Portal:Louisville/Selected biography/5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hunter S. Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting in which the reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become the central figures of their stories. He is also known for his promotion and use of narcotics (and to a lesser extent, alcohol and firearms), his libertarian views, and his contempt for the law.
A Louisville, Kentucky native, Thompson grew up in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood of the Highlands.
In 1970, Thompson wrote an article entitled The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved for the short-lived new journalism magazine Scanlan's Monthly. Although it was not widely read at the time, the article is the first of Thompson's to use techniques of Gonzo journalism, a style he would later employ in almost every literary endeavor.
