Hunter S. Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Thompson in 1971 | |
| Born | Hunter Stockton Thompson July 18, 1937 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | February 20, 2005 (aged 67) Woody Creek, Colorado, U.S. |
| Pen name | Raoul Duke |
| Nickname | HST[1] |
| Genre | Gonzo journalism |
| Literary movement | New Journalism |
| Years active | 1958–2005 |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse |
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| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Service years | 1955–58 |
| Rank |  Airman first class |
| Service number | AF 15546879 |
| Unit | Strategic Air Command, Office of Information Services |
Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. He rose to prominence with the publication of Hell's Angels (1967), a book for which he spent a year living with the Hells Angels motorcycle club to write a first-hand account of their lives and experiences. In 1970, he wrote an unconventional article titled "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" for Scanlan's Monthly, which further raised his profile as a countercultural figure. It also set him on the path to establishing his own subgenre of New Journalism that he called "Gonzo", a journalistic style in which the writer becomes a central figure and participant in the events of the narrative.
Thompson remains best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972), a book first serialized in Rolling Stone in which he grapples with the implications of what he considered the failure of the 1960s counterculture movement. It was adapted for film twice: loosely in 1980 in Where the Buffalo Roam and explicitly in 1998 in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Thompson ran unsuccessfully for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado in 1970 on the Freak Power ticket. He became known for his intense dislike of Richard Nixon, who he claimed represented "that dark, venal, and incurably violent side of the American character".[2] He covered George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign for Rolling Stone and later collected the stories in book form as Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 (1973).
Starting in the mid-1970s, Thompson's output declined, as he struggled with the consequences of fame and substance abuse, and failed to complete several high-profile assignments for Rolling Stone. For much of the late 1980s and early 1990s, he worked as a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. Most of his work from 1979 to 1994 was collected in The Gonzo Papers. He continued to write sporadically for various outlets, including Rolling Stone, Playboy, Esquire, and ESPN.com until the end of his life.
Thompson was known for his lifelong use of alcohol and illegal drugs, his love of firearms, and his iconoclastic contempt for authority. He often remarked: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."[3] Thompson died by suicide at the age of 67, following a series of health problems. Hari Kunzru wrote, "The true voice of Thompson is revealed to be that of American moralist ... one who often makes himself ugly to expose the ugliness he sees around him."[4]
- ^ Paul Scanlon (2009). Introduction. Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson. By Hunter S. Thompson. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-6595-9.
The notes were always signed: OK/HST.
- ^ "Obituary: Hunter S Thompson". BBC News. February 21, 2005. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ "Hunter S Thompson: in his own words". The Guardian. February 21, 2005. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ Kunzru, Hari (October 15, 1998). "Hari Kunzru reviews 'The Rum Diary' by Hunter S. Thompson and 'The Proud Highway' by Hunter S. Thompson, edited by Douglas Brinkley · LRB 15 October 1998". London Review of Books. Lrb.co.uk. pp. 33–34. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2012.