His estranged son, an historian determined to learn and. A new rendering of the watson legend, matthiessen says his initial manuscript ran to more than 1,500 pages, which he was persuaded to trim and split into. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 352 pages and is available in paperback format. Nov 26, 2008 the fiction of peter matthiessen is the reason a lot of people in my generation decided to be writers. While shadow country gradually conveys what is known about watson from records and reminiscences, matthiessen imagines conversations and the background for certain characters and encounters, even as he deepens the ambiguities of his increasingly tantalizing story while book i draws on the downhome voices of the islanders and book ii uses. Subtitled a new rendering of the watson legend, it is a semifictional account of the life of scottishamerican edgar bloody watson 18551910, a real florida sugar cane planter and alleged outlaw who was killed by a posse of his neighbors in the remote ten. See all books authored by peter matthiessen, including the snow leopard, and shadow country, and more on. Among the nominees for this years national book award in fiction is a book that some have complained is not exactly new. Apr 08, 2008 while shadow country gradually conveys what is known about watson from records and reminiscences, matthiessen imagines conversations and the background for certain characters and encounters, even as he deepens the ambiguities of his increasingly tantalizing story while book i draws on the downhome voices of the islanders and book ii uses. He practised zen buddhism and was seen by some as a newage guru.
Shadow country kindle edition by matthiessen, peter. It, shadow country, won the national book award for fiction in 2008. Peter matthiessen s shadow country is an extraordinary literary achievement by one of this country s best authors of recent times. A new rendering of the watson legend, is a semifictional account of edgar bloody watson, a sugarcane farming pioneer and alleged outlaw who was killed by his neighbors in the ten thousand islands of southwestern florida. Shadow country livros na amazon brasil 9780679640196.
If youve read matthiessens fiction or nonfiction then you are familiar with his propensity to write two sentences when one might possibly suffice. For some writers, their own works are, once finished, literally closed books. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read shadow country. Peter matthiessens great american epickilling mister watson, lost. May 12, 2008 matthiessen reduced the 1,320page trilogy to a single volume, but, at 892 pages, shadow country could still do considerable damage dropped on the head of a yappy dog or a whiny child. Shadow country has three books that roughly correspond to the separate novels. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. Watson, the everglades sugarcane planter and notorious outlaw of the wild florida frontier. Shadow country, by peter matthiessen the independent. The fiction of peter matthiessen is the reason a lot of people in my generation decided to be writers. Shadow country by peter matthiessen won the national book award for fiction in 2008.
From his everglades trilogy peter matthiessen has coaxed a masterpiece, a wrenching story of familial, racial and environmental degradation stretching from the civil war to the great depression. Shadow country trilogy 3 by matthiessen, peter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Shadow country has three booksbook i begins with a thirdperson narrator describing edgar watsons death on the shore of chokoloskee bay. Shadow country traverses strange landscapes and frontier hinterlands inhabited by americans of every provenance and color, including the black and indian inheritors of the archaic racism that, as watsons wife observed, still casts its shadow over the nation. Jane kivik free download or read online shadow country pdf epub book. Shadow country by peter matthiessen, first edition abebooks. One response to shadow country book i peter matthiessen anonymous. From what i understand, it is a compilation of a trilogy surrounding the life and death of edgar j watson, a reallife legendary character of the american south around the late 1800s to his death in 1910.
The main characters of this travel, non fiction story are. Peter matthiessen books list of books by author peter. Shadow country by peter matthiessen, paperback barnes. Shadow country is a novel by peter matthiessen, published by random house in 2008. Subtitled a new rendering of the watson legend, matthiessen has taken his previously separately published books killing mr. Vividly capturing the american hinterlands at the turn of the twentieth century, it traces the story of watson through eyewitness perspectives as he drives himself relentlessly toward his own violent end at the hands of. Shadow country book by peter matthiessen thriftbooks. Buy shadow country by peter matthiessen online at alibris. Seattle times shadow country is an ambitious, lasting, and meaningful work of literature that will not soon fade away. Peter matthiessen revisits his fictionalized account of the brutal plantation owner edgar j.
