Many times have heard of a rather scandalous, insanely interesting person under the name "Dr. Gonzo."
Who is it? - you ask. This pseudonym is far less memorable than the shots from the movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” or a quote that starts with: “Two bags of grass, seventy-five balls of mescaline, five blotters of lactic acid ...”.
Biography
Hunter Stockton Thompson is one of the most significant American writers in modern culture. Dr. Gonzo partly came up with his own nickname, calling himself the hero of his novel. Hunter was born July 18, 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky. After the death of his father, his mother drank too much, and he was forced to go to serve in the US Army. In 1956, Thompson began working as an editor in his own newspaper, where he led a sports column. While studying at Columbia University, H.S. Thompson managed to work in several of the largest publishers in New York.
Contribution to the literature
Hunter Stockton Thompson is indeed considered the founder of the gonzo style and generally gonzo journalism. This genre of literature combines audacity, lightness, irony and the absolute absurdity of the narrative.
Dr. Gonzo literally turned over the traditional work of journalists, now they were not just people standing aside and interviewing, no, he himself became part of the events. Drugs, sports, madness, politics and an endless stream of black humor, sarcasm, foul language - you can recognize his works by these features, it was this that caused the explosion, turning the traditional framework of literary art.
Gonzo Characteristics
The gonzo style to some extent gave rise to a certain movement of freedom, including in literature. The question may arise, why was Hunter given the name of a whole direction? Because he was its absolute reflection. Most people agree that everything written by him and about him was true. Dr. Gonzo was the only person who could come to a drug control conference in a full room with cops, carrying a suitcase full of all kinds of prohibited substances.
At that time, such honesty in the story was a completely new phenomenon, giving rise to many new directions: from journalism to dirty realism. The main feature was the genuine directness of the author, up to the style of his self-expression, syllable.
Hero "Dr. Gonzo"
In one of the most famous books of H.S. Thompson's “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A Wild Journey to the Heart of the American Dream ”(and the film of the same name) Dr. Gonzo is the lawyer for the protagonist, journalist Raul Duke, the prototype of H. Thompson himself. The character of the lawyer is also taken from the real person Oscar Zeta Acosta, who was Thompson's friend, a lawyer and activist, writer, who had a very defiant civic position. Roughly speaking, according to the book, he was not a lawyer, but rather just a friend who skillfully twisted himself out of various situations in which Raul Duke so liked to stick. The two of them went to Mexico with a full baggage of drugs:
We had at our disposal two bags of grass, seventy-five balls of mescaline, five blotters of lactic acid, a salt shaker with holes full of cocaine, and a whole intergalactic parade of planets of all kinds of stimulants, trunks, screeches, laughter ... as well as a tequila quart, a rum quart, a box " Badweiser, "a pint of crude ether and two dozen amils.
This quote is familiar to everyone, it was rewritten, used, and almost put on a pedestal by millions of people. This phrase has become the motto of many generations. She fully described the lives of these people at that time and gonzo life.
The character Dr. Gonzo and his prototype in real life, although they have similar features, but still portray completely different people. Photo of Dr. Gonzo is most often taken from the sensational film adaptation of the novel, set by Terry Gilliam.
Acosta's lawyer
Oscar Zeta Acosta was born in April 1935 in Texas. By nationality, Acosta was a Mexican, grew up in a poor family without a father. He assisted the same families, becoming a well-known lawyer. In 1967, a significant event took place for the future of Dr. Gonzo - an acquaintance with Acosta.
Acosta was an activist and defended activists of Mexican descent. For insolence, courage and disrespect, the lawyer was arrested more than once, he caused the anger of the police and senior officials who had influence in this area.
As a strong personality and an honest lawyer, Acosta led people who believed him, of course, this caused the wrath of many. But his only weakness was drug abuse - LSD and amphetamine. Two large autobiographical novels were written with his hand, covering much of his professional career. In 1974, Oscar Zeta Acosta left for Mexico and since then no one has seen him, he is considered missing.