I’ll be completely honest; I was never really a fan of Hunter S. Thompson until his death several years ago. I saw the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when it came out. Although Terry Gilliam’s animations were…well, interesting…I didn’t really find the value of Thompson’s writing from the film.
The day he died, a student of mine challenged me to read the book, rather than judge his work from the movie. When I did, I had a new respect for Dr. Gonzo. When you don’t have the distractions of the movie to take away from the story, and the writing, you can see for yourself that wording is utter genius.
With that in mind, I finally got a chance to read The Rum Diary. The story takes place in San Juan in the late 1950s, just after Castro takes over Cuba. The tale of a hard drinking journalist (sound like anyone that we know?), Paul Kemp, deals with temptation, betrayal and working for an organization that is about to fold at any moment. It’s one of Thompson’s early works, but his signature detail and writing style takes its form.
I’m almost a little surprised that there hasn’t been a screen version of this tale. It’s a fairly easy read, and quick to get through. I would highly recommend the read, especially during the summer time.
The day he died, a student of mine challenged me to read the book, rather than judge his work from the movie. When I did, I had a new respect for Dr. Gonzo. When you don’t have the distractions of the movie to take away from the story, and the writing, you can see for yourself that wording is utter genius.
With that in mind, I finally got a chance to read The Rum Diary. The story takes place in San Juan in the late 1950s, just after Castro takes over Cuba. The tale of a hard drinking journalist (sound like anyone that we know?), Paul Kemp, deals with temptation, betrayal and working for an organization that is about to fold at any moment. It’s one of Thompson’s early works, but his signature detail and writing style takes its form.
I’m almost a little surprised that there hasn’t been a screen version of this tale. It’s a fairly easy read, and quick to get through. I would highly recommend the read, especially during the summer time.
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