River of Earth

John Butch Preston

johnhprestonauthor.com

Ernest Hemingway once said that old men don’t get wiser they just get more careful. Of course, that would have to be true for most old women as well. He seems to be saying that as we get older we tend to stop learning, or what is worse, never learned anything to begin with. So, if by learning we mean acquiring knowledge, both historical and personal, then Hemingway’s apparent truism tells us that as we age we become more and more provincial, or better yet parochial, rather than more sophisticated and wise as should be the case.

     There are just two ways of knowing the world around us: by our senses and through our reasoning; and three ways of experiencing it, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. But there is only one way of understanding what we know and that is by reading—where else can wisdom come from! So, if you can dispel at least one superstition or recognize one of your finer instincts in the process, reading can contribute much to your peace of mind, as you are sitting around in your sedate years waiting to go to heaven. And who knows, it may help you to be better prepared to receive heaven’s benefits.

     Be mindful that all serious works of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, are necessary extensions of the Bible and ancient Greek mythology. The great William Faulkner himself has said that all his novels are just a retelling of old biblical stories; and Shakespeare, of course, peopled his plays from these same characters, but perhaps more generally from ancient Greek drama, before the Bible was even compiled. And how would Freud and Jung have discovered the unconscious mind had they not read about the odd dreams of brother Joseph’s pharaoh down in Egypt.

     Good books can give us inspiration and deepen our sympathy for our fellow man; they link us together—for is not to unify mankind toward common goals our most basic purpose on earth? But, alas, if not the wider world, then would it not seem at least beneficial to become more aware of one’s immediate environment by reading the regional authors of one’s own home ground before, alas, being interred therein!

     A man approaching the age of ninety once told me that he lamented that he may not get to read all the books he yet needed to read before he died (in 2001).

     That man was James Still, of Knott County, who wrote the most famous novel ever written about this region, River of Earth, which came out in 1940 and catapulted him to pre-eminence in the world of literature. This novel has often been compared to John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. However, after River of Earth, Still produced very little, only a few short story and poetry books and his name began to fade from national prominence. But throughout the year’s scholars, devoted fans, and people in the know, have made his name legendary in the world of Appalachian literature.

     The current most famous author from the region, Chris Offutt, of Rowan County, author of Kentucky Straight, says, “Still was, and still is, the greatest writer of hill culture in Kentucky.” This quote comes from the back jacket of a recent biography of Still by Carol Boggess, published by the University Press of Kentucky. Boggess, a distinguished scholar and author from North Carolina, spent an entire decade delving into the most intimate details of Still’s extraordinary interesting life.

     If you haven’t read and enjoyed the humor of River of Earth, you do yourself a disservice as a Kentuckian. But if you have, you may find James Still, a Life by Boggess interesting and informative reading. So, in this season of giving keep these two books in mind, especially for someone you love.