Famed American novelist, poet and environmental activist Wendell Berry died Monday at age 92.
His death was first reported by The New York Times.
Berry hailed from Port Royal in Henry County and lived much of his life there. His family farmed the area, a tradition he continued for more than 40 years, growing grain and raising sheep.
He attended the University of Kentucky, graduating with a bachelor's in 1956 and returning for a Master of Arts in 1957.
The university drew Berry twice more in his lifetime, with stints teaching English and creative writing from 1964 to 1977 and again in 1987.
It was Berry's writing, however, that drew national acclaim. He published more than 50 essays, poems and works of fiction, including "Hannah Coulter" and "A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems."
Those works brought in many accolades for Berry, including the National Humanities Medal in 2011, awarded by then-President Barack Obama.
In a tribute Monday night, former Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House called Berry a "great light."
"There are so many ways he influenced me but most of all what I keep thinking is that he was so good to me. Generous with his time and words. Complex. Brilliant. Revolutionary," House wrote.
While Berry's writing often touched on his agrarian roots, his environmentalism included advocacy for farmers and land conservation in Henry County and throughout the commonwealth.
His legacy and advocacy is supported by The Berry Center, which is “putting his writing to work.”
