Peter Matthiessen Books

During the 1970s and 1980s, Peter Matthiessen took part in a number of expeditions to Africa, witnessing first-hand the continent's many and diverse peoples and wildlife. schovat popis

An “indescribably touching, extraordinarily intelligent" ( Los Angeles Times Book Review ) chronicle of a fatal gun-battle between FBI agents and American Indian Movement activists by renowned writer Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), author of the National Book Award-winning The Snow Leopard and the novel In Paradise On a hot June morning in 1975, a desperate shoot-out between FBI agents and Native Americans near Wounded Knee, South Dakota, left an Indian and two federal agents dead. Four members of the American Indian Movement were indicted on murder charges, and one, Leonard Peltier, was convicted and is now serving consecutive life sentences in a federal penitentiary. Behind this violent chain of events lie issues of great complexity and profound historical resonance, brilliantly explicated by Peter Matthiessen in this controversial book. Kept off the shelves for eight years because of one of the most protracted and bitterly fought legal cases in publishing history, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse reveals the Lakota tribe’s long struggle with the U.S. government, and makes clear why the traditional Indian concept of the earth is so important at a time when increasing populations are destroying the precious resources of our world.

One September, the writer and explorer Peter Matthiessen set out with field biologist George Schaller to journey 250 miles through the Himalayas to the Crystal Mountain on the Tibetan plateau. They wanted to study the wild blue sheep, the bharal, but also hoped to see the snow leopard, a creature so rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical. "The Snow Leopard" is not only an exquisite book of natural history but an extraordinary account of an inner journey; a 'true pilgrimage, a journey of the heart'.

A reworking of the author's trilogy chronicles the legacy of E.J. Watson, a notorious desperado gunned down by his neighbors along the lawless nineteenth-century frontier of the Florida Everglades

The narrative showcases Watson's exceptional voice, weaving a story that resonates deeply with readers. Its artistic merit and emotional depth suggest that it has the potential to be recognized as a classic in literature. The book's exploration of profound themes and its unique storytelling style set it apart, making it a significant contribution to contemporary fiction.

The author chronicles his quest for spiritual roots, describes his early Zen experiences and his gradual reawakening to life through Zen.

From the daily lives of wild herdsmen and the drama of predator kills to the field biologists investigating Africa's wild creatures and the anthropologists seeking humanity's origins in the rift valley, this National Book Award finalist is a classic of journalistic observation.

Introduction by Ralph Waldo Emerson Commentary by Van Wyck Brooks and E. B. White Naturalist, philosopher, champion of self-reliance and moral independence, Henry David Thoreau remains not only one of our most influential writers but also one of our most contemporary. This unique and comprehensive edition gathers all of Thoreau’s most significant works, including his masterpiece, Walden (reproduced in its entirety); A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers; selections from Cape Cod and The Maine Woods; as well as “Walking,” “Civil Disobedience,” “Slavery in Massachusetts,” “A Plea for Captain John Brown,” and “Life Without Principle.” Taken together, they reveal the astounding range, subtlety, artistry, and depth of thought of this true American original. Includes a Modern Library Reading Group Guide

The second novel in the Watson trilogy showcases the talent of a unique American writer, recognized for both fiction and nonfiction with a National Book Award nomination. This installment continues to explore complex themes and character development, building on the rich narrative established in the first book. Readers can expect a thought-provoking journey that delves deeper into the intricacies of the characters' lives and the overarching storyline.

An adventure story and a deeply considered meditation upon the sea itself. "Beautiful and original...a resonant and symbolical story of nine doomed men who dream of an earthly paradise as the world winds down around them." —Newsweek

By the author of The Snow Leopard, The Tree Where Man Was Born and On the River Styx, this novel is based around the circumstances of the death of a man in Florida 1910, who had terrorized his community in the Florida Everglades. It explores whether it was murder, exorcism or sacrifice.

African Silences is a powerful and sobering account of the cataclysmic depredation of the African landscape and its wildlife. In this critically acclaimed work Peter Matthiessen explores new terrain on a continent he has written about in two previous books, A Tree Where Man Was Born -- nominated for the National Book Award -- and Sand Rivers.Through his eyes we see elephants, white rhinos, gorillas, and other endangered creatures of the wild. We share the drama of the journeys themselves, including a hazardous crossing of the continent in a light plane. And along the way, we learn of the human lives oppressed by bankrupt political regimes and economies, and threatened by the slow ecological catastrophe to which they have only begun to awaken.

A classic work of nature and humanity, by renowned writer Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), author of the National Book Award-winning The Snow Leopard and the new novel In Paradise Peter Matthiessen crisscrossed 20,000 miles of the South American wilderness, from the Amazon rain forests to Machu Picchu, high in the Andes, down to Tierra del Fuego and back. He followed the trails of old explorers, encountered river bandits, wild tribesmen, and the evidence of ancient ruins, and discovered fossils in the depths of the Peruvian jungle. Filled with observations and descriptions of the people and the fading wildlife of this vast world to the south, The Cloud Forest is his incisive, wry report of his expedition into some of the last and most exotic wild terrains in the world.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

". . . one of the finest novels to come along since the advent of John Updike . . . brilliantly realized and written with an economy and sureness of control that are magnificent."--San Francisco Examiner.

Strhující und poetische Darstellung des Kulturkonflikts im Herzen des Amazonas-Regenwaldes, eine Erzählung über menschliche Brutalität und Reinheit. Das Werk ist voller humanem Verständnis und entfaltet sich auf den Seiten von Matthiessens Roman. Zwei protestantische Missionare möchten den Menschen im Dschungel den göttlichen Weg und die Kraft zeigen, doch diese kennen bereits Reinheit und Liebe als Teil ihrer Natur. Auch zwei Piloten, angeheuert für „schmutzige Arbeit“, treten auf, um einen Indianerstamm zu vernichten. Der Roman, erstmals 1965 veröffentlicht, gibt zudem Einblicke in das Leben der indigenen Völker Amazoniens.

Im Visier der schönsten Raubkatze der Welt: eine Reise an den Rand des Himmels und an die Grenzen unserer Wahrnehmung Im Herbst 1973 bricht Peter Matthiessen mit dem Biologen George Schaller in die höchsten ganzjährig bewohnten Bergtäler der Erde auf: ins nepalesische Dolpo. Hier trotzen Menschen und Tiere extremen Bedingungen ein Leben voller Schärfe und Kontur ab. Und seit Jahrhunderten blüht hier eine Tradition des tibetischen Buddhismus. Schaller will das Brunftverhalten hochalpiner Blauschafe dokumentieren, Matthiessen die Trauer über den Krebstod seiner Frau verarbeiten. Beide verbindet die Faszination für den geheimnisvollsten Bewohner des Dolpos: den Schneeleoparden. In diesem Meisterwerk, für das Matthiessen gleich zweimal – 1979 und 1980 in unterschiedlichen Kategorien – den National Book Award erhielt, verbinden sich naturkundliche Klarheit, spirituelle Wachsamkeit und die lyrische Kunst der Sprachverknappung zu einem lebensverändernden Leseerlebnis. Noch nie war dieses literarische Zeugnis für den unermesslichen Reichtum der Welt, der geistige wie materielle Entsagung bedeuten kann, dringlicher und zeitgemäßer als heute. Überarbeitet und mit einem Nachwort versehen von Bernhard Malkmus.