Thompson, Hunter S. (1937-2005) was an American author and journalist who created gonzo journalism. With journalism of this style, the author takes an active part in the story being reported and includes his or her own feelings on a subject. Thompson had a cult following—that is, a small but dedicated group of fans. Films based partly on Thompson’s life, including Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), increased this following.
Thompson began his writing career as a newspaper reporter in the United States Air Force. He had joined the military in 1956. He continued writing for newspapers after leaving the military in 1957. He then branched out into writing for magazines. In 1965, he wrote a magazine story on the Hell’s Angels, a motorcycle gang that originated in California. The story led Thompson to write his first published book, Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (1967). Thompson spent his next few years writing articles on American counterculture—that is, the “hippie” youth movement and drug culture. The hippies rejected the customs, traditions, and lifestyles of society and tried to develop their own.
Thompson examined American counterculture again in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971). The book first appeared in the magazine Rolling Stone in two parts in 1971. Thompson had a long association with Rolling Stone. He covered the 1972 presidential race between Richard M. Nixon and George S. McGovern for the magazine in a series of articles. He wrote them while traveling mostly with the McGovern campaign. The articles were later published as a book, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72 (1973). Other works by Thompson include The Great Shark Hunt (1979), The Rum Diary (1998), and Kingdom of Fear (2003).
Hunter Stockton Thompson was born on July 18, 1937, in Louisville, Kentucky. He committed suicide on Feb. 20, 2005, at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, outside Aspen. Thompson’s funeral was attended by hundreds of people, from politicians to film stars and musicians. It featured fireworks and the author’s cremated remains being shot from a 15-story tower.
