Hunter S. Thompson
Pioneer of New Journalism, known for Gonzo style and countercultural exposé.
Chronology: 1937-07-18 – 2005-02-20
Origins & Early Life
Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prominence with the book Hell's Angels (1967), for which he lived a year among 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 establish the subgenre of New Journalism that he called "Gonzo", a style in which the writer becomes central to, and a participant in, the narrative.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
Thompson is widely 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. 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...
Enduring Legacy & Impact
The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.
Source: Wikipedia