Hunter S. Thompson Summary

Thompson, Hunter S. (1939—) Hunter S. Thompson represents life on the edge, the counter to culture, the man who has listed his religion as none, his politics as anarchist, and his hobby as coll... Read more

The American journalist Hunter Stockton Thompson (born 1937) was known as one of the best examples of "Gonzo" journalism. His political and cultural criticism of the United States in the 1970s was lar... Read more

Hunter S. Thompson created an explosive, first-person, gonzo style of reportage that brashly pushed the language and limits of American literary journalism into boldly original new directions. With we... Read more

In the following review, Mitgang asserts that Thompson "takes no prisoners" in his Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the 80s. Hunter S. Thompson, who gained a fan... Read more

In the following review, the critic faults Thompson's Better Than Sex, saying, "The aim is true but the barbs not quite as lethal as his earlier literary death blows." As irrev... Read more

In the following review, Kaiser calls Thompson's The Proud Highway "neither particularly interesting nor particularly well-written." In the introduction to this nearly 700-page... Read more

In the following review, Ross asserts the value of Thompson's wisdom in Generation of Swine. In the literary free-fire zone of American culture and political commentary, Hunter S. Thompson h... Read more

In the following interview, Allis describes his attempt to interview Thompson. Boston correspondent Sam Allis went to Colorado last week to interview Hunter S. Thompson, the inventor of gonzo journ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Menand reviews Thompson's Songs of the Doomed, charging that the author is still living in the counterculture of the 1970s. After the Altamont concert disaster in D... Read more

In the following review, Gaughan asserts that although Thompson's Better Than Sex is not better than his Fear and Loathing books, it is worthy of attention. At some point, people as diverse ... Read more

Critical Essay by Leo E. Litwak The easy acceptance of violence lends to ["Hell's Angels"] a cartoon quality. We observe Angels brutalizing themselves and others and somehow we e... Read more

Critical Essay by Jerome Klinkowitz Thompson's methods … go beyond traditional fiction into those of more innovative art—techniques and styles tasting more of [Ronald] Sukenick a... Read more

Critical Essay by William F. Buckley, Jr. The "60's," which ran from 1965 to 1974, brought forth a fresh, raw journalism appropriate to the general abandon…. Hunter Thomps... Read more

Critical Essay by Gene Lyons As I write, Raoul Duke is standing blindfolded in front of an Iranian firing squad, haggling over the bribe he is offering. For Doonesbury's sake, I hope those ata... Read more

Critical Essay by Christopher Lehmann-haupt I guess you'd best forget trying to understand the rationale behind Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Jou... Read more

Critical Essay by Joseph Kanon [In] December 1971, as national correspondent for Rolling Stone. Thompson hit the presidential campaign trail, and his stream of monthly Gonzo journalism reports became... Read more

Critical Essay by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I worry about the health of Dr. Hunter Thompson. I think I am supposed to do that. He is the most creatively crazy and vulnerable of the New Journalists, seemingl... Read more

Critical Essay by Wayne C. Booth These days The Making of the President 1972 is of course damned, because Theodore White comes too close to accepting President Nixon's view of himself….... Read more