AsuperblycraftedstudyofHunterS.Thompson’sliteraryformation,achievement,andcontinuingrelevance.SavageJourneyisa“supremelycrafted“studyofHunterS.Thompson’sliteraryformationandachievement.FocusingonThompson’sinfluences,development,anduniquemodelofauthorship,SavageJourneyarguesthathisliteraryformationwaslargelyaSanFranciscostory.Duringthe1960s,ThompsonrodewiththeHell’sAngels,exploredtheSanFranciscocounterculture,andmettalentededitorswhosharedhisdissatisfactionwithmainstreamjournalism.PeterRichardsontracesThompson’stransitionduringthistimefromNewJournalisttocofounderofGonzojournalism.HealsoendorsesThompson’slaterclaimthathewasoneofthebestwritersusingtheEnglishlanguageasbothamusicalinstrumentandapoliticalweapon.AlthoughThompson’spoliticalcommentarywasoftenhyperbolic,Richardsonshowsthatmuchofitwasalsoprophetic.FiftyyearsafterthepublicationofFearandLoathinginLasVegas,andmorethanadecadeafterhisdeath,Thompson’scelebritycontinuestoobscurehisliteraryachievement.ThisbookrefocusesourunderstandingofthatachievementbymappingThompson’sinfluences,probingthedevelopmentofhissignaturestyle,andtracingthereceptionofhismajorworks.ItconcludesthatThompsonwasnotonlyagiftedjournalist,satirist,andmediacritic,butalsothemostdistinctiveAmericanvoiceinthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury.
