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Real and Fictional Pirates of the Caribbean
This month Literary Traveler looks back to pirates of literature and history. We're connecting with a little bit of pirate pop culture this month, since it's summer and we're fans of Johnny Depp, all writers, pirates, and the Caribbean. Our features include an article about Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diary. The novel was inspired by Thompson's experiences working as a journalist in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1959. We also have articles on the inspiration for Captain Hook, the real Blackbeard and Sir Francis Drake and we even sail with Captain Henry Morgan. Join us and learn about the real and fictional Pirates of the Caribbean as we drift off into summer.
Hunter S. Thompson's Puerto Rican Rum Diary
Hunter S. Thompson was 22 when he began work on The Rum Diary, a novel based on his own experiences working as a journalist in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1959. Not published for another 30 years, the book chronicles the turbulent, alcohol-imbued times of Paul Kemp, a young American journalist working for a floundering English newspaper in San Juan. At the time, many Americans went to Puerto Rico in search of a piece of action in "America's Caribbean."
Posted on Wed, Jun 06, 2007
Blackbeard's Terror in the Outer Banks and Virginia
From his initial privateering mission to his captivatingly violent death, Blackbeard is the pirate whom most remember. Due to his unorthodox yet alluring appearance, it seems as if Jack Sparrow modeled himself physically most after Blackbeard. The ultimate pirate of the New World, he was ruthless, perhaps a bit psychotic, and so feared that enemy crews would immediately surrender upon seeing his black flag of a skeleton with a pirate's hat holding a goblet in one bony hand and in the other a spear which pointed to a red heart and three drops of blood.
Posted on Sun, Jun 03, 2007
The Real Life and Fictional Characters Who Inspired J.M. Barrie's Captain Hook
Author: J.M. Barrie
Captain Hook has been immortalized as one of the greatest, most infamous villains in literature. Created by James Matthew Barrie in his play in 1904 and restored for a number of novels and stories in 1911, this character has been making readers shudder from his sinister behavior for over a century. Who could forget his cadaver-like appearance or his melancholy blue eyes that burned a fiery red when he became angry or violent? For that matter, who could forget his hook that was used to menace both his enemies and his crew?
Posted on Wed, May 30, 2007
Privateering the Oceans of History: The Lore and Allure of Henry Morgan
The cascading waves of the sea have a knack for washing up legends on the eroding sands of time. Perhaps some of the most rogue characters of all time are seafarers--rough around the edges and enriched by the cultivation of bountiful treasures. In a culture so imbued with "Pirate" tales, it becomes difficult to judge which chronicles will actually hold true. The most satisfying swashbuckling stories are those taken from lives of historical figures, mostly with a Caribbean flair. One such figure who constantly reappears is the infamous Sir Henry Morgan.
Posted on Tue, May 29, 2007
Sir Francis Drake: Pirate, Explorer, Human Rights Pioneer
Most pirates, evil by nature, swashbuckling creatures who roamed the Earth's seas, have seldom been portrayed correctly in literature and film. Often seen as the "romantic life," real piracy served as an odious career--literally. It was a well-known fact in the barbaric 16th century that when pirates arrived in port towns, the aroma in the air rose to putrid levels. At sea, atrocious sanitary conditions prevailed. Rats scurