

This reading, however, I noted some gendered descriptions that I did not care for. It was almost like realizing that a favorite uncle had opinions of "a certain age." And while I still love the lyrical way he writes about connections to the local, I had to shake my head one or two times over the gender stuff.

He is still my lovable uncle though.

[kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m not often given to reading poetry, but my best friend gave me this for christmas and i loved it.

[Cikita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are so beautiful

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been following Wendell Berry for years. He writes masterfully in several genres: fiction, poetry, essays. He writes about things that matter: community, family, a sense of place, care of the land, being a good neighbor. He is a man of great moral integrity and ecological awareness. Although the book contains only eight poems and a short story, I like and admire all of them. Wesley Bates' superb wood engravings depicting the farming life complement and reinforce the poems.

[James Klagge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gem of a book by Wendell Berry (and illustrated by Wesley Bates). 8 poems about farming, and another short story (otherwise uncollected) about the Port Royal community. I found it in a bookstore, and savored it in about 45 minutes. It is a tactile experience as well as a visual and reading experience. The poetry uses male and female as metaphors for the farming experience--perhaps too traditional for some people's tastes. But a meditation on farming that we consumers would do well to share. The short story reads like a quiet sermon, but is a set-up for a one-liner at the end. (The cover of my hardback book is actually the cover Goodreads displayed for the kindle edition.) Thanks, Mr. Berry, once more.

[Kerfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Roots to the Earth" contains poems and a story by Wendell Berry, with wood engravings by Wesley Bates. They work well together: serious, black and white.

The story is really more of a philosophical illustration of Berry's ideas on how to live that a fictional tale--self-contained, re-using and recycling, living close to the land and your people, forming reciprocal relationships with both. He is thoughtful about the way he lives.

His words are entwined with the work he does--farming as an intimate part of the yearly life-cycle of birth, death, and re-birth--"I shall not go free of the art of death". The poems are rich and unsentimental.

Still the somberness weighs heavily, as well as the ideals of "manhood", with a woman's place here being in the background, as vessel and foil for a man's work. There is no laughter, no joy, no whimsy in these pages.

I do not disagree with his stand against the poison power of money and consumerism, or his wish that we tread lightly and consciously, generously and with purpose. But humans have multitudes of needs and talents, and there is more that one way to live well in this world. This book feels insular; there is no way for me to belong here. I look for openings to reach across, a way to embrace other choices in the common goal of honoring and saving life.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendell Berry Words to Live By...
1. Be happy with what you've got. Don't always be looking for something better.
2. Don't buy anything you don't need.
3. Don't buy what you ought to save. Don't buy what you ought to make.
4. Unless you absolutely have got to do it, don't buy anything new.
5. If somebody tries to sell you something to 'save labor,' look out. If you can work, then work.
6. If other people want to buy a lot of new stuff and full up the country with junk, use the junk.
7. Some good things are cheap, even free. Use them first.
8. Keep watch for what nobody wants. Sort through the leavings.
9. You might know, or find out, what it is to need help. So help people.
P. 47-48

[Christy Boggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterfully crafted, Berry discuses various themes like capitalism, monetary frugality, inevitable death, cherishing land and life, and various agriculture acts.

There are eight poems, all of which deal with one or more of the themes listed above, and one short story. There isn't really a main character for the short story, it follows Andy Catlett (which there are several books by Berry with this character), Danny Branch, and Burley Coulter. It discusses the lifestyle of the Branch family and Andy's opinion of the family, which is all around positive and uplifting.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendell Berry is one of my favorite poets and this book did not disappoint. The collection of poems and the short story all speak to the value of hard work and the beauty of the earth and nature, and Berry captures it all so wonderfully with his words. The woodcut engravings were lovely and added another dimension to the poems. It's worth setting aside some time to read this and meditate on the lessons and reflections contained inside.

[Katie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read two of Wendell Berry's poems awhile back, and I've been looking for more ever since. I found this in the corner of a bookstore, hidden behind some other books, and was ecstatic. Not a whole lot in here, but the pictures are nice and it makes for a good coffee table book.

I liked a line or two in each poem, but I really liked the one on seeds and on monuments, and enriching the Earth was pretty good too.

The short story was alright, I would rather have had more poems!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is certainly something to be said for the "Branch way of doing things"! I enjoyed the poems as well - the theme of giving and taking from the land, and to return to the land in the end. A good quick read to finish off my year in books!

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautiful slim book of poems, including wood engravings by Wesley Bates. The combination and collection was beautifully put together and arranged.
My favorite poems:
"The Farmer, Speaking of Monuments"
"The Fearfulness of Hands That Have Learned Killing"

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to struggle with poetry but enjoyed this incredibly short compilation. The format of the book was not ideal though, not sure why the image accompanying each poem was on a separate page instead of the facing spread.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short book of poems and drawings that are mostly related to farming.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is wonderful to see this in wide release. Everyone should be able to enjoy the honest simplicity of Berry's poems (and story), which are perfectly complemented by the lines of Bates's woodcuts.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poems showing his love of the earth and life, accompanied by woodcuts illustrating the poems.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendell Berry is a master at his craft. There are phrases in this book that are the epitome of what poetic language should be. The imagery in his poems is simple yet powerful.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Wendell Berry's writing and his love of the earth/farming. I can read his poems/stories over and over, rich. The woodcuts are spectacular!

[Michelle Smart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, down-home thoughts. The edition I read had illustrations of wood engravings that were loosely on theme. I liked that added touch.

[Emma Schramm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a very great lover of Berry’s Port William fiction, but not as much of his poetry, though I often still enjoy it.
My favorite part of this book/collection was the beautiful wood plate art.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of the farming life through poems by Wendell Berry and beautiful wood engravings by Wesley Bates. Originally published in 1995 as a portfolio, and again in 2014 as a limited edition, this trade edition captures the beauty of the words and images in a more widely available format.

[Laçin Tutalar]

Me and my wife... wifeliness of my wife... These are the words that stayed with me after a visit to the pages. Beautiful drawings. Same thesis, though. But perhaps it pays off and writes off better to have one, single thesis?

[Vicki Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the wood etchings more than the poems. This book was originally a limited edition (100 handmade copies, if I remember correctly). If you're a fan of Wendell Berry you will probably enjoy the book. 55 pages, 8 poems, 1 short story, 11 etchings.

[Dan Patrick]

As with all of Wendell Berry's books this brings me back to earth and to contemplating how I live my life.

[Jake Willems · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty great mix of poems and great short story involving the Branch family.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what Wendell Berry has done to me; I just read a book of poetry....and liked him.
Great short story in there as well.