National book awards, annual awards given to books of the highest quality written by americans and published by american publishers. Peter matthiessen may 22, 1927 april 5, 2014 was an american novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer, zen teacher and cia officer. Born in new york city on may 22, 1927, peter was brought to fishers for. Peter matthiessen national book awards fiction winners.
He was married to maria eckhart, deborah love and patsy southgage. The bestselling final novel by a writer of incomparable range, power, and achievement, a threetime winner of the national book award. Peter matthiessen won a national book award for shadow country. Peter matthiessen, who died saturday at age 86, was the author of more than 30 books, beginning with his 1954 novel race rock. His father, erard, was an architect and conservationist who became a leader in the national audubon society. He is the only author to have won the national book award in both. Winner, 2008 national book awards winner, national book awards 1980. Peter matthiessens shadow country, a revision of a trilogy of novels from the 1990s, won the national book award for fiction wednesday night in new. Among the nominees for this years national book award in fiction, which will be presented next wednesday, is a book that some have complained is not exactly new.
The book won the 2008 national book award for fiction when. Shadow country a new rendering of the watson legend. It won a national book award, though many critics thought a reworked version of previously published fiction did not deserve the honor. Peter matthiessen books list of books by author peter. He was the only writer to win the national book award in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. In this, his final novel, he confronts the legacy of evil, and our unquenchable desire to wrest good. You might think that winning two national book awards for the same book for contemporary thought and nonfiction. Besides at play in the fields of the lord, which was nominated for the national book award, he published six other works of fiction, including far tortuga and killing mister watson. Peter matthiessen, whose life of adventure and spiritual questing is woven. In paradise, by peter matthiessen the washington post. Peter matthiessens extraordinary life is profiled in the new york times magazine 04032014. Along sagg main, a lot had happened in the meantime. Peter matthiessens great american epic killing mister watson, lost mans river, and bone by bone was conceived as one vast mysterious novel, but because of its length it was originally broken up into three books. Peter matthiessen has 75 books on goodreads with 1876 ratings.
Born in new york city on may 22, 1927, matthiessen attended the st. National book award goes to peter matthiessen for shadow. In this bold new rendering, matthiessen has cut nearly a third of the overall text and collapsed the time frame while deepening the insights and motivations of his characters with. Since then, matthiessen s books have included in the spirit of crazy horse.
That year2008 matthiessen won the national book award for the retitled shadow country. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. Peter matthiessens the snow leopard in the age of climate change. Peter matthiessen s shadow country, a revision of a trilogy of novels from the 1990s, won the national book award for fiction wednesday night in new york. Killing mister watson by peter matthiessen, paperback. Peter matthiessen 22 may 1927 5 april 2014 was an american novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer, zen teacher and cia agent. National book awards american literary award britannica. Author bio birthmay 22, 1927 where new york city, new york, usa deathapril 5, 2014 wheresagaponack, new york educationb. Peter matthiessen, born may 22, 1927, new york, new york, u.
Author peter matthiessen has died in new york at the age of 86 from acute. He was a writer, known for at play in the fields of the lord 1991, the young one 1960 and dead birds 1963. Check winners and nominations of 1979 national book award. Last night the national book foundation announced the winners of the 2008 national book awards at a ceremony in new york city. The 2008 national book awards ceremony was held wednesday night at cipriani on wall street in downtown new york city. Peter matthiessen took up watson in three books in the watson trilogy. Peter matthiessen was born in new york city in 1927 and had already begun his writing career by the time he graduated from yale university in 1950. Marilynne robinson is nominated for home, a sequel to her 2005 pulitzer prizewinning novel gilead. Peter matthiessen is the 2008 national book award winner for fiction 11202008.
He was also a worldrenowned naturalist, explorer, activist, and buddhist teacher. He practised zen buddhism and was seen by some as a new age guru. Peter matthiessen was an award winning author, naturalist, nature writer and cia agent. Each of the four winners received a prize of ten thousand dollars. The snow leopard, won the national book award in 1979. The explorer, environmentalist and treasured author peter matthiessen was the first on filmmaker rebecca dreyfus wish list to feature in on meditation, a series of personal shorts exploring the subject alongside other notable deepthought practitioners including david lynch. He won the national book award for the snow leopard, a 1978. Peter matthiessens lifelong quest for peace in one of his final interviews, the awardwinning writer talks about what inspired him to travel to the farthest reaches of the globe. Peter matthiessen, born may 22, 1927, new york, new york. Peter matthiessen was the only writer to win the national book award for fiction and nonfiction. A national book award winner in 1979 for his nonfiction work the snow leopard, peter matthiessen exclaimed, im back.
