The manner of Hunter S. Thompson’s death Sunday night could pull the focus away from his literary and journalistic merit, perhaps permanently. “Thompson’s suicide may now make it easier for the forces of reaction to dismiss his achievement. See what you get, they’ll say, for taking drugs, for mocking authority, for making yourself part of the story? It took Hemingway’s reputation years to recover from his suicide, and he’s still not all the way back. Death is only a good career move for the romantic and the obscure. For the hard-living, or the already famous, somebody’s always ready to spin suicide into a cautionary tale.”