Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe was an American writer and journalist who helped to shape the New Journalism movement that emerged in the 1960s. His works are notable for their rich characters, which often challenge established notions of class, privilege, and morality. Wolfe wrote several novels, many of which were best-sellers and were adapted into films, as well as dozens of nonfiction works and articles. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1931 and had a strong sense of style that he always wanted to express as part of his work. From print journalism to novels to essays and journalism, Wolfe tackled social commentary and satire, often at the same time.

After attending Washington and Lee University and then Yale, Wolfe taught English and journalism at New York University and Columbia. In the late 1950s, he began writing for the Springfield Union and eventually moved to the New York Herald Tribune. At the newspaper he developed his popular column, ‘Interval’, in which he wrote about everyday life and events in New York. This column, along with his other works, first showcased his signature style of writing: eccentric, detailed, and full of energy.

In 1965, Wolfe wrote a collection of essays titled ‘The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby’, which introduced the term ‘the New Journalism’. His style set the stage for a new kind of writing that combined elements of reporting, storytelling, and opinion. As a journalist, Wolfe traveled extensively, covering topics like the ‘radical chic’ of the 1970s and the impact of the automobile on America’s landscape. He also wrote the popular book ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’, which detailed the experiences of the counterculture movement in the late 1960s.

In 1975, Wolfe’s first novel, ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’, was published. This satiric work was an immediate success and helped to cement Wolfe’s reputation as one of America’s most famous and innovative writers. The novel depicted the culture of upper-class New Yorkers, their lifestyles, and the unequal power structures at play in the city. It was later adapted into a movie, and some of Wolfe’s other novels, such as ‘A Man in Full’, were also adapted.

Wolfe continued to publish works into the 21st century. His last novel, ‘Back to Blood’, was published in 2012. He died in May 2018 at the age of 88. In his lifetime, Wolfe wrote several best-selling books and articles, many of which have been made into films, as well as several works of fiction. His style of New Journalism helped to reshape American media, and he will continue to be remembered as one of the greatest writers of all time.