Although he saw himself primarily as a novelist, peter matthiessen, who has. Matthiessen was born into a privileged background, in new york, where. The winner of the national book award in poetry is mark doty for fire to fire. An unforgettable spiritual journey through the himalayas by renowned writer peter matthiessen 19272014, the national book award winning author of the new novel in paradise in 1973, peter matthiessen and field biologist george schaller traveled high into the remote mountains of nepal to study the himalayan blue sheep and possibly glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard. New york ap peter matthiessen, a rich mans son who spurned a life of leisure and embarked on extraordinary physical and spiritual quests while producing such acclaimed books as the snow leopard and at play in the fields of the lord, died saturday. Check awards winners of 1979 national book awards ceremony. Peter matthiessen was born on may 22, 1927 in new york city, new york, usa. Shadow country kindle edition by matthiessen, peter. Peter matthiessen, born in new york city on may 22, 1927, is a novelist, short.
Peter matthiessen to put out a new novel, in paradise 092420. Peter matthiessen 19272014 is the only writer to win the national book award for fiction and nonfiction. Peter matthiessen is the author of more than thirty books and the only writer to win the national book award for both nonfiction the snow leopard, in two categories, in. An unforgettable spiritual journey through the himalayas by renowned writer peter matthiessen 19272014, the national book award winning author of the new novel in paradise in 1973, peter matthiessen and field biologist george schaller traveled high into the remote mountains of nepal to study the himalayan blue sheep and possibly glimpse the rare and beautiful snow. Matthiessens nonfiction featured nature and travel, notably the snow. Peter matthiessen is an american novelist, naturalist, and wilderness writer. Peter matthiessens most popular book is the snow leopard. He is the author of ten novels, including shadow country, which won the national book award for fiction in 2008, and over twenty works of nonfiction, including the. He is the only writer to ever win the national book award in the. Matthiessen wins national book award fiction prize the.
Books by peter matthiessen author of the snow leopard. Books by peter matthiessen peter matthiessen average rating 4. Matthiessen, whose work had been influenced by his practice of zen buddhism and his interest in indigenous cultures, lived in sagaponack, new york. Peter,matthiessen,receives,heinz,award,humanities,diverse,fiction,nonfiction. Peter matthiessen 19272014 was a writer, naturalist, and explorer who was praised as one of the shamans of literature. Matthiessens nonfiction explored the remote endangered wilds of the world, and his fiction often placed. Peter matthiessen was a literary legend, the author of more than thirty acclaimed books. Peter matthiessen s writingfiction and nonfictiondoes not provide approximations. The awards were founded in 1950 by the american book publishers council, american booksellers association, and book manufacturers institute. The author, who died saturday at the age of 86, wrote more than 30 books during his extraordinary career and is the only person to win national book awards for fiction and nonfiction. Peter matthiessen, lyrical writer and naturalist, is dead at 86 the. His knowledge of plants, animals and people is breathtaking. His list includes narrative nonfiction, commercial and literary fiction, memoir, health, history, lifestyle, humor.
Three years later, he won two national book awards for a nonfiction. Peter matthiessen was born may 22, 1927, in new york city. Peter matthiessen, annette gordon reed among national book. Matthiessen is the only writer to win national book awards in both nonfiction, for the snow leopard, and fiction, for his 2008 novel, shadow country. The other veteran of the group is 81yearold peter matthiessen, who received the nba in 1979 for nonfiction. It seems quite fitting that peter matthiessens final novel, in paradise, which was released just days after the authors death, is centered on this very quest. New york judges for the national book award honored a comeback wednesday night, giving the fiction award to peter matthiessens shadow country, a thorough revision of a trilogy of. Matthiessen s nonfiction featured nature and travel, notably the. Peter matthiessen s extraordinary life is profiled in the new york times magazine 04032014. The boston globe perhaps no writer has better articulated our relationship to the environment than peter matthiessen.
The national book awards nominees are out, and this years fiction section spans every level of experience. Langer coauthors scientific article on new onceamonth contraceptive pill go. He wrote for the new yorker and had won a national book award for the snow leopard. Mark doty and peter matthiessen win national book awards.
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