Often journalists will use real life events in order to create a roman a clef - this is french for a 'novel with a key' meaning that it is a novel describing real life events through a facade of fiction.
One such journalist is Hunter S. Thompson and his well known work Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fear and Loathing is the story of Journalist Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo as they travel to Las Vegas in a drug induced haze. Thompson who is presume to be the main character of Duke in this fiction novel is believed to have drawn inspiration for the novel when he traveled to Las Vegas to interview Oscar Zeta Acosta a Mexican activist and attorney. It was decided that Las Vegas would be a more comfortable atmosphere for their interview and discussion of Ruben Salazar who had been recently killed.
Gonzo Journalism which Thompson is said to have coined and popularised is a guerrilla style of reporting that practically requires no rewriting. William Faulkner stated the "the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism — and the best journalists have always known this", it is this which Thompson has said his idea for Gonzo journalism came from.
While novels such as this may seem irrelevant they are an interesting source from which to examine the role of journalism with our cultural context. The way in which these novels are constructed is no less real than what a journalist would go through to research an article and may then even be more involved than creating a simple article as we are aware that often these can be a product of media releases straight from P.R individuals.
One such journalist is Hunter S. Thompson and his well known work Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fear and Loathing is the story of Journalist Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo as they travel to Las Vegas in a drug induced haze. Thompson who is presume to be the main character of Duke in this fiction novel is believed to have drawn inspiration for the novel when he traveled to Las Vegas to interview Oscar Zeta Acosta a Mexican activist and attorney. It was decided that Las Vegas would be a more comfortable atmosphere for their interview and discussion of Ruben Salazar who had been recently killed.
Gonzo Journalism which Thompson is said to have coined and popularised is a guerrilla style of reporting that practically requires no rewriting. William Faulkner stated the "the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism — and the best journalists have always known this", it is this which Thompson has said his idea for Gonzo journalism came from.
While novels such as this may seem irrelevant they are an interesting source from which to examine the role of journalism with our cultural context. The way in which these novels are constructed is no less real than what a journalist would go through to research an article and may then even be more involved than creating a simple article as we are aware that often these can be a product of media releases straight from P.R individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment