Quotes from book
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is a 1971 novel by Hunter S. Thompson, illustrated by Ralph Steadman. The book is a roman à clef, rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follows its protagonist, Raoul Duke, and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo, as they descend on Las Vegas to chase the American Dream through a drug-induced haze, all the while ruminating on the failure of the 1960s countercultural movement. The work is Thompson's most famous book, and is noted for its lurid descriptions of illegal drug use and its early retrospective on the culture of the 1960s. Its popularization of Thompson's highly subjective blend of fact and fiction has become known as gonzo journalism. The novel first appeared as a two-part series in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971, and was published as a book in 1972. It was later adapted into a film of the same title in 1998 by Terry Gilliam, starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro who portrayed Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, respectively.


Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo

“Good people drink good beer.”

Source: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo

“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.”

Source: 1970s, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971)
Context: We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like "I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive..." And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: "Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?"

Hunter S. Thompson photo

“Too weird to live, too rare to die!”

Source: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson photo

“Turn the goddam music up! My heart feels like an alligator!”

Source: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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