Shadow Country
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen is an illustrated edition published by Random House Publishing Group on November 26, 2008. This expansive work, spanning 912 pages, presents a narrative centered on E. J. Watson, a sugar planter and outlaw in the wild Florida frontier during the early twentieth century. Originally conceived as a single, intricate novel, this edition distills the essence of Matthiessen’s earlier works, including Killing Mister Watson, Lost Man’s River, and Bone by Bone, while enhancing character insights and motivations.
Readers will find a rich exploration of family life and the complexities of human relationships against the backdrop of the American landscape. The book delves into themes of identity and the struggles of its characters, offering a deep and nuanced portrayal of life on the frontier. With its literary depth and saga-like structure, Shadow Country invites readers to engage with the historical and emotional landscapes that shape its narrative.
Official synopsis Publisher
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • “Altogether gripping, shocking, and brilliantly told, not just a tour de force in its stylistic range, but a great American novel, as powerful a reading experience as nearly any in our literature.”—Michael Dirda, The New York Review of Books
Killing Mister Watson, Lost Man’s River, and Bone by Bone—Peter Matthiessen’s great American epic about Everglades sugar planter and notorious outlaw E. J. Watson on the wild Florida frontier at the turn of the twentieth century—were originally conceived as one vast, mysterious novel. Now, in this bold new rendering, Matthiessen has marvelously distilled a monumental work while deepening the insights and motivations of his characters with brilliant rewriting throughout.
Praise for Shadow Country
“Magnificent . . . breathtaking . . . Finally now we have [this three-part saga] welded like a bell, and with Watson’s song the last sound, all the elements fuse and resonate.”—Los Angeles Times
“Peter Matthiessen has done great things with the Watson trilogy. It’s the story of our continent, both land and people, and his writing does every justice to the blood fury of his themes.”—Don DeLillo
“The fiction of Peter Matthiessen is the reason a lot of people in my generation decided to be writers. No doubt about it. Shadow Country lives up to anyone’s highest expectations for great writing.” —Richard Ford
“Shadow Country, Matthiessen’s distillation of the earlier Watson saga, represents his original vision. It is the quintessence of his lifelong concerns, and a great legacy.”—W. S. Merwin
“[An] epic masterpiece . . . a great American novel.”—The Miami Herald
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