Franz Kafka

 

Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was one of the major fiction writers of the 20th century. He was born to a middle-class German-speaking Jewish family in Prague. His unique body of writing - much of which is incomplete and which was mainly published posthumously - is considered to be among the most influential in Western literature.

His stories, such as The Metamorphosis (1915), and novels, including The Trial (1925) and The Castle (1926), concern troubled individuals in a nightmarishly impersonal and bureaucratic world. The apparent hopelessness and absurdity that seem to permeate his works are considered emblematic of existentialism.

Hunter S. Thompson

 

Hunter S. Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist, author and creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become central figures of their stories.

He is also known for his use of psychedelics, alcohol, firearms, and his iconoclastic contempt for authority. He wrote for Rolling Stone magazine for much of his life but is most famous for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972). Thompson’s groundbreaking article The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved (1970) is considered to be the first example of Gonzo journalism.

Jack Kerouac

 

Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American author, poet and pioneer of the Beat Generation.

His seminal novel On the Road (1957) and follow-up The Dharma Bums (1958) rocked the establishment with their stream-of-consciousness portrayals of 1950s underground America, a whirlwind of sex, drugs and jazz.

Kerouac wrote in continuous, stream of consciousness bursts. He was heavily influenced by improvisational jazz and some of his phrasing is considered to reflect this. He is considered to have been a great influence on writers such as Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Robbins, Ken Kesey, and Haruki Murakami.