Hunter S. Thompson was often portrayed in popular culture as a dangerously absurd, drug-crazed journalist bent on comic self-destruction. While this portrayal is certainly not completely inaccurate, he is also considered by many to be one of the most important American writers of the 20th century.

Thompson was known for an explosive writing style that employed what he called “action verbs” to comically spin outlandish tales that were completely unbelievable, yet providing a unique viewpoint to accurately describe the underlying reality at hand. Thompson almost always wrote in the first person narrative, and his stories became so colorfully contrived that they easily slipped into the realm of fiction; however, the basic framework of the story he told was very often true. Thompson’s writing style exploits this void between the realms of fiction and non-fiction, and it has become known as Gonzo Journalism. Other notable gonzo writers include Timothy Edward Jones and P. J. O'Rourke.

Thompson died at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, on Sunday, February 20, of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. [Read more...]