I sat there for a long time, and thought about a lot of things. Foremost among them was the suspicion that my strange and ungovernable instincts might do me in before I had a chance to get rich. No matter how much I wanted those things that I needed money to buy, there was some devilish current pushing me off in another direction – toward anarchy poverty and craziness. That maddening delusion that a man can lead a decent life without hiring himself out as a Judas goat.
~ Hunter S. Thompson – The Rum Diary
I loaned my much-loved copy of The Rum Diary to my mom the other day; surprisingly she hadn’t read Hunter S. Thompson before, and I thought it was never to late to educate her on life beyond Jodi Piccault. She’s never been one for sub-culture much, but I think that Hunter S. can break through any barriers – inspiring as only a miscreant anti-hero could ever be inspiring, his books are an experience within themselves, and his style and prose will quite possibly never be beaten by any other writer. Besides, in death he managed to transcend his own cult following, making him an eternal anti-conformist all the way.
I’ve read a couple of his books, but of all of them The Rum Diary always was my favourite. Vintage Hunter S. just beginning his journey into mayhem and anarchy, there is a sense of hope alongside the despair and disillusionment. He was in his early twenties when he wrote this book, and like most of his books, it is pretty much based on his own experiences as a young foreign journalist in 1950’s Puerto Rico. From what I’ve read, the movie should be worth watching, especially since Johnny Depp plays the lead, but they’ve changed things, and for me, that is always annoying. Still, it should be interesting.
Maybe if I had something decent and gritty to read, I would be more inclined to make time to read. I’m quite keen to get hold of the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay, maybe some more Murakami. Or maybe another Hunter S. Thompson.
In the meantime, please enjoy these epic Hunter S. Thompson motivational posters.
