Proud Highway

Product Details

Author : Hunter S. Thompson
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780345377968
Edition : Reprint
Number of Pages : 720
Product Group : Book
Publication Date : 1998-04-07
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Release Date : 1998-04-07

ASIN : 0345377966

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Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.com

This first volume of the correspondence of Hunter S. Thompson begins with a high school essay and runs up through the publication of Thompson's breakout book, Hell's Angels. Thompson apparently never threw a letter away, so the reader has the treat of experiencing the full evolution of his pyrotechnic writing style, rant by rant. The letters--to girlfriends, to bill collectors, to placers of "Help Wanted" ads, to editors and publishers--are usually spiced with political commentary. The style and the political animus always seem to drive each other. For instance, an 11/22/63 letter to novelist and friend William J. Kennedy about the day's cataclysm is apparently the birthplace of the signal phrase "fear and loathing." (Thompson summed up the Kennedy assassination thus: "The savage nuts have shattered the great myth of American decency.") And the willingness to write strangers is stunning: this collection includes Thompson's letter to LBJ seeking appointment to the governorship of American Samoa. You might have thought Garry Trudeau was exaggerating in his Doonesbury characterization of the Thompson-based character Duke. He was not.

Customer Reviews

HST at his best (2004-07-13)

Hunter S. Thomson came to the conclusion at a very young age that he was brilliant, and as a result made a point of saving his letters to prove it. Before Gonzo was Gonzo there was Hunter S. Thomason the lover of the written word, and this collection of letters lets you in on the adventure of an author coming of age. Like the readers of Hemmingway and Kerouac, if you are a lover of Hunter S. Thompson's writing you are more than likely a lover of Hunter S. Thompson - This book is for you. Anyone not familiar with HST will find in this book the archetypical American idealist: self reliant, self directed and uncompromising. However what makes Thompson unique is that he is able to write very, very well, and in so doing his journey is told with vibrancy and power that can only be told by a man who has done much, thought a lot, and wrote even more.

Editor Douglas Brinkley has done an outstanding job arranging Thompson's "trunk load of letters" from a mix of miscellaneous correspondences into a brilliant historical look at the history of America over latter half of twentieth century.

Simply awesome! (2004-05-11)

This is a must for every wannabe author. This is not simply for the diehard HST fan. The author speaks to everybody but for those born before 1964 it is particularly poignant, a real coming-of-age story. If this had been fiction, it would not have been published because it would have simply been too outrageous to accept. I'm sure in this case 90% of it is true, but only HST would know for sure -- and even he probably forgets much of it. (If you can remember the 1960's, you weren't there.)The softback copy has a great feel and look to it, the paper and the font. A great book to keep in your carry-on baggage even if it is a bit heavy.

Start with Hell's Angels, then move here (2004-01-21)

Did you ever secretly read someone's diary? You knew it was wrong but you couldn't help yourself. We do it because it offers a glimpse into a part of someone's personality that we may have not known. That's essentially what these letters are. When Thompson wrote them it's unlikely he ever intended for them to be open to the public. Although at one point he does make a prophetic statement about his suspicion that people like reading his letters better than his fiction. AND he did keep carbons of everything. No matter. This is completely entertaining. It's fascinating to the see the evolution of his writing and depth of his intellect. He really grows fangs and claws along the way and uses them, usually hilariously, to rip people to shreds. He says the things that we would want to but are afraid to. No one is off limits. Unfortunately, his incredible talent as a writer is overshadowed by his reputation for consuming freakish amounts of booze and pills. Everyone loves a freak show, right? But this shows his power--what made him great. If you're a writer, you'll especially love it. One note: If you've never read any Hunter Thompson, start with his breakout book, Hell's Angels, and then move here. Not only does Proud Highway culminate with the release of that book (which erupted Thompson's fame) but it also rumbles with energy and is a heck of a lot of fun.

Good book (2003-08-16)

These are letters of Hunter S. Thompson. They range from letters to publishers to letters to his land lord. Great for the Thompson fanatic.

Important for anyone in their early 20s (2003-07-25)

First, a disclaimer. Yes I realize that this, the volume that follows and the as of yet unreleased third volume, are all meant for die-hard fans and not introductory reading. Some would go so far as to claim that HST is now simply pandering and stoking his own personality cult.That being said, despite whatever suspected intentions this book came out under, it has become one of my favorite "autobiography/memior collections" (shudder) ever. Any person interested in writing, travelling or living the unorthodox lifestyles we all really want to live, should read this while they're doing it. The collection follows Thompson from his Louisville days editing the school newspaper and getting chased around by the local cops, to up-state NY, California and Colorado, all while trying to sell his first pieces of writing to magazines and newspapers and maintaining a life halfways on the road, halfways in the strangest of circles in the 1960s. Readers get to see the frustration (and hunger) of trying to make a living on words alone, then later the joy (and drinks) that success on one's own terms can bring. In order to put the critics' claims to rest, I would say that even if this book were someone else's letters it would still be fantastic. That is to say, HST's "image" doesn't really play any role in making this a better read, but then again if that's what you're looking for, you might do better with "Fear and Loathing".

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