Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
1971
- comedy
- journalists, biography
- thompson, hunter s., 1937-2005
- journalists
- biography
- drug abuse
- fiction, general
- gesellschaftskritik
- prosa
The story
Maverick author Hunter S. Thompson introduced the world to "gonzo journalism" with this cult classic that shot back up the best seller lists after Thompson's suicide in 2005. No book ever written has more perfectly captured the spirit of the 1960s counterculture. In Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, Raoul Duke (Thompson) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (inspired by a friend of Thompson) are quickly diverted to search for the American dream. Their quest is fueled by nearly every drug imaginable and quickly becomes a surreal experience that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. But there is more to this hilarious tale than reckless behavior, for underneath the hallucinogenic facade is a stinging criticism of American greed and consumerism.
What it’s like
Frantic, hallucinatory prose that tumbles through hotel corridors, convertible highways and casino carpets in tight, breathless bursts, with the sensory world rendered in acid-bright detail: neon glare, sweat, cigarette smoke, the desert heat pressing on everything. The voice is a sardonic, first-person rant that swings from giddy comedy to sudden dread, so the mood is restless and manic with a sour undertow of paranoia and disgust. It suits a late-night read, a long wakeful stretch, or a sticky summer afternoon when a little chaos is welcome. The pacing lurches and loops rather than moving in a straight line, and the emotional register stays wired and cynical, with flickers of melancholy beneath the excess. Drug use is constant and graphic, there is frequent crude sexual talk and some brief, ugly violence, and the cruelty of the surroundings is never softened. Best for readers who enjoy satirical, unhinged American fiction and do not need anything gentle.
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