Thompson, Hunter S.

Thompson, Hunter S.

▪ American journalist
in full  Hunter Stockton Thompson 
born July 18, 1937, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
died February 20, 2005, Woody Creek, Colorado
 American journalist and author, who created the genre known as gonzo journalism, a highly personal style of reporting that made Thompson a counterculture icon.

      Thompson, who had a number of run-ins with the law as a young man, joined the U.S. Air Force in 1956. He served as a sports editor for a base newspaper and continued his journalism career after being discharged in 1957. In 1965 he infiltrated the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang, an experience he recounted in Hell's Angels (1967). The book led to writing assignments for Esquire, Harper's, Rolling Stone, and other magazines. In addition to his irreverent political and cultural criticism, Thompson also began to attract attention for his larger-than-life persona, which was highlighted by drug- and alcohol-fueled adventures and a distaste for authority.

      In 1970 Thompson introduced his subjective style of reporting with the article The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved, in which he was a central part of the story. A 1971 assignment for Sports Illustrated to cover a motorcycle race in Nevada resulted in perhaps his best-known work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream (1972; film, 1998), which became a contemporary classic and established the genre of gonzo journalism. First serialized in Rolling Stone, it documents the drug-addled road trip taken by Thompson (as his alter ego Raoul Duke) and his lawyer (Dr. Gonzo) while also discussing the end of the 1960s counterculture. The book featured frenetic artwork by Ralph Steadman, who illustrated many of Thompson's works. In Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 (1973), Thompson chronicled the 1972 presidential campaigns of George McGovern and Richard Nixon. Later works include The Great Shark Hunt (1979), Better Than Sex (1994), and Kingdom of Fear (2003). Thompson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Thompson, Hunter S(tockton) — (1937–2005)    Although not usually considered a full fledged member of the Beat Generation, Hunter S. Thompson maintained an association with several principle Beat figures. Thompson’s body of work would seem at first to be at odds ideologically …   Encyclopedia of Beat Literature

  • Thompson, Hunter Stockton — ▪ 2006  American journalist and author (b. July 18, 1937, Louisville, Ky. d. Feb. 20, 2005, Woody Creek, Colo.), blurred the line between reporting and storytelling with a signature brand of highly subjective writing that he dubbed gonzo… …   Universalium

  • Thompson, Hunter S(tockton) — born July 18, 1939, Louisville, Ky., U.S. U.S. journalist. He had run ins with the law as a young man and served in the U.S. Air Force. In 1965 he infiltrated the Hell s Angels motorcycle gang and published his account, Hell s Angels, in 1966.… …   Universalium

  • Thompson, Hunter S(tockton) — (18 jul. 1939, Louisville, Ky., EE.UU.). Periodista estadounidense. Tuvo dificultades con la ley en su juventud y más tarde sirvió en la Fuerza Aérea estadounidense. En 1965 se infiltró en la banda de motociclistas que se hacía llamar Hells… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Hunter S. Thompson — at the Miami Book Fair International of 1988 Born Hunter Stockton Thompson July 18, 1937(1937 07 18) Louisville, Kentucky …   Wikipedia

  • Hunter Stockton Thompson — Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (* 18. Juli 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky; † 20. Februar 2005 in Woody Creek bei Aspen, Colorado) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller und Reportage …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hunter Thompson — Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (* 18. Juli 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky; † 20. Februar 2005 in Woody Creek bei Aspen, Colorado) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller und Reportage …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hunter S. Thompson — Hunter Stockton Thompson (18 de julio de 1937 20 de febrero de 2005) fue un periodista y escritor estadounidense, creador e icono del periodismo gonzo, un modelo de periodismo que plantea eliminar la división entre sujeto y objeto, ficción y no… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Hunter Stockton Thompson — Hunter S. Thompson Pour les articles homonymes, voir Thompson. Hunter S. Thompson …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hunter Thompson — Hunter S. Thompson Pour les articles homonymes, voir Thompson. Hunter S. Thompson …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”