Raul Duke is the pseudonym of the cult American writer and journalist Hunter S. Thompson. At the same time, Raul is the protagonist of several of Thompson's novels, helping the author turn real stories into fiction.
Hunter S. Thompson
The most famous American journalist, cult writer of the beat generation and inventor of the gonzo reporter genre - Hunter Stockton Thompson - was born in Kentucky (USA), in 1937. For 48 years of creative activity (Hunter wrote from the age of 19), he was given the title of "America's main wit": from his very first publications, Thompson boldly and witty criticized American orders, politics and the absurdity of the entire moral and value system of the United States.
Raul Duke
Of course, being an unknown young man, it was very dangerous to make such statements, which means that a pseudonym was needed for an aspiring author. This is how Raul Duke was born.
With the exception of small journalistic notes and publications, the first work in which Raoul appears is Thompson's novel "Hell's Angels", published in 1966. Duke iconic figurebecomes after his second appearance in literature - in the novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A Wild Journey to the Heart of the American Dream." Both books are written in the first person and were originally published by Duke, not Thompson. Below is an image of Raul in an illustration for the original edition of "Fear and Loathing…" by artist Ralph Steadman.
In Thompson's books, Raul is characterized by a hedonistic lifestyle, cynicism, a tendency to use drugs and alcohol in large quantities, and an absolute contempt for the values of conservative America. Outwardly, Duke can be distinguished by the indispensable Hawaiian shirt of bright colors, dark glasses, panama hat, Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers and a short mouthpiece with a cigarette clamped between his teeth - this is exactly what Hunter Thompson himself most often looked like.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The first film adaptation of the book "Fear and Loathing …", as well as several other novels by Thompson, was the 1980 film "Where the Buffalo Roams", in which the role of Raoul Duke was played by American actor Bill Murray.
But the character gained immense popularity only in 1998 after the release of the film adaptation of "Fear and Loathing …", in which the role of Duke was played by Johnny Depp. The actor has always been a fan of Thompson's work, and during the preparation for filming he became a friend - he spent whole days with the writer.weeks to get into character as best as possible.
It was in the performance of Depp that the image of Raul Duke became iconic. Thompson was very pleased with both the film adaptation itself and the game of his friend: "Johnny was able to perfectly show the character of Duke: not only visually, but also in sound terms - his Raul speaks just like me, which I could not convey on the pages of the book. ".