Book one is told variously by the people who knew him and ultimately killed him. It is the quintessence of his lifelong concerns, and a great legacy. Matthiessen is meticulous in creating characters, lyrical in describing landscapes, and resolute in dissecting the values and costs that accompanied the development of this nation. Shadow country is an epic of american rise and descentpoetic, mythic, devastating.
It is matthiessens masterpiece, and i have no qualms saying it is among the top novels in all of american literature, a book i would stack against moby dick, gatsby, the sun also rises, gravitys rainbow, white noise. Free download or read online the snow leopard pdf epub book. Peter matthiessens shadow country vies for a national. Watson, who drives himself relentlessly toward his own violent end at the hands of neighbors who mostly admired him, in a killing that obsessed his favorite son. Pdf shadow country book by peter matthiessen free download. From his everglades trilogy peter matthiessen has coaxed a masterpiece. Shadow country lives up to anyones highest expectations for great writing. Watson, lost mans river and bone by bone these i never read and. Apr 27, 2008 shadow country has three books that roughly correspond to the separate novels. Nov 12, 2008 among the nominees for this years national book award in fiction is a book that some have complained is not exactly new. Peter matthiessen may 22, 1927 april 5, 2014 was an american novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer, zen teacher and cia officer. Shadow country, book by peter matthiessen paperback. Peter matthiessens historicalfiction magnum opus, shadow country. Book i still has that ten thousand islands quality, but shadow country as a whole is like the tamiami trail that crosses the everglades.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1978, and was written by peter matthiessen. The first edition of the novel was published in 2008, and was written by peter matthiessen. Peter matthiessen was way more obsessed than me, writing four novels about watson. Peter matthiessens lyrical and illuminating work in the watson narrative has. Finally now we have this threepart saga welded like a bell, and with watsons song the last sound, all the elements fuse and resonate.
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. Shadow country is a bold new rendering of those books. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 892 pages and is available in hardcover format. 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.
Peter matthiessens shadow country is an extraordinary literary achievement by one of this countrys best authors of recent times. Aug 19, 2008 shadow country ebook written by peter matthiessen. The book has been awarded with national book award for. Shadow country by peter matthiessen in doc, epub, rtf download ebook. In 2008 he won another national book award for shadow country, in which he. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are. Vividly capturing the american hinterlands at the turn of the twentieth century, it traces the story of watson through eyewitness perspectives as he drives himself relentlessly toward his own violent end at the hands of neighbors. Inspired by a nearmythic event on the wild florida frontier at the turn of the 20th century, shadow country reimagines the legend of the inspired everglades sugar planter and notorious outlaw e. Richard ford shadow country, matthiessens distillation of the earlier watson saga, represents his original vision.
First edition peter matthiessen s great american epic three books killing mr. Enormous in scope as well as page count, it is really three books in one. Watson, lost mans river and bone by bone was conceived as a single vast mysterious novel, but because of its length, it was originally separated into three books. Peter matthiessens new rendering of the watson legend edgar artemas watson 18551910 for seventeen days i was held enthralled by shadow country. Shadow country, matthiessens distillation of the earlier watson saga, represents his original vision.
In this bold new rendering, matthiessen has cut nearly a third of the overall text and collapsed the time frame while. Jan 26, 2009 peter matthiessens historical novel of floridas western everglades is at nearly 900 pages, still almost not big enough to contain its subject matter. Free download or read online shadow country pdf epub book. Shadow country is peter matthiessens reimagining of the legend of e. First edition peter matthiessens great american epic three books killing mr. Pdf the snow leopard book by peter matthiessen free. Book i begins with a thirdperson description of watsons death and proceeds to the testimony of 12. Matthiessen reduced the 1,320page trilogy to a single volume, but, at 892 pages, shadow country could still do considerable damage dropped on. Like virginia woolf, they shudder past them on the shelf as if they.
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