Peter Matthiessen

American writer Peter Matthiessen chronicled nature and wildlife in over 30 books throughout his lifetime. His style mixed a lyrical structure with an unwavering intellectual prowess, best exemplified in his 1965 novel At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Snow Leopard, his non-fiction book from 1978. An avid traveler, Matthiessen visited the furthest reaches of the globe throughout his life, which he often detailed in his writing, and continued publishing books up until his death. His final novel, In Paradise, was published on April 8, 2014, three days after Matthiessen died from leukemia at the age of 86. As one of the defining American literary figures of the second half of the twentieth century, Matthiessen's life and legacy will only reach further esteem as new generations of writers and readers discover his work.