The Rural Life - by Verlyn Klinkenborg (Paperback)

About the Book

This is a collection of Klinkenborg's writings on the natural world and the changing seasons which appear frequently in a column entitled "The Rural Life" on the editorial page of the "New York Times."

Book Synopsis

This "luminous, brilliant" meditation on life in the countryside will encourage you to see the natural world -- and our place in it -- anew (New York Times Book Review).

With an eloquence unmatched by any other living writer, Verlyn Klinkenborg observes the juncture at which our lives and the natural world intersect. His yearlong meditation on the rigors and wonders of country life -- encompassing memories of his family's Iowa homestead, time spent in the wide-open spaces of the American West, and his experiences on the small farm in upstate New York where he lives with his wife -- abounds with vicarious pleasures for the reader as it indelibly records and celebrates the everyday beauty of the world we inhabit.

"In a voice reminiscent of E.B. White, Klinkenborg paints a picture of a fading world in colors that are solid and authentic. His joy is evident throughout." --Los Angeles Times

Review Quotes

"Klinkenborg works in short bursts of prose that are graceful but don't strain for the lyrical....His sentences find the perfectly apt metaphor to clarify, to make needed connections."

About the Author

Verlyn Klinkenborg is the author of The Last Fine Time, Making Hay, and The Rural Life. His articles have appeared in many magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper's, Audubon, Smithsonian, and The New Republic. He teaches creative writing at Harvard University.