Chop wood. Carry water. Write books.
Peter Matthiessen, who lived in Sagaponack, was known globally as the founder of The Paris Review as well as the only author to ever win the National Book Award for both fiction with “Shadow Country” and nonfiction for “The Snow Leopard.” And locally, he will always be remembered for his book “Men’s Lives,” which chronicled the dying way of life of the baymen and spun a net of such beauty that it was cast into a play by Joe Pintauro, the premiere production of the Bay Street Theater in 1992.
Matthiessen also had a deeply spiritual side — he was a Zen master who welcomed others both to his home and on worldwide meditation travels.
Now a group of local writers, philanthropists, preservationists, and Zen students are working to preserve the former property of the American writer, naturalist, indigenous rights advocate, and Zen “Muryo Roshi.” The 3.3-acre property consists of Matthiessen’s house, his writing studio, and meditation center, located on Bridge Lane in Sagaponack.
The group, which includes Quail Hill’s Scott Chaskey and Matthiessen’s son, Alex, also an environmentalist, has been working to preserve this piece of the East End’s cultural legacy by acquiring the property where the writer lived and worked for 55 years.
The ultimate goal, according to a press release, is the creation of an institute that encourages the greater public to learn from Matthiessen’s lifelong commitment to literature, spiritual practice, and social and environmental activism. The Peter Matthiessen Center is working with the current owner of the property, the Peconic Land Trust, Preservation Long Island, Sagaponack Village, and the Town of Southampton to acquire, protect, restore, and repurpose this historic property to ensure it becomes a site for the greater East End community.
“We’ve been in conversation with the town,” said Daniela Kronemeyer of the Peter Matthiessen Center project, “and in this moment with the East End going through such massive changes, we’re looking to safeguard our heritage. And ‘Men’s Lives’ was a story of the history of this area, including the indigenous people.”
In addition to founding The Paris Review in 1953, Matthiessen wrote more than 30 books during his six-decade career. He is the only author to win The National Book Award for both non-fiction (“The Snow Leopard”) and fiction (“Shadow Country”).
Matthiessen was one of the first of the many writers and artists who discovered the beauty of the Hamptons and called it home, paving the way for the cultural center the Hamptons has become today.
“A century ago the East End of Long Island became a mecca for artists and writers who found — in the light, farm fields, and working class values — an inspiring place to create their art, and, in turn, contribute substantially to the local culture,” said Alex Matthiessen. “Yet, in recent years that artistic spirit and community has been a bit drowned out by a much more material culture, symbolized by expensive cars, manicured lawns and oversized (and often empty) houses. The Peter Matthiessen Center would be an antidote to all that — a way to help restore that artistic and creative spirit and preserve the cultural heritage of Long Island.”
In the first phase of an initial fundraising campaign, the PMC was able to raise money to hire a project coordinator, work with a conservation planner, host a successful fundraising event at the Southampton Arts Center, and establish a virtual presence for the community in the form of online readings and events featuring acclaimed naturalists, writers, and scholars.
“Right now the property is empty — the buildings are intact but no one lives there,” said Kronemeyer. The buildings will need restoration “to get the place up and running.”
The Ocean Zendo has continued to meet since Matthiessen’s death in 2014 — first at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bridgehampton, and more recently, during the pandemic, on Zoom. Although not affiliated with the PMC, many of the teachers were trained under Matthiessen and practiced with him back in the day.
As far as writers seeking — as Matthiessen did a walk “down to the ocean for a breath of fresh air” — a place where they can work and find peace, Kronemeyer anticipates that the Center will be able to accommodate a maximum of six writers at a time.
“We would like to encourage people to visit our website to learn more,” she said. “We have a spring fundraising campaign which launched on May 22 — Peter’s birthday — which will feature a selection of meaningful auction items donated by artists and writers in the community, running through the middle of June.”
More information can be found at matthiessencenter.org or by emailing info@matthiessencenter.org.
