Race Rock

novel by Matthiessen

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July 23, 2026

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Race Rock is the first novel by American writer Peter Matthiessen, published in 1954. The novel follows the moral decline and escapades of four young individuals from New England. Matthiessen was known for his work as a naturalist and writer, often exploring themes of environmentalism and the impact of technology on cultures and nature. His fiction and nonfiction combined vivid descriptions of remote settings with a strong advocacy for conservation. While Race Rock was his debut novel, Matthiessen later achieved significant acclaim for works such as The Snow Leopard and Shadow Country.1

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Peter Matthiessen
Matthiessen’s first novel, Race Rock (1954), follows the exploits and moral degeneration of four young New Englanders. The acclaimed At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1965; film 1991) investigates the cataclysmic convergence of the lives of missionaries, mercenaries, and an isolated tribe of Indians modeled on…
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Matthiessen’s first novel, Race Rock (1954), follows the exploits and moral degeneration of four young New Englanders. The acclaimed At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1965; film 1991) investigates the cataclysmic convergence of the lives of missionaries, mercenaries, and an isolated tribe of Indians modeled on…
Read More