Hunter S. Thompson worked in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a reporter for a variety of publications, notably "The Nation", the "National Journal", and the well-received stories, but he really wanted to be a novelist. As such, he created "The Rum Diary", a roman-a-clef about a drunken young journalist in the tropics. Now, with Thompson's reputation at an all-time high, this novel has been resurrected and revealed. It is a work of exuberance, madness and comedy, the first true sign of the genius that is Hunter S. Thompson.