Keep This Quiet! My Relationship with Hunter S. Thompson, Milton Klonsky, and Jan Mensaert - Softcover

Harrell, Margaret A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0983704503 ISBN 13: 9780983704508

Publisher: Saeculum University Press, 2011

Synopsis

"Hunter often said Harrell was the best copy editor he'd ever worked with" (William McKeen, "Outlaw Journalist"). But what was the rest of the story? "Keep This Quiet" captures the fear and loathing, charm and romance of Hunter in the late Sixties - along with tales of two other underground authors. Included are genuine, funny letters he sent Margaret during and after the publication of "Hell's Angels." Also, priceless reminiscences of some of Hunter's oldest friends: William Kennedy, David Pierce, Rosalie Sorrels, and editor Jim Silberman - covered in no other account. Featured in addition are "poète maudit" Jan Mensaert and Greenwich Village "poet genius" Milton Klonsky. Also, Hunter's sidekick Oscar Acosta. Review Comments: "Margaret Harrell's 'Keep This Quiet' offers an illuminating look at Hunter S. Thompson in full throttle trying to make it as a Top Notch prose-stylist. Harrell fills in many important biographical gaps. A welcome addition to what is becoming the HST cottage industry. Read it"—Douglas Brinkley, editor of "The Proud Highway" and "Fear and Loathing in America" "The reader comes to feel an affinity with the trio of writers in their attempts to achieve their iconoclastic visions of success, glimpsing them as individuals beyond their work, seeing how they think"—Kirkus Indie Reviews "If you want to know what the Sixties were really like, read Keep This Quiet: A Memoir. It's all there: the openness, the hope, the ideals, the risks, the highs and lows, the travel, the love"—Robert Morgan, author of "Gap Creek" and "Terroir" "This book is a joy to read, particularly for anyone that has that urge to express themselves through the creative arts in all their forms. In terms of its importance to the Hunter S. Thompson world I would have to say that there are not many other books out there that have the same intimate understanding of the man behind the myth"—Rory Feehan, owner of http://totallygonzo.org/ "Three men, embodiments of three different dimensions of the late 1960's Zeitgeist—wispy dissolution, language-charged intellect, and Gonzo persona-building—are brought together by Harrell to invoke a world of passion and commitment" - W. C Bamberger, "Rain Taxi Review of Books" "Keep This Quiet! is a moving read and much recommended to any literary studies or memoir collection"—Midwest Book Review "Keep your eyes peeled for this new book by Margaret Harrell"—William McKeen, author of "Outlaw Journalist" "Keep This Quiet? Not likely. Margaret Harrell's 'Keep This Quiet!' is a feast for the Gonzo soul"—Martin Flynn, owner of http://hstbooks.org "Readers will be privy to never-before-published letters from Hunter Thompson, deepening insight into the turning point in his career and emergence into gonzo"—Bernie Nelson, "The Mindquest Review" "Harrell's writing is crisp and easy to follow. I found it nearly impossible to put the book down"—Isabel Escobar "Harrell is an excellent storyteller, in a story that is never about the narrative, but about the real people. Every person in the book is bold and well defined"—"San Francisco Book Review" Harrell beautifully tells the story of how her relationships with the three men, predominantly Thompson, progressed, sharing intimate moments and keeping the reader turning the page"—"Portland Book Review" "'Keep this Quiet!' is a riveting, soul-baring honest look into Margaret Harrell and the inner workings of one of the world’s greatest writers"—Nick Storm, Storm Generation Films "'KEEP THIS QUIET! a memoir: My Relationship with Hunter S. Thompson, Milton Klonsky, and Jan Mensaert' by Margaret A. Harrell is a masterpiece! I never expected to say that about a memoir"—Ron Whitehead, outlaw poet, author of "Tapping My Own Phone" and "The Storm Generation Manifesto"

About this title

From the Author

Hunter begins practically his first letter to me - about Hell's Angels - like this: "It is now four hours and twenty minutes past the midnight hour deadine for my leaving ths house but I'm still here, sitting in a heap of boxes and debris....working on this, my final effort on what now appears to be a doomed book." Yes, that was Hell's Angels. We all know how the story ended, but there's a story there - a Gonzo one - in getting the manscript past the deadline, over the wire, and into the book pages. That's the story of Keep This Quiet! The real close-up, inside look at Hunter in those days. Some commenter on Hell's Angels raise such questions as how much the stomping affected the perspective of the book. Questions like that are answered in Keep This Quiet! In this case, none. Not one bit. The manuscript was already turned in. It was the usual situation for Hunter: Hold the presses!!! There's been a development. And we did.

From the Back Cover

"I'll try to find Margaret . . . she's definitely the missing link" - HST, August 12, 1971

"Margaret's life is, as always, more amazing than any book. If I didn't know Margaret, I wouldn't believe her incredible life story" - Frank Despriet, author of  Communication Psychology

Edition details

• Publisher: Saeculum University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0983704503
• ISBN 13: 9780983704508
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 258