Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

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Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 (German title: " Fear and Loathing in the election campaign ") is a collection of articles that the US presidential election in 1972 describe written by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman illustrated. The articles were published in Rolling Stone magazine during 1972 and as a book in the spring of 1973.

content

The book focuses almost entirely on the Democratic Party's primary elections and the party's collapse when it was split between the various candidates. The focus is on leading the George McGovern campaign during the Miami convention, which tried to secure the Democratic nomination against opposition from the Humphrey campaign and other candidates.

Thompson began his campaign coverage in December 1971, when the primaries race began, from a rental apartment in Washington . For the next twelve months, he reported in great detail on every aspect of the campaign, from the smallest gathering to the roughest of meetings. Due to the free running nature of the election campaign, one of the first fax machines was procured by the magazine for Thompson at great expense. Thompson used the new technique to extend the writing process to the end of the deadlines. Just hours before the magazine went to press, he sent out notes at random. Colleagues and editors had to put the finished product together with Thompson over the phone.

Interpretation and reception

As in his earlier novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (German title: Angst und Schrecken in Las Vegas ) Thompson worked in fear and horror in the election campaign with a style of prose, the vulgarity and the exaggeration of events characterize. The British writer AL Kennedy described the reports as "Insanity, obscenity, profanity, illegality and reptilian paranoia" ("madness, obscenity, profanity, illegality and reptilian paranoia"). The book publication was one of the 10 most controversial books of all time. For William McKeen, the reports were "a classic of American political journalism" ("a classic of American political journalism").

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ AL Kennedy's top 10 controversial books on The Guardian's website , February 3, 2003.
  2. ↑ Ray P. Browne, Pat Browne (Eds.): The Guide to United States Popular Culture . University of Wisconsin Press, Madison 2001, ISBN 0-87972-821-3 , p. 841.