I've been rereading 'Kingdom of Fear' - Hunter S Thompson’s autobiography - If you haven't read it I can't recommend it enough! It's no secret that one of my favourite books ever is 'The Rum Dairy'.
For anyone who hasn't read The Rum Diary this is what it's about (according to wikipedia) ‘Set in the late 1950s, the novel encompasses a tangled love story of jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust among the Americans who staff the newspaper.’ and ‘… 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.’
Side note - Generally the books I like cover these themes. See the work of one of my other favourite authors Tennessee Willliams. His plays have similar recurring motifs, such as social mores, greed, superficiality, decay, sexual desire, and death.
Anyhoo, Thompson is the king of quotes.
"Life should not be a safe journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly use up, totally worn out, loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!"
I really agree with that. My 'live fast' tattoo ain't for nothing you know. But lately I've been getting the feeling that I may sometimes spend too much time rushing through life, hungry for the next thing. I suppose there's something to be said for savouring the moments too rather than casting them aside and hurrying on to the next.
while I'm quoting - here's a great Tennessee Williams quote -
"We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it."
