Prince Jellyfish
Encyclopedia
Prince Jellyfish is an unpublished novel
by American
journalist
and author
Hunter S. Thompson
.
The novel was Thompson's first, having been written around 1960 while he was in his early 20s and was working as a reporter for the Middletown Daily Record
in New York State
. Thompson had moved to Middletown
from New York City
, where he worked briefly as a copy boy
for Time
.
Little is known about the book, although in Thompson's obituary, The Guardian
described it as "an autobiographical novel about a boy from Louisville, going to the big city and struggling against the dunces to make his way." A short excerpt was published in Thompson's Songs of the Doomed
.
The book was rejected by a number of literary agent
s before Thompson moved briefly to Puerto Rico
and then moved on to writing his next novel, The Rum Diary
. The Rum Diary, too, remained unpublished until 1998, long after Thompson had become famous.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
.
The novel was Thompson's first, having been written around 1960 while he was in his early 20s and was working as a reporter for the Middletown Daily Record
Times Herald-Record
The Times Herald-Record, often referred to as The Record or Middletown Record in its coverage area, is a daily newspaper published in Middletown, New York, covering the northwest suburbs of New York City. It covers Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties in New York; Pike County in Pennsylvania; and...
in New York State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Thompson had moved to Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he worked briefly as a copy boy
Gofer
A gofer or go-fer is an employee who is often sent on errands. "Gofer" reflects the likelihood of instructions to go for coffee, dry cleaning, or stamps, or to make other straightforward or familiar procurements. The term gofer originated in North America...
for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
.
Little is known about the book, although in Thompson's obituary, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described it as "an autobiographical novel about a boy from Louisville, going to the big city and struggling against the dunces to make his way." A short excerpt was published in Thompson's Songs of the Doomed
Songs of the Doomed
Gonzo Papers, Vol. 3: Songs of the Doomed: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream is a book by the American writer and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, originally published in 1990...
.
The book was rejected by a number of literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
s before Thompson moved briefly to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and then moved on to writing his next novel, The Rum Diary
The Rum Diary (novel)
-External links:* Totally Gonzo – The Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism Community* at the Internet Movie Database*...
. The Rum Diary, too, remained unpublished until 1998, long after Thompson had become famous.