Matthiessen's first collection of short stories and his first book of new fiction since Far Tortuga, On the River Styx spans the acclaimed career of "a unique and masterful visionary artist". (New York Times).
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Matthiessen's first collection of short stories and his first book of new fiction since Far Tortuga, On the River Styx spans the acclaimed career of "a unique and masterful visionary artist". (New York Times).
Read Less
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $1.25, fair condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House.
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Seller's Description:
Fair in fair dust jacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $2.00, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House (NY).
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $2.00, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House (NY).
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $2.00, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House (NY).
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $2.00, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House (NY).
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $2.00, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House (NY).
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of On the River Styx: and Other Stories to cart. $2.58, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Vintage.
Add this copy of On the River Styx: and Other Stories to cart. $2.58, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Vintage.
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $3.00, very good condition, Sold by Pam Hirschhorn Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House.
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Very good in very good dust jacket. DJ has very slight soiling, colors very sharp, no wear! Covers excellent. Spotting on top fore edge. Text clean and VERY tight. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 208 p. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of On the River Styx and Other Stories to cart. $3.13, good condition, Sold by Cat On The Shef rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fort Worth, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Random House (NY).
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**STOCK PHOTOS AND CATALOG INFO MAY VARY FROM ACTUAL BOOK, PLEASE REFER TO SELLER PHOTOS AND ITEM DESCRIPTION FOR MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION. THE SELLER PHOTO SHOWS THE EXACT COPY YOU WILL RECEIVE** This is a used book in GOOD condition. May have minor defects such as wearing to outside cover, a name written on inside cover, or a few notations throughout. Hardcover edition. Includes original dust jacket.
This is a collection of ten short stories by naturalist/novelist Peter Matthiessen. Matthiessen wrote the stories over a period of thirty-eight years, between 1950 and 1988. Many of the stories concern men who have placed themselves in dangerous and desperate circumstances, whether through alcohol addiction, criminal behavior, marital discord, fear, superstition or simply arrogance. Matthiessen?s male characters are atavistic and Faulknerian. They are confident in their abilities to survive on deserted islands, forests and swamps, but meet their downfall in their interactions with other men, with the women they find attractive and with society in general. There is a barely concealed wildness and savagery in these characters. Nearly all of the stories are disturbing.
The best of the stories is the final one, Lumumba Lives. It is a wonderfully subtle story of a man who returns to the site of his ancestral home and unravels. The unnamed man returns to the United States after years of living in Africa. There are hints that he is in running from something, or that he has been deported. He is clearly struggling with fear, feelings of inadequacy and, most likely, an antisocial psychological disorder. He makes his way to the affluent suburb of New York City where he grew up, breaks into the mansion where he lived as a child, looks around and leaves. He purchases the gardener?s cottage where he used to play and tries to live, but is too out of place to find peace.
Travelin Man is also quite good. An escaped convict wades through a swamp on the Carolina coastline and rafts his way to what he thinks is an uninhabited island. Within minutes of landing, he is fleeing from something worse than the police. Reminiscent of Richard O?Connell?s classic adventure story, The Most Dangerous Game, this story is more believable and realistic. Horse Latitudes is the one humorous story in the collection. It is about two cabin mates on a freighter. At first glance, the two are completely incompatible and are driving each other crazy. They constantly goad each other, but they distract each other from the mind-numbing monotony and boredom of the long voyage. Ironically, they are holding onto their sanity by driving each other nuts.
Matthiessen is an impressive short story writer. I highly recommend this book.
