Hunter s thompson books biography and list of works. Ive been using that as an opportunity to introduce him to some of my favorite books. Thompson, in full hunter stockton thompson, born july 18, 1937, louisville, kentucky, u. The film breakfast with hunter 2003 was directed and edited by ewing. Thompson for his 1971 book fear and loathing in las vegas. His parents, virginia ray davidson and jack thompson married in 1935. Also, on a somewhat related note, cormac mccarthy thinks you should read hunter s. His father jack robert thompson, a world war 1 veteran, worked as a public insurance adjuster and his mother virginia ray davison was the head librarian at the louisville public library. One of 180 signed, numbered copies of steadmans image of a mickey mouselike character in american flag shorts as seen on the tshirt of the hitchhiking character played by tobey maguire in the film version of thompsons fear and loathing in las vegas. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Fear and loathing in las vegas is a classic of our time cormac mccarthy, quote taken from this rolling stone story about ol cormac and how he spends his time chillin with the brightest scientists in the world at the santa fe institute.
Hunter s thompsons widow wants to get you high on his personal supply anita thompson says she has found a legal method to extract dna from six of the gonzo journalists personal strains. New book about hunter thompson decades in the making. Thompson is considered by many literary critics and historians to be among the most important american writers of the late 20th century. Strange tales from a strange time the gonzo papers series book 1 22mar2012.
Thompson 19372005 was born and raised in louisville, kentucky. Thompson is thoughtful, and almost monkish in bearing, and exudes a calmness that is all the more shocking when you consider his father was hunter s. Thompson is the first compilation of selected personal interviews that traces the trajectory of his prolific and muchpublicized career. Discover book depositorys huge selection of hunter s thompson books online. His books include hells angels, fear and loathing at rolling stone, fear and loathing on the campaign trail 72, the rum diary, and better than sex. Hunter s thompson was born on 18 july 1937 in louisville, kentucky. He was known for his flamboyant writing style, most notably in his novel fear and loathing in las vegas, which blurred the distinctions between writer and subject, fiction and nonfiction. Thompson thinks you should read show list info i dont advocate drugs and whiskey and violence and rock and roll, but theyve always been good to me. The mitchell brothers, owners of the ofarrell theatre in san francisco, made a documentary about thompson in 1988 called hunter s. A savage journey to the heart of the american dream.
Thompson was born and raised in louisville, kentucky. These engaging exchanges reveal thompsons determination, selfindulgence, energy, outrageous wit, ire, and passions as he discusses his life and work. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. By cheryl della pietra a day without fun is a day that eats shit. Most of his stuff is good, and worth reading, but fear and loathing in lasvegas is great, and easily the definitive hunter s thompson book. The hells angels, riding two abreast in each lane, seemed out of place in little towns like coyote and gilroy. Set in the post hippie era, this cult hit is loosely based on some of his own actions, mixed in with some imaginative, fabricated events. People ran out of taverns and drygoods stores to stare at these fabled bigcity huns. Wayne ewing created three documentaries about thompson. This page features the books of robert michael thompson which cover the history of wayne county, west virginia. On february 20, 2005, thompson died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. He was contributor to various national and international publications, including a weekly sports column for espn online.
His magazine articles, essays, and booksof which he penned nearly a dozen, including hells angels, the rum diary, songs of the doomed, the great shark hunt, and the monumental fear and. Ive read virtually everything hes published, more than once. Thompsons vivid account of his experiences with californias most notorious motorcycle gang, the hells angels. The hell s angels, riding two abreast in each lane, seemed out of place in little towns like coyote and gilroy. Oct 20, 2008 hunter thompson s books changed my life. Hunter s thompson 1937 2005 hunter stockton thompson july 18, 1937 february 20, 2005 was an american journalist and author.
But in over 45 years of writing, this prolific observer of the american scene wrote voluminously, often hilariously, and usually with deceptively cleareyed vitriol on sports, politics, media, and other viciously addictive pursuits. Thompson, including fear and loathing in las vegas. Magazine about her experience serving as thompsons assistant at his storied woody creek, colorado compound. Ive read virtually everything he s published, more than once. Thompson is a brilliant writer who manages to describe his days spent in las vegas with a surprising amount of clarity and lots of humour. An image from steadmans 2006 book the jokes over, a memoir of his friendship and collaboration with famed gonzo journalist hunter s. One of 180 signed, numbered copies of steadman s image of a mickey mouselike character in american flag shorts as seen on the tshirt of the hitchhiking character played by tobey maguire in the film version of thompson s fear and loathing in las vegas.
Gonzo presents a rare look into the life of thompson, whose groundbreaking style of gonzo journalism made him one of the greatest writers of his generation. This book is quite simply the best biography ive read since wired, bob woodward s biography of john belushi. He is the creator of gonzo journalism and, as such, is widely imitated a. Thompson summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching hunter s. Feb 22, 2005 hunter s thompson, the inventor and chief exponent of gonzo journalism, who has committed suicide aged 67, was a chronicler of american life since the 1950s, and a compelling and original figure. Hunter s thompson, the inventor and chief exponent of gonzo journalism, who has committed suicide aged 67, was a chronicler of american life.
