About
Hunter Stockton Thompson, born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1937, is the creator of Gonzo journalism, a subjective and participatory style where the journalist becomes an actor in the narrative. After a report on the Hell's Angels (1967), he gained fame with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972), published in Rolling Stone, of which he was national editor from 1970. He covered the 1972 presidential campaign in Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72. A candidate for sheriff of Pitkin County in 1970, he died by suicide in 2005.
* 1937-07-18 — † 2005-02-20
Major works
- Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (1967)novel
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream (1972)novel
- Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 (1973)novel
- The Rum Diary (1998)novel
- Kingdom of Fear (2003)essay
Key milestones
- 1970Invented Gonzo journalism with his article on the Kentucky Derby in Scanlan's Monthly.
- 1970Ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, on the 'Freak Power' ticket.
- 2005Died by suicide at Owl Farm, Woody Creek, Colorado; his ashes were fired from a cannon per his wishes.
Themes
Gonzo journalismAmerican counterculturePolitics and election campaignsDrugs and excessAmerican Dream
Sources: britannica.com · catdir.loc.gov · oxfordreference.com