No-one likes having their work rejected by a magazine.
But Mike Peterson keeps the above framed over his desk.
According to the Huffington Post, it is believed to be the work of the late inventor of Gonzo journalism Hunter S. Thompson and was received by Peterson about a satirical piece he submitted to Rolling Stone in 1971. It is thought the article was given to Thompson for assessment.
The Huff Post says it can't prove the rejection letter came from Thompson as it is signed "Yail Bloor III, Minister of Belles-Lettre," but notes that Thompson was often known for his use of fake names (famously Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas), and it seems more than plausible that this came from him.
Peterson says the text of the letter appeared in a biography of Thompson.
Here is a transcript:
ROLLING STONE
625 Third Street, San Francisco, California 94107 . Telephone: (415) 362-4730
You worthless, acid-sucking piece of illiterate shit! Don’t ever send this kind of brain-damaged swill in here again. If I had the time, I’d come out there and drive a fucking wooden stake into your forehead. Why don’t you get a job, germ? Maybe delivering advertising handouts door to door, or taking tickets for a wax museum. You drab South Bend cocksuckers are all the same; like those dope-addled dingbats at the Rolling Stone office. I’d like to kill those bastards for sending me your piece...and I’d just as soon kill you, too. Jam this morbid drivel up your ass where your readership will better appreciate it.
Sincerely,
(Signed)
Yail Bloor III
Minister of Belles-Lettre
P.S. Keep up the good work. Have a nice day.
- Click on illustration to enlarge
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