Beloved writer and environmentalist Wendell Berry has died at age 92

Wendell Berry, the celebrated American writer, farmer and environmentalist, passed away at the age of 92 on Monday, August 31, 2026. His daughter Mary Berry confirmed his death to The New York Times. The cause of death has yet to be disclosed. Berry dedicated over six decades of his life to writing poetry, fiction, and essays that emphasized the relationship between humanity and nature.

He emerged as a prominent voice against industrial farming and environmental degradation. Throughout his career, Berry authored more than 50 books, encompassing poetry collections, novels, and cultural criticism. His 1977 book "The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture" is considered a seminal work in the sustainable farming movement.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, on August 5, 1934, Berry grew up in a farming community in Henry County, Kentucky. He studied English at the University of Kentucky and later earned a master's degree from the same institution. Berry then pursued creative writing at Stanford University under the guidance of novelist and environmentalist Wallace Stegner.

After traveling to Italy in search of a career direction, he settled in New York to teach at New York University. Berry eventually returned to Kentucky, marrying his wife Tanya Amyx Berry in 1964. The couple moved to Henry County and began farming near the Kentucky River, where Berry's family had lived since 1803.

Berry's decision to return to his hometown, inspired by his essay "The Long-Legged House," was rooted in a desire to live a life free from the pursuit of material wealth and societal status. They acquired Lanes Landing, a 125-acre farm, and began cultivating vegetables, raising sheep, corn, and grain crops, while also teaching at the University of Kentucky for two decades.

Berry's farming practices were rooted in traditional methods, employing Belgian draft horses and rejecting modern technologies he deemed harmful to the environment. He wrote by hand and avoided computers and television, believing that staying connected to the landscape allowed him to write authentically about rural America.