The Snow Leopard (Penguin Classics) Paperback – September 30, 2008

The story is extremely well written and is far from a standard adventure drama. It is much more akin to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It is an intrigue tale of self-discovery using the language and faith practices of the Himalayan cultures the writer travels through to explain his personal progress. Much like Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", the writer's personal journey mirrors the actual journey taken. It was a slow read with deep layering of flora, fauna, geography, history and religion... sometimes just too much. This book is worth the investment, but it is not an entertaining read.

Peter Matthiessen considered himself primarily a fiction writer, though his non-fiction output was nearly twice as heavy. He is the only writer to have won the National Book Award in both categories. Matthiessen, who died in April of this year, was a well-known literary figure, traveler, naturalist, environmentalist, and Buddhist. A couple of his novels, Far Tortuga & Shadow Country, rank in the highest tier of my personal favorites.

The Snow Leopard is a famous book that recounts the author’s 1973 journey to the remote mountains of Nepal with field biologist George Schaller, who went to study the Himalayan blue sheep. Matthiessen went along for several reasons, for the high altitude flora and fauna, the most elusive of which is the snow leopard, and for spiritual reasons having to do with a pilgrimage to the ancient shrine on Crystal Mountain, as well as a more personal quest to understand reality and suffering, prompted by the recent loss of his wife to cancer.

I read this book slowly, partly due to my recent schedule but mainly to savor the words, as seemed best upon my encounter with them. The related journey is a combination of sheer arduous traveling, a Buddhist history of the region, a seeker’s inner path, a traveler’s account of the lives of the people living there, and as usual with this writer, lyrical descriptions of the natural world in its many forms.

Like the mountain journey itself, the passages move up and down with the landscape, changing with the weather and the reader’s mind, finding footholds in different areas of interest, holding true in sparkling moments of transcendence that balance more mundane points in other spots. There are wonderful observations of locals, both human and animal, and the inner struggles of a spiritual man who rises and falls in his attempts at betterment. Written as daily journal entries, the accumulation of the details of hardship and progress and doubt and beauty and loss began to gather within this reader and alter his perceptions in ways both subtle and profound.

In most ways this journey is no longer possible, in all likelihood not politically feasible, while the region itself is no longer as remote as it was forty years ago, not to mention the fact that many readers would not relish or even be capable of the physical demands. Here then is an opportunity to experience something of this incredible undertaking and feel this mystical, ethereal high country – in a staggering and moving accomplishment.

Here are two passages to illustrate the reflective and physical aspects of the journey.

When I watch blue sheep, I must watch blue sheep, not be thinking about sex, danger, or the present, for this present – even while I think of it – is gone.

In the cold wind, the track is icy even at midday, yet one cannot wander to the side without plunging through the crust. The regular slow step that works best on steep mountainsides is difficult; I slip and clamber. Far above, a train of yaks makes dark curves on the shining ice; soon a second herd overtakes me, the twine-soled herders strolling up the icy incline with hands clasped behind their backs, grunting and whistling at the heaving animals.

Wow, this book was simple yet stunning. The writing took my breath away & I would read & re-read the same passages over & over again because I was hypnotized by their elegance. Beware though, this is not an easy read. I am a vivacious reader & it took me over a month to finish this book because it demands all of you; it demands that you be present & I truly responded to that. If you like hiking, forests, mountains, Nepal, Tibet, Buddhism, Zen, or anything relating I think you'll find harmony with this story.

One of my all time favorite books. I have both the ebook and the paperback. Part mountaineering, part flora/fauna, part Zen, but always a keen sense of place. Truely inspiring. You'll want to take a Himalayan trek after reading it.

An exceptionally well written book about something that is much more than a journey or any purpose or hope or an activity. It was recommended by my friend whose father had recommended to her before his death, and while I was reading this book with this knowledge, I could see why this must have been a very special and meaningful gift to my friend. It is filled with wonderful internal reflections and conversations about life, yet the author is far from being a lofty philosophical, sagacious intellectual with flowery words and nebulous ideas. He is very human, relatable, as unsure, flawed, tired, irritated, as any one of us, asks questions and gets momentary answers and satisfactions, and them moves on. But his writing skills are exceptional, and so vivid, he brings the icy cold crisp air of the mountains, and the aches of the body, the smells of the living etc etc, all to life. (I also looked up the pictures of animals and spectacular mountains, which is highly recommended if you are not familiar with the region, as I was not). The snow leopard and Tuckten, whether seen or not, are sufficient by the fact of their being....

"In the early light, the rock shadows on the snow are sharp; in the tension between light and dark is the power of the universe. This stillness to which all returns, this is reality, and soul and sanity have no more meaning here than a gust of snow; such transience and insignificance are exalting, terrifying, all at once, like the sudden discovery, in meditation, of one’s own transparence. Snow mountains, more than sea or sky, serve as a mirror to one’s own true being, utterly still, utterly clear, a void, an Emptiness without life or sound that carries in Itself all life, all sound. Yet as long as I remain an “I” who is conscious of the void and stands apart from it, there will remain a snow mist on the mirror."

It took me forever to finish this book. It's a little hard to get into. Matthiessen doesn't have a great narrative sense and at times his writing feels very labored. But the book is beautiful (at moments) and sometimes that alone can make a book worth reading. It's really a travel book with and emphasis on self discovery; and it reads a little like a journal--with the flatness and occasional tedium that that entails. But it has an emotional integrity and cohesiveness that keeps you engaged. The author is also grieving after the death of his wife. So feelings of guilt and loss are interwoven with his travels through the Himalayas and his search for the elusive Snow Leopard. Despite the flaws, it's really a classic in its genre.