Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story

In the newest novel in the Port William series, Wendell Berry’s beloved protagonist Andy Catlett tells the inspiring story of his grandfather Marce Catlett to his own children and grandchildren, and gives them a key to their place on the questionably settled land they all love

Andy Catlett’s story begins as his grandfather Marce Catlett rises in the dark to travel from his farm by horseback and train to Louisville for the auction of his 1906 tobacco crop. The price paid for each year’s crop is depressed to virtually nothing by the power of the single buyer, James B. Duke. This year is especially grim since the price offered to each grower is less than the expense of bringing the crop… Keep Reading