Episode 130: Alex Matthiessen - My Father and His Legacy

Peter Matthiessen (1927 – 2014) was an American novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer, environmental activist, and zen teacher whose works dealt with the destructive effects of encroaching technology on preindustrial cultures and the natural environment. He is the only American writer to win The National Book Award in both nonfiction (The Snow Leopard) and fiction (Shadow Country). In this episode of Nature Revisited we meet Peter's son Alex Matthiessen – a distinguished environmentalist in his own right – who offers rare insights into the well-traveled life, prolific works, and nature-steeped pursuits of one of the true "literary lions" of 20th Century American literature.