OP-ED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Nancy Grohol, Executive Director
Thoreau Farm Trust
978.369.3091
978.369.1515 (fax)
nancy at thoreaufarm.org

November 10, 2006

Concord, MA— Imagine that many centuries from now, someone should ask: Who were the Americans, what was Massachusetts, what was New England? What were the glories and accomplishments of that time and place? What were their struggles? What is worth studying about the people of ancient Boston and its surrounding towns?

In that distant future, the answer might involve: the Abolitionist movement; the intellectual evolution and expansion of Christianity; the roots of the Civil War; the concept of non-violence and civil disobedience; nineteenth-century literary art; the abuse, exploitation, and protection of the natural world; individual conscience and liberty.

Henry David Thoreau’s life and writings contain all of these elements, undertake all of these issues. His enduring influence, which has extended to Gandhi and Tolstoy, is deeply related to his home ground. Even his inward-turning, sour or provincial side, like his generous greatness, seems deeply connected to New England. Today, Thoreau remains central to our memory and imagination.

The house in Concord where Thoreau was born, and our ability to preserve it, epitomizes the notion of “heritage” on a direct, sensible scale that is in the Thoreau spirit.

Robert Pinsky is the Honorary Chair of the Thoreau Farm Trust’s campaign to preserve the Concord birthplace of Henry David Thoreau. Pinsky served two terms as Poet Laureate from 1997-2000. He is the author of several acclaimed books of poetry, translation, and literary criticism as well as the introduction to the 2004 Princeton University Press edition of Thoreau’s Cape Cod. Pinsky is a Professor of English at Boston University.

The Thoreau Farm Trust (www.thoreaufarm.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring Henry David Thoreau’s birthplace in Concord and using the site as an education and community center. If you are interested in touring the house, learning more about the organization, or how you can help, please contact Nancy Grohol at 978.369.3091 or nancy at thoreaufarm.org.