ShadowCountry

2008NATIONALBOOKAWARDWINNERPeterMatthiessen’sgreatAmericanepic–KillingMisterWatson,LostMan’sRiver,andBonebyBone–wasconceivedasonevastmysteriousnovel,butbecauseofitslengthitwasoriginallybrokenupintothreebooks.Inthisboldnewrendering,Matthiessenhascutnearlyathirdoftheoveralltextandcollapsedthetimeframewhiledeepeningtheinsightsandmotivationsofhischaracterswithbrilliantrewritingthroughout.InShadowCountry,hehasmarvelouslydistilledamonumentalwork,realizinghisoriginalvision.Inspiredbyanear-mythiceventofthewildFloridafrontierattheturnofthetwentiethcentury,ShadowCountryreimaginesthelegendoftheinspiredEvergladessugarplanterandnotoriousoutlawE.J.Watson,whodriveshimselfrelentlesslytowardhisownviolentendatthehandsofneighborswhomostlyadmiredhim,inakillingthatobsessedhisfavoriteson.ShadowCountrytraversesstrangelandscapesandfrontierhinterlandsinhabitedbyAmericansofeveryprovenanceandcolor,includingtheblackandIndianinheritorsofthearchaicracismthat,asWatson’swifeobserved,"stillcastsitsshadowoverthenation."PeterMatthiessen’slyricalandilluminatingworkintheWatsonnarrativehasbeenpraisedhighlybysuchcontemporariesasSaulBellow,WilliamStyron,andW.S.Merwin.JosephHellersaid"Ireaditingreatgulps,upeachnightlaterthanIwantedtobe,inmyhungryimpatiencetofindoutmoreandmore."PraiseforShadowCountry“ShadowCountryisaltogethergripping,shocking,andbrilliantlytold,notjustatourdeforceinitsstylisticrange,butagreatAmericannovel,aspowerfulareadingexperienceasnearlyanyinourliterature.Thismagnificent,sadmasterpieceaboutrace,history,anddefeateddreamscaneasilystandcomparisonwithRalphEllison'sInvisibleManandRobertPennWarren'sAlltheKing'sMen.Littlewonder,too,thatpartsofthestoryofE.J.WatsoncallupcomparisonswithDostoevsky,Conrad,and,inevitably,Faulkner.Ineveryway,ShadowCountryisabravuraperformance,atoncehistory,fiction,andmyth–aswellasthecapstonetothecareerofoneofthemostadmiredandadmirablewritersofourtime.”—TheNewYorkReviewofBooks“Magnificentandcapacious….I'lljustsayrightherethatthebooktookmysleeveandliketheancientmarinerwouldnotletgo.Matthiessenhasmadehisthree-partsagaintoanewthing….Finallynowwehavethesebooksweldedlikeabell,andwithWatson'ssongthelastsound,alltheelementsfuseandresonate….abreathtakingsaga.”—TheLosAngelesTimes“Gorgeouslywrittenandunfailinglycompelling,ShadowCountryistheexhilaratingmasterworkof[Matthiessen’s]career,everybitasambitiousasMobyDick.”—NationalGeographicAdventuremagazine“PeterMattiessenconsolidateshisepicmasterpieceofFlorida--andcraftssomethingevenbetter…[He]deservescreditfordecadesofmeticulousresearchandobsessivedetailsandsoaringprosethatconvertedtheWatsonlegendintocriticallyacclaimedliterature….AnyonewantinganexplanationforwhathappenedtoFloridacannowfinditinasinglenovel,agreatAmericannovel.”—MiamiHerald“Matthiesseniswritingaboutoneman'slifeinShadowCountry,butheisalsowritingaboutthelifeofthenationoverthecourseofhalfacentury.Watson'sstoryisessentiallythestoryoftheAmericanfrontier,oftheconqueringofwildlandsandpeople,andofwhatsuchempirescost….EvenamongabodyofworkasmagnificentasMatthiessen's,thisishisgreatbook.”—St.PetersburgTimes“ShadowCountryisamagnumopus.Matthiessenismeticulousincreatingcharacters,lyricalindescribinglandscapes,andresoluteindissectingthevaluesandcoststhataccompaniedthedevelopmentofthisnation.”--SeattleTimes“ShadowCountry”isanambitious,lasting,andmeaningfulworkofliteraturethatwillnotsoonfadeaway.ItisatestamenttoMr.Matthiessen’sintegrityasanartistthathefeltcompelledtoreturntotheWatsonmaterialtoproducethisworkandsatisfyhisoriginalvision….amultifacetedworkthatcanbereadvariouslyorsimultaneouslyasapsychologicalnovel,ahistoricalnovel,amoralitytale,apoliticalallegory,oramystery.--EastHamptonStar“Matthiessen’sWatsontrilogyisatouchstoneofmodernAmericanliterature…thisreworking…isremarkable….WhereWatsonwasamagnificentcharacterbefore,hecomesacrossasnothingshortoficonichere;it’sdifficulttofindanotherfigureinAmericanliteraturesothoroughlyandconfincinglyportrayed.”—PublishersWeekly,starredreview,PickoftheWeek“Matthiessenhasreinvigoratedandrejoinedthetrilogy’snovels…amosaicaboutthelifeandlynch-mobdeathofaturn-of-thecenturyFloridaEvergladessugarplanterandserialkillernamedE.J.Watson—intothe900-plus-pageShadowCountry.Thisisnomererepackaging:Fourhundredpageswerecutfromthenovels,previousbackgroundcharactersnowtromptotheforeground,andthebooks’rangy,Faulknerianessenceisrenderedmoredigestible.Deliciouslydigestible,thatis;thisisathickporterhouseofanovel.”—Men’sJournal"ThefictionofPeterMatthiessenisthereasonalotofpeopleinmygenerationdecidedtobewriters.Nodoubtaboutit.SHADOWCOUNTRYlivesuptoanyone'shighestexpectationsforgreatwriting."--RichardFord"PeterMatthiessenisabrilliantlygiftedandambitiouswriter,aninspiredanatomistoftheAmericanmythos.Hisstorytellingskillsareprodigiousandhisrapportwithhissubjectisremarkable."--JoyceCarolOates"PeterMatthiessen'swork,bothinfictionandnon-fiction,hasbecomeauniqueachievementinhisowngenerationandinAmericanliteratureasawhole.Everythingthathehaswrittenhasbeenconveyedinhisownclear,deeplyinformed,elegantandpowerfulprose.TheWatsonsaga-in-the-round,towhichhehasdevotednearlythirtyyears,ishiscrowningachievement.SHADOWCOUNTRY,hisdistillationoftheearliertrilogy,ishistransmutationofittorepresenthisoriginalvision.Itisthequintessenceofhislifelongconcerns,andagreatlegacy."--W.S.MerwinFromtheHardcoveredition.,