The sanity and eloquence of these poems spring from the land in Kentucky where Wendell Berry was born, married, lives, farms, and writes. From classic pastoral themes both lyrical and reflective, to a verse play, to a dramatic narrative and the manic, entertaining, prescient ravings of Berryâ��s Mad Farmer, these poems show a unity of language and consciousness, skill and sensitivity, that has placed Wendell Berry at the front rank of contemporary American poets.

    This book presents the challenges to first settlers along the Red River of Northern Minnesota. Homesteaders settled the unbroken lands of the frontier and faced almost endless obstacles to conquer the soil. Women bore the brunt of the burden, but children and men were not exempt from the agony of the daily drudgery. The homestead was free, but the price paid in toil, sweat, tears, and broken bodies were great. Failure was more common than success.