Wendell Erdman Berry, born August 5, 1934, is an acclaimed American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. Berry's profound connection to rural Kentucky has deeply influenced his work, particularly through his exploration of agrarian themes. His notable contributions include early essays such as The Gift of Good Land (1981) and The Unsettling of America (1977), as well as his fictional narratives set in the Port William community, including A Place on Earth (1967), Jayber Crow (2000), and That Distant Land (2004).

Berry's distinguished career has earned him membership in the Fellowship of Southern Writers, the National Humanities Medal, and the title of Jefferson Lecturer in 2012. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a Fellow in 2013, joined the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2014, and received the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award in 2013. Significantly, he became the first living writer to be inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame in 2015.

Known as a "prophet of rural America," Berry's advocacy for environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture underpins his extensive literary and non-literary works. Living on a farm in Henry County, Kentucky, he continues to influence discussions on ecological and agricultural ethics.