Wendell Berry to receive NBCC lifetime achievement award

The National Book Critics Circle has named Wendell Berry the recipient of its 2016 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Berry, 81, is an influential essayist, novelist and poet known for his environmental and social activism. The fifth-generation Kentucky native, who has lived on a 125-acre farm near Port Royal, Ky., since 1965, has published more than 40 books, including novels, short stories, poetry and essay collections. 

Berry's work reflects his deep belief that literature should both grow from and respond to place. It also expresses his concerns over such issues as sustainable agriculture, small farms and environmentally damaging coal mining. His writing has influenced opinions on a wide range of subjects, from the Vietnam War to locavore cuisine.

Berry, whose previous honors include the National Humanities Medal and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, will be invited to receive the NBCC's honor at a ceremony in New York City on March 17.

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