 After Gaddis won a National Book Award in 1975 for his second novel, "J R", his first work gradually received new and belated recognition as a masterpiece of American literature.In 2005, "Time" included "The Recognitions" in its list of "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005".The story loosely follows the life of Wyatt Gwyon, son of a Calvinist minister from rural New England; his mother dies in Spain.