# At Play in the Fields of the Lord - Paperback

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by **Peter Matthiessen** (Author)

In a malarial outpost in the South American rain forest, two misplaced gringos converge and clash in this novel from the National Book Award-winning author. Martin Quarrier has come to convert the elusive Niaruna Indians to his brand of Christianity. Lewis Moon, a stateless mercenary who is himself part Indian, has come to kill them on the behalf of the local _comandante_. Out of this struggle Peter Matthiessen creates an electrifying moral thriller--adapted into a movie starring John Lithgow, Kathy Bates, and Tom Waits. A novel of Conradian richness, _At Play in the Fields of the Lord_ explores both the varieties of spiritual experience and the politics of cultural genocide.

### Front Jacket

Set in the South American jungle, this thriller follows the clash between two misplaced gringos--one who has come to convert the Indians to Christianity, and one who has been hired to kill them. Now the basis for a major motion picture.

### Author Biography

Peter Matthiessen was born in New York City in 1927 and had already begun his writing career by the time he graduated from Yale University in 1950. The following year, he was a founder of _The Paris Review_. His works of fiction include _Shadow Country_, which won the National Book Award, _At Play in the Fields of the Lord_, The Watson Trilogy (_Killing Mister Watson_, _Lost Man's River_, and _Bone by Bone_)_,_ and _Far Tortuga_. Matthiessen's parallel career as a naturalist and explorer has resulted in numerous widely acclaimed books of nonfiction, among them _The Tree Where Man Was Born_, which was nominated for the National Book Award, and _The Snow Leopard_, which won it. He died in 2014.

**Number of Pages:** 384

**Dimensions:** 0.79 x 7.96 x 5.26 IN

**Publication Date:** December 03, 1991

## Details

- **Price:** 28.0 GBP
- **Vendor:** BooksCloud
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Action & Adventure, Books, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Price Written on Book, Thrillers

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.00 GBP | In stock |

## Images

- At Play in the Fields of the Lord

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> Updated: 2026-08-22