"Far Tortuga" is unquestionably one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century. History will bear out this assertion. In "Far Tortuga" we are presented with reality painted in dreamlike intensity. All of the the minor aches, pains and idiosyncracies of day to day life are there, yet they are drawn against a backdrop of unforgiving, almost monumental, natural power.
In the final analysis, though the details are subject to change, is this not the world that each of us faces on a day to day basis?
In his stark and almost poetry-like portrayal of life aboard a small turtle vessel, Matthiessen is able to address everything that is meaningful in all of our lives. There is jealousy, there is random hatred, there is competition for its own sake, there is hunger and there is solitude. There is anger, there is pride, there is shame and there is repentance. What doesn't Matthiessen touch upon in this great novel? There is sorrow, there is fear, there is unreasoning hatred and greed. There are moments of selflessness, there are moments of joy, there are moments of doubt and there are moments of ambition.
It is a rare novel that is able to pack the sum of human experience into one tale. Matthiessen does it in "Far Tortuga."
The novel has not recieved the glory it deserves, yet. One day it will.
One day it will be known for the work of genius that it is.
Every one of the characters is vividly drawn - this is truly a book where you can immerse yourself in another world - every detail is convincingly rendered. You can tell that this is man who understands the lives of his characters, down to the rhythms of their speech.
With a style this original, it is amazing that there is not a single trace of fakery or affectation. Matthiessen writes the book this way because that is the way the material needs to present itself - honestly, one never feels the intrusion of the author; it is as if the world - a world that one feels a deep appreciation for - is writing itself.