We're still sorting through our reactions to the shortlists for the National Book Awards, announced earlier this afternoon, so all we've got right now is a philosophical question: As thrilled as we are to see Peter Matthiessen (who, if the Swedish Academy weren't so dismissive of American literature, might well have gotten a Nobel years ago) nominated for Shadow Country, the fact that it's a substantial reworking of three novels first published between 1990 and 1999 does give us momentary pause.

Now, we know from our NBA history that short story collections are eligible, and since these represent a compilation of earlier work with minimal revision, if any, the question then is: If for some reason the Modern Library had simply published an omnibus edition of Killing Mister Watson, Lost Man's River, and Bone by Bone, could that book have been eligible for consideration? Which prompts a follow-up: If that were the case, couldn't any Modern Library or Library of America volume republishing the work of an American author be similarly eligible?

We stress that our query is purely hypothetical and should in no way be considered a criticism of a writer we admire tremendously—heck, if Matthiessen wins, we're wondering: Would he be the first person to win two National Book Awards in two different categories? (He picked up a nonfiction prize for The Snow Leopard in 1978.) If you can answer that, or if you've got other thoughts you'd like to share, our comments section awaits you...