Writers who partied: The myth of the lonesome author destroyed

The stereotype of the lonesome and reclusive author hiding from society is familiar. It is common for writers to be introverted. It is also common for writers to be outgoing and social. Some want to be out in the world mingling with the people and experiences they write about. Then there are those who took being social to the next level.

Each writer on this list was known for hard partying. Some partied sober while others experimented with alcohol or drugs. Each of them smashed the stereotype of the lonesome writer into pieces. These are literature’s top party animals.

Oscar Wilde

Wilde had a love for absinthe but earns a spot based purely on his wit. In his heyday Wilde was a revered guest of dinner parties. He charmed and captivated guests with his conversational skills and sharp tongue. He was well known for his humor, flamboyant dress and appreciation for the beautiful and sensual things in life. These qualities made him the life of the party.

Zora Neale Hurston

Hurston was a noteworthy author of the Harlem Renaissance best known for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. She was also known for her warm and vibrant personality and for hosting wild parties at her apartment. These events attracted contemporaries such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Zora rarely drank. Fellow writer Sterling Brown said that when Zora was there, she was the party.

Truman Capote

Truman Capote is best known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood. He was notorious for alcohol and drug issues. He became a recluse in his later years but the younger Capote was a partier who mingled with high profile people. He famously threw the Black and White Ball of 1966 where he served 450 bottles of Taittinger champagne.

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas had rockstar levels of fame for his poetry and his drinking. His last words before passing away at age 39 were that he had 18 straight whiskies and thought that was the record. He became more withdrawn as his fame increased but still partied hard. Thomas once crashed a car through Charlie Chaplin’s tennis net. He responded to Chaplin’s disgust by urinating on a plant.

Anaïs Nin

Novelist and diarist Anais Nin was known for her bohemian lifestyle recorded in her extensive journals. She was distrustful of drug addicts but was a partier who dabbled in LSD and bigamy. She wanted to hear raucous music, see faces and brush against bodies. She wanted to bite into life and be torn by it.

Allen Ginsberg

All Beat writers deserve a place on this list. They took partying to a new level in the 50s and 60s. Kerouac became more reclusive over the years but Ginsberg only partied harder. He drew inspiration from experiences with hard drugs and soft crime. He created some of the 20th century’s finest poetry and offended censors with his poem Howl. Ginsberg later immersed himself in the psychedelic movement with LSD and shrooms.

Ken Kesey

Ken Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test details the parties thrown by Kesey called Acid Tests. Kesey and his guests known as Merry Pranksters took LSD and listened to the Grateful Dead. They traveled cross-country in a painted schoolbus and hobnobbed with the Hell’s Angels. Kesey’s life was also mentioned in works by Allen Ginsberg and Hunter S. Thompson.

F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald

Scott and Zelda were the most iconic couple of the Jazz Age. They were known for their love of pranks, parties and booze. Their antics included jumping into the Plaza Hotel’s fountain fully clothed. They are some of the most legendary partiers in history.

Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway had a famous love of drinking and adventure. He went on booze binges with F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce and hunted big game in Africa. He advised that if you want to know about a culture you should spend a night in its bars rather than visiting churches or government buildings.

Hunter S. Thompson

Thompson is known for Gonzo journalism and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He loved alcohol, drugs and a good party. He was narcissistic, hyperbolic, energetic and charismatic. Separating myth from reality is difficult. He invented shotgun golf and used dynamite crates as furniture. His ashes were shot out of a cannon after his death. His daily routine confirms he liked to party.