Most interesting. Of Matthiessen's writing I know only the Shadow Country books.

I wonder about the biographer's practical judgment, though:

> I got very ill at that altitude. A doctor, when I got back, told me I had the symptoms of pulmonary edema. But it was worth it. I’d do it all again.

[Edit] Frank Kermode's memoir Not Entitled includes some interesting pages about the CIA funding of Encounter becoming publicly known.