Harlan Hubbard, Life and Work

by Wendell Berry

Book Overview

"Includes 20 color plates of Hubbard's own paintings, along with several photographs of Anna and Harlan Hubbard. Wendell Berry is also the author of Tobacco Harvest: An Elegy. See other books in the series Blazer Lectures.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679738584
• ISBN13: 9780679738589
• Release Date: March 1992
• Publisher: Pantheon Books
• Length: 108 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Disappointed

The book I was sent only has black and white copies of Harlan’s paintings. I’m very disappointed since the only reason I ordered this book was to see the paintings in color.

A Good Overview of Hubbard's Life and Work

On my shelf I have several works by Wendell Berry. I'm a great admirer of both his poetry and his essays. So when I found this title in Lewisville, KY while I was on an extended boat journey down the Ohio River I didn't hesitate to buy it. The book is divided into eight short chapters and begins with Harlan Hubbard embarking on his "New Life," just after the death of his mother, a new life that would eventually carve a place for him in Kentucky Legend. This "New Life" involved his marriage to Anna and their trip down the Ohio and Mississippi River in their now-famous Shantyboat. Chapters two and three in large part explain Hubbard's Thoreau-like philosophy. Chapter four is an analysis of Hubbard's painting. Chapter five is about Hubbard's wife, Anna, and the role she played in shaping his life. Chapters six and seven are about Hubbard in late life, after Anna's death. As with all of Berry's writing, this book is insightful and honest. Berry does a good job of summing up the life and work of Harlan Hubbard, a man with "no theories to prove" but who "merely wanted to try living by [his] own hands." The reason I cannot give the book five stars is that the information on Anna seems sketchy. Berry knew Harlan and Anna, yet the information on Anna seems to be mostly drawn from Hubbard sources. Moreover, there seems to be a serious error in fact on page 4 when Berry writes: "Anna was...the second of three daughters." Mia Cunningham, in her book ANNA HUBBARD: OUT OF THE SHADOWS, reveals that Anna was the oldest of three daughters. (Cunningham, who grew up in the Hubbards' house, visited them at their homestead on the Ohio River, and corresponded with Anna a number of years, supports this fact with photographs). Anna's status as oldest daughter is important, since the oldest daughter was expected in those days to stay home and care for her aging parents. This Anna rebelled against, instead opting for a life of her own making. I also bristled a bit at the comment: "Anna was as adventurous a cook as Harlan was a provider..." While it is true that Anna was an excellent homemaker, Berry doesn't seem to hint at Anna's more heroic qualities. Anna lived a life that was independent, unconventional, and exciting--even before she met Harlan Hubbard. Still, for those interested in Ohio River History, 20th Century painters, homesteading, and environmental issues, this is good resource. If you're truly interested in both Hubbards, I highly recommend Mia Cunningham's book to read along with Berry's.