The Rum Diary (novel)

infobox Book
name = The Rum Diary
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Hunter S. Thompson
cover_artist = Jackie Seow
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Hardcover, Simon & Schuster, softcover
release_date = 1993
media_type = Print
pages = 204 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-684-85647-6
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Rum Diary" is an early novel by American writer Hunter S. Thompson that was written in the early 1960s but was not published until 1998.

The story involves a journalist named Paul Kemp, who moves from New York to work for a small newspaper, "The Daily News", in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Set in the late 1950s, the novel encompasses a tangled love story of jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust among the American expatriates who staff the newspaper. Thompson himself traveled from New York to San Juan in 1960 to write for an ill-fated sports newspaper on the island. Thompson had unsuccessfully applied to work at the larger English-language daily called the "San Juan Star" while novelist William J. Kennedy was the editor. While in Puerto Rico, Thompson befriended many of the writers at the "Star", providing the context for "The Rum Diary's" fictional storyline.

Although Thompson was only 22 when he wrote the story, it deals extensively with a fear of “going over the hill” and growing old. The prominent characters are typical of Thompson's work; violent, maniacal and alcoholic, stumbling through life. It is written in a highly paced and rather exciting style, also typical of his work.

Thompson told PBS talk show host Charlie Rose in 1999 that he had given up the novel because it had originally "bounced about seven times - I got the standard list of rejection letters - and I came back from South America and I got into the politics of the 60s and 70s, and it was a full time job." He then said that he revisited the book because "it's got a romantic notion...that and money.. and I was faced with the fact of having to dig out my 40-year old story...I can't change it, like, 'ye gods, this is me, this is the world I lived in'...so I approached it as a writer...it's a good story."

It is Thompson's second novel, preceded by the still-unpublished "Prince Jellyfish".

Film version

"The Rum Diary" is a forthcoming film based on Hunter S. Thompson's novel "The Rum Diary" currently in pre-production and tentatively set for release in 2009. According to a "Variety" article [Fleming, Michael. " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963562.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 'Slevin' trio form production company] ", "Variety", 04-22-2007.] , the production company Dark And Stormy Entertainment, comprised of writers and producers Jason Smilovic, Tyler Mitchell, and Robert Kravis, will produce the film.

According to the production company, actor Johnny Depp will play Paul Kemp, while Bruce Robinson wrote the adaptation and is also set to direct.

The Rum Diary has been in development hell since the late 1990s. Filming was scheduled to begin in 2000 and again in 2003, and the film has since switched production companies, directors, and financial backers. [ http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/3260/depp-opens-rum-diary.html "Time Out Film" - Depp opens Rum Diary ] . Before his death, Thompson spoke of his desire to see it finished.

This time around, filming was planned to start after Depp completed the "" films, but "Variety" has since reported [Garrett, Diane. " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969386.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 Depp goes Gonzo again] ", "Variety", 07-29-2007.] that filming will begin after Depp completes the film "Shantaram", which itself started filming in the fall of 2007 but has since been halted due to the writers' strike. "Shantaram" has a tentative 2008 release. Depp said in December 2007 “We hit pause in that sense [on "Shantaram"] and are going to wait it out until the dust settles. Then "Rum Diary" might be all ready to go. We might be able to jump into that.” [ [http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=2548 IF Magazine Jonny Depp Plays Sweeny Todd's Blade Runner] December 20,2007 ] .

Depp previously starred in the film adaptation of Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", where they became friends, and Depp later helped finance Thompson's funeral.

Throughout the years many actors have been attached to the film in various capacities, including Josh Hartnett, Benicio del Toro (another "Fear and Loathing" alumnus), Nick Nolte, and others. According to their reps as of July 2007, none of these actors are officially part of the project. [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN3035333320070730?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&sp=true Depp Toasts Hunter S. Thompson with Rum Diary (Reuters) July 30. 07] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.rumdiary.cjb.net The Rum Diary Film]
* [http://hudsoncress.org/html/library/literature/Thompson,%20Hunter%20S.%20The%20Rum%20Diary.pdf The Rum Diary PDF e-book]
* [http://imdb.com/title/tt0376136/ The Rum Diary] at the Internet Movie Database