Thompson's letters
Tim Durkin

One might think that reading another person’s letters would be incredibly interesting, particularly if that person has lead a very public life. Some of Hunter S. Thompson’s letters, collected here in The Proud Highway: Saga of a Southern Gentleman, are well worth reading, some you don’t want to but need to. Then some are tedious and, well, loathsome. It is these last types of letters that makes The Proud Highway unworthy of reading for the general public. Sadly, it seems, this could have been avoided with more editing work by Brinkley.

Thompson was born and raised in Kentucky until he joined the armed services in 1956. It is here that he developed his skills as a writer as the Base sports editor. After a discharge from the army, which he righteously deserved, he began freelancing, spending some time in the Caribbean, and then onto South America. These letters of his trip to South America show Thompson as a ‘good old southern boy’. Typically American in his disdain for all things not American the letters consist mostly of his horrible experiences there. They do also however give the first insights into his keen eye for stories and their importance. While he remains almost devoutly apolitical Thompson never misses on important stories.

Thompson is obviously well read as the style and tone of his letters attest to. His travel journals also reveal that he is also very well travelled. Not only had he travelled to every South American country but he had also done stories on almost every state in the union as well. This acquired knowledge allowed him a firm understanding of social pressures.

His style of journalism, what was to be called "pure gonzo" as coined by critic Bill Cardoso, came from a firm belief that American journalism was dead. What it needed was an honesty and integrity.

Though the drug crazed binges that spawned such works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and to a degree his first novel, Hell’s Angels, may tint his theories of journalistic integrity, it is hard to dispute that he was and genuine in his beliefs about honesty.

He believed the only way to get a good story was to delve into it.

While stories like these certainly do add to the Thompson mystique they are not for everyone’s consumption. Each of the important sections of these letters could have been broken up into more detailed, sensible books of their own. Brinkley has done a disservice by presenting the letters in this fashion. The chronological order has overshadowed common sense editing. The endless repetition could have easily been edited without any threat to the integrity Thompson holds so dear.

This book is a must for any die-hard fans and it is an excellent resource guide for research. Wait until the library gets it so you don’t have to buy it.