Hunter S Thompson genius or loser?

The good doctor transformed journalism, re-invented the travelog, inspired a generation of writers, became a renowned iconoclast, was revered for his incredible style, wit and originality in print... His “unusual” lifestyle may have tarnished his reputation, undermined the later quality of his work, but “loser”? Please! If only the rest of us had a fraction of his talent, a soupcon of his life experiences, a sliver of his spirit. Jody Quinn, Belfast

“Was he a someone to be admired, a literary pioneer, or a self-destructive waster of talent?” How about all three? As a writer myself, I greatly admired his work and his absolutely original approach to reporting. And I think there is no question that he was a literary pioneer. But, as someone with his own self-destructive demons which I have frequently tried to silence with drink and, far less often, with a variety of drugs, I also know how easy it is to cross the line between excellent work and impaired effort (I’ve read that, during his last year or so, Brendan Behan would have only about half an hour of marvelous lucidity a day between agonizing hangovers and incoherent drunkenness). To some extent I am sure HST wasted his talent, although I also suspect he exaggerated his reports of his drink and drug use during many of his assignments. Andrew Hagen, Chicago, USA

Thomson was a loser precisely because he was a genius. He was a unicorn, beautiful and rare and ultimately doomed. As in all other aspects of his work, he was brutally honest about his own loser-hood and his status as a unicorn. Many are the journalists and writers who don’t own up to their peculiarities. Writers are weird people and that weirdness has a profound influence on whatever “truth” they attempt to tell. The beauty of “gonzo” was that Thompson’s weirdness, chemically-induced or otherwise, was on display at all times. It was part of the “truth”, at least to the extent that Thompson believed in that word. That was his gift to us, a gift that evidently cost him dearly. J P Nuttall, Buffalo, USA

How sad that so soon after the death of another great icon of the left, Arthur Miller, we now lose the genius that is Hunter S Thompson, a man who was not afraid to be human, and who was also not that proud to be either. I finished reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for the first time only yesterday, feeling like I had finally discovered a writer with an ability to truly point out how insane the world is - only to find out the very next day that my new found hero is dead. RIP Dr T and thank you. Natasha, Lincolnshire

Genius! The hard to believe news first hit my mobile phonethen I checked the news on the internet. It came as a shock: the loss is too colossal to be easily digested. Even in our part of Europe, his articles and books are widely read - for although he wrote about what some may perceive primarily as a reflection of American reality, the message sent to his readers has a much broader validity and relevance, and is indeed transferable across all modern societies. On the Campaign Trail, for instance, should be read by all considering entering the realm of politics - if we ever had a political reporter, analyst, commentator of his talent, capacity, sharp insight and finely weird style of writing, our political discourse would be quite different! He will be greatly missed - we should be eternally grateful for what he managed to write and publish during his lifetime. Jana Chrzova, Prague, Czech Republic

There is genius in his work, but he had an addictive personality. Without his active drug and alcohol use his impact would have been even greater - and he would probably still be here to compell us. Falvia Fresonke, Minneapolis, USA

“A self-destructive waster of talent?” I think you really missed the mark on that one. Hunter Thompson showed us that you didn’t have to play by the establishments rules to get ahead in this world. I can tell you, as an aspiring writer, that I learned far more about journalism from reading Dr. Thompson’s writings than I ever did in four years of college. In my opinion, he was a literary genius and should be celebrated as one. Jason de Iongh, Eureka, California, USA

If ever there was an author for the 70/80s generation this was their hero. His work on the American state of mind, or politics, or even fishing, was cuttingly accurate and he will be greatly missed by all who tried to explore and blow apart the humdrum-ness of modern-day life. Wilf Mann, Kingston-upon-Thames

I am certain that Hunter Thompson would relish the storm of opprobrium from the American right his passing has engendered. The very people who he so exquisitely discribed, as did H L Mencken, are the new majority in this country, and as intellect falls more and more away from popularity, the inarticulate snarling that charicterises such icons of the right as Rush and Reilly needed the clear and often cutting clarity of a Hunter Thompson reposte. Our country and especially it’s youth is poorer for his leaving. Greg Wood, Washington DC, USA

I don’t see how anyone who has written a book which is so much part of the pop-cultural lexicon could possibly be considered a waster of talent. If the doc had written nothing else except Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas he would deserve to be remembered. As it is, On the Campaign Trail and The Great Shark Hunt (a compilation) are equally brilliant. His acerbic off-the-wall point of view will be missed, especially in these times of spineless and slavish obedience to the holders of power. Ciaran Farrell, Dublin, Eire

Believe it or not, many people have taken LSD. Some describe the experience as precipitating profound religious revelations. Hunter S. Thompson spoke for the millions who took the drug for recreational purposes and enjoyed it. God bless him for expressing the truth, without fear and loathing. John Szczubelek, Haslet, USA

“I was a notorious best-selling author of weird and brutal books and also a widely feared newspaper columnist... I was also drunk, crazy and heavily armed at all times.” So the doctor is dead - the only wonder is that he lasted so long. Nobody wrote or writes like HST. The world, seen through his volume of books & articles, is a distored haze of delicious fantasy and ugly reality. Whatever the subject matter (on the campaign trail with Nixon, lounging in a Park Lane Hotel room with Ali, or taming a Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle) it was always a compelling ride. Paul Wingfield, Lincolnshire

Genius or a loser? Neither. He was nothing more than a hedonistic, troubled, eccentric.T B Garber, Enid, USA

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was a man who lived on the edge, and lived a hundred lives of adventure. A true free spirit, his writings helped touch anyone who read his work. Greatness comes from going to the edge and beyond, and sharing the tales to tell. Hunter did that with every word he penned. Antonio Gonzalez, Meadowbrook, USA

Genius! Open the pages of one of his books and you’ll know how and why. I will always be fascinated with Hunter because he can express the most difficult, strange, and weird experiences so accurately and so well. That is something I cannot do, but have tried. That is something many other people cannot do, but have tried. I read a quote of his about any political issue and first I laugh, second I say, “Damn, that hit the nail on the head.” Conrad Hindert, Terence Park, USA

If H.S.T. was a loser, who would ever want to win? His death is a tragic loss to us all, I never really beleived that the good Doctor was mortal, perhaps it is only fitting that he died by his own hand, there can be nobility in suicide. His was a lone voice of raging volatile insanity, speaking the truth in an insane world, free from any fear of the evil and corrupt powers of this world. Daniel Svanholm, Aalborg, Denmark

Definitely an essential figure in any appreciation of the notion of ‘Third space’and subculture. Only through experience could thomson deliver such strong personality in his reading. I think Duke’s comment “if it’s worth doing, its worth doing well” (from Fear and Loathing) was probably a part of HST’s philosophy. Jig Heanley, Bristol

Whether you agreed with his wild, outspoken, offensive rants or not, it was his compulsion to vehemently speak his mind at any cost that was awe insipiring. God bless you HST! The world is a poorer place without you. Tom Vowells, Brighton

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