Peter Matthiessen

Peter Matthiessen (1927 - ) is a well known writer from New York City. Matthiessen is a novelist; however, is best known for non-fiction works, particularly those detailing Native American history including "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse." Matthiessen's career is long and varied. In 1953, the author was one of the co-founders of The Paris Review, a noted literary journal. Matthiessen was also the Official Author of New York State from 1995-1997. It is generally assumed that Matthiessen's research work on oceanography, titled "Blue Meridian," was the impetus for Peter Benchley's mega-hit "Jaws."

The inspiration for "Snow Leopard" came from Matthiessen's journey through the Himalayas with noted scientist George Schaller. Schaller was intensely interested in recording data on the rarely seen mating rituals of the bharal, the Himalayan blue sheep that was actually a cross between the traditional sheep and goat. Additionally, Schaller sought to capture data and photographs...