Peter Matthiessen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Matthiessen
|
|
|---|---|
Matthiessen in 2008
|
|
| Born | May 22, 1927 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 2014 (aged 86) Sagaponack, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Period | 1950–2014 |
| Genre |
|
| Notable works |
|
| Notable awards |
|
| Spouse |
Patsy Southgate
(m. 1950; div. 1956)Deborah Love
(m. 1963; Maria Eckhart
(m. 1980) |
| Children | 4 |
Peter Matthiessen (May 22, 1927 – April 5, 2014) was an American writer known for his novels and nonfiction books. He was also a naturalist, meaning he studied nature, and a strong supporter of protecting the environment.
Matthiessen was special because he was the only writer to win the National Book Award in two different categories: once for nonfiction with The Snow Leopard (1979) and once for fiction with Shadow Country (2008). His nonfiction often explored nature and travel, like his famous book about searching for a rare snow leopard. He also wrote about American Indian history and issues.
Some of his stories were even made into movies! For example, his novel At Play in the Fields of the Lord became a film in 1991. Peter Matthiessen passed away in 2014 at the age of 86.
Contents
Early Life and Love for Nature
Peter Matthiessen was born in New York City in 1927. His father was an architect who later worked to protect nature with groups like the Audubon Society. Growing up, Peter and his brother lived in both New York City and Connecticut.
This upbringing helped him develop a deep love for animals and the outdoors. This passion later shaped his career as a writer who focused on wildlife and nature. He went to Yale University and studied English, but he also studied zoology, which is the study of animals.
Education and Early Career
After serving briefly in the U.S. Navy, Matthiessen attended Yale University. He graduated in 1950. While at Yale, he wrote short stories, one of which won an important award called the Atlantic Prize.
He also spent a year studying in Paris, France, at the Sorbonne. These experiences helped him prepare for a life as a writer.
Founding The Paris Review
In 1953, Peter Matthiessen helped start a famous literary magazine called The Paris Review. He co-founded it with several other writers, including George Plimpton.
Interestingly, Matthiessen later shared that he used The Paris Review as a "cover" for his work with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) at the time. He returned to the U.S. in 1954, leaving his friend Plimpton in charge of the magazine.
Exploring the World Through Writing
Peter Matthiessen's writing often took readers on journeys to different parts of the world and into important historical events.
Wildlife and Indigenous Cultures
In 1959, he published Wildlife in America. This book looked at how human settlement affected animal and bird species in North America, causing some to become endangered or even extinct. It also highlighted efforts to protect these species.
His 1965 novel, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, tells the story of American missionaries meeting an indigenous tribe in South America. This book was later made into a movie.
In 1973, Matthiessen went on an expedition to the Himalaya Mountains with a biologist named George Schaller. This trip inspired his award-winning book, The Snow Leopard (1978). This book is about the search for the rare and mysterious snow leopard.
He also wrote In the Spirit of Crazy Horse (1983), a nonfiction book about the Wounded Knee Incident and the legal case of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement activist.
The Watson Trilogy and Shadow Country
During the 1990s, Matthiessen wrote a series of three novels about frontier Florida: Killing Mr. Watson (1990), Lost Man's River (1997), and Bone by Bone (1999). These books were inspired by the true story of a Florida planter named Edgar J. Watson.
In 2008, Matthiessen combined and revised these three novels into one large book called Shadow Country. This single volume, nearly 900 pages long, won the National Book Award for Fiction.
Matthiessen loved writing novels, even though he was also famous for his nonfiction. He once said that writing fiction felt "energized" and "almost delirious with a strange joy" because he never knew what new ideas would appear.
Legal Challenges for Crazy Horse
After In the Spirit of Crazy Horse was published in 1983, Matthiessen and his publisher faced lawsuits. An FBI agent and a former South Dakota governor claimed the book contained false information.
These legal battles lasted for several years. However, the courts eventually ruled in favor of Matthiessen and his publisher. The judges supported Matthiessen's right to research and publish his views, even if they were one-sided. In 1990, the Supreme Court refused to hear further appeals, finally ending the lawsuits. This allowed the paperback version of the book to be published in 1992.
Personal Life and Zen Buddhism
Peter Matthiessen was married three times and had four children. His second wife, Deborah Love, was also a writer. They both practiced Zen Buddhism. After Deborah passed away in 1972, Matthiessen continued his spiritual journey.
He later became a Buddhist priest in the White Plum Asanga tradition. He taught Zen Buddhism to several students. In 1980, he married Maria Eckhart in a Zen ceremony. They lived in Sagaponack, New York.
Awards and Recognition
Peter Matthiessen received many awards for his writing throughout his life.
- 1979: National Book Award for The Snow Leopard
- 1991: Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
- 1995–97: Designated the State Author of New York
- 2000: Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities
- 2008: National Book Award for Fiction for Shadow Country
- 2010: William Dean Howells Medal for Shadow Country
Works
Fiction
- Race Rock (1954)
- Partisans (1955)
- Raditzer (1961)
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1965)
- Far Tortuga (1975)
- On the River Styx and Other Stories (1989)
- The Watson trilogy:
- Killing Mister Watson (1990)
- Lost Man's River (1997)
- Bone by Bone (1999)
- Shadow Country: a new rendering of the Watson legend (2008)
- In Paradise (2014)
Nonfiction
- Wildlife in America (1959)
- The Cloud Forest: A Chronicle of the South American Wilderness (1961)
- Under the Mountain Wall: A Chronicle of Two Seasons in the Stone Age (1962)
- The Shorebirds of North America (1967)
- Oomingmak (1967)
- Sal Si Puedes: Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution (1969)
- Blue Meridian: The Search for the Great White Shark (1971)
- The Tree Where Man Was Born (1972)
- The Snow Leopard (1978)
- Sand Rivers (1981)
- In the Spirit of Crazy Horse (1983)
- Indian Country (1984)
- Nine-headed Dragon River: Zen Journals 1969–1982 (1986)
- Men's Lives: The Surfmen and Baymen of the South Fork (1986)
- African Silences (1991)
- Baikal: Sacred Sea of Siberia (1992)
- East of Lo Monthang: In the Land of Mustang (1995)
- The Peter Matthiessen Reader: Nonfiction, 1959–1961 (2000)
- Tigers in the Snow (2000)
- The Birds of Heaven: Travels With Cranes (2001)
- End of the Earth: Voyage to Antarctica (2003)
Images for kids
-
Matthiessen in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Peter Matthiessen para niños