Strange tales from a strange time the gonzo papers series. Jim thompson was born in anadarko, oklahoma territory in 1906. Hes already read harry potter and the percy jackson series himself. Hells angels 1967 his language is brilliant, his eye is remarkable, and his point of view is reminiscent of huck finns. Thompson flies with the angelshells angels, that isin this short work of nonfiction. Thompsons books in order of when they were originally released. Strange tales from a strange time gonzo papers vol 1. A savage journey to the heart of the american dreamby hunter s. An almost unnaturally poignant love story from the father of gonzo journalism and fear and loathing in las vegas hunter s. Thompson, the rum diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in. His books on politics and society were regarded as groundbreaking among journalists, and he was celebrated as one of the early practitioners of an outraged, irreverent for. Thompson became a published author in 1966 with hells angels.
Thompson was an american journalist and author known for his flamboyant writing and for blurring fiction and fact. Ive read most of the previously published biographies about him. Rebel with a cause from nixon to napalm, carter to cocaine, hunter s. A savage journey to the heart of the american dream, and hells angels, and more on. Made into a major motion picture starring johnny depp, the rum diarya national bestseller and new york times notable bookis hunter s. Hunters father died when hunter was fourteen years old. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Every one of thompsons books was out of print in the u.
Thompson flies with the angelshells angels, that isin this short. Hidden in plain sight during the spontaneous eruption of hunter s. Thompson 19372005 developed a style of writing about american life and politics that was so acerbic and overthetop, it earned its own nickname. Suffering from health problems, thompson took his own life at his compound in 2005. Thomsons meteoric rise to the pinnacle of fictitious nonfiction in the early 1970s was a man named warren hinckle. The joke s over prints cover the span of their association, from their first meeting in kentucky to the 2005 memorial service at which thompson s ashes were blasted out of a cannon and include work. Living on a 100acre farm in woody creek, colorado, thompson spent his life writing, listening to loud music, drinking, target shooting and motorcycling. The strange and terrible saga of the outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Thompsons most popular book is fear and loathing in las vegas. Thompsons brilliant love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent lust in the caribbean. Thompson has 74 books on goodreads with 794411 ratings. Kurt vonnegut jack kerouac ken kesey charles bukowski anthony burgess, blake morrison bret easton ellis william s burroughs irvine welsh tom robbins tom wolfe books by this author. For the first time, his photographs and archives have been collected into a visual biography worthy of his literary legacy. Thompson list of books in the 2009 first edition of ancient gonzo wisdom, a collection of interviews published by his wife anita after his death, but theres no trace of it in my 2012 picador ebook edition of the same book. I would put hells angels next in line, and then almost everything after that. These engaging exchanges reveal thompsons determination, selfindulgence, energy, outrageous wit, ire. Random house, 1967, trade cloth random house publishing group, 1975, isbn 0345248252 mass market random house publishing group, 1980, isbn 0345292383 mass market random house publishing group, 1981, isbn 03453017 mass market. Gonzo journalist \u001f the inventor of gonzo journalism, no less \u001f antinixon political commentator, nra member, booze and drug advocate, and the man whose corpse got blasted out of a rocket. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of journalism in books like fear and loathing in las vegas, fatally shot himself sunday night at his aspen. This book is quite simply the best biography ive read since wired, bob woodwards biography of john belushi. Thompson captures the crazy, hypocritical, degenerate, and worthwhile aspects of american society with razorsharp insight.
An image from steadman s 2006 book the joke s over, a memoir of his friendship and collaboration with famed gonzo journalist hunter s. But, the idillyc life of the thompson family unfortunately didnt last too. He first rose to prominence with the publication of hells angels 1967, a book for which he spent a year living and riding with the hells angels motorcycle gang in order to write a firsthand account of the lives and experiences of its members. You better take care of me lord, if you dont youre gonna have me on your hands. What makes the romantic short story screwjack so touching, for all its queerness, is the aching melancholy in its depiction of the modern mans burden. In the mid1960s, thompson spent almost two years living with the controversial angels, cycling up and down the coast, reveling in the anarchic spirit of their clan, and, as befits their name, raising hell. Thompsons manic tenyear crusade against american fascism. Fear and loathing in las vegas is the best chronicle of drugsoaked, addlebrained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. Hunter stockton thompson july 18, 1937 february 20, 2005 was an american journalist and author, and the founder of the gonzo journalism movement. This classic collection of thompsons work is the gateway drug. His books include hell s angels, fear and loathing at rolling stone, fear and loathing on the campaign trail 72, the rum diary, and better than sex. Thompson s books include fear and loathing in america, screwjack, hell s angels, fear and loathing in las vegas, the proud highway, better than sex, the rum diary, and kingdom of fear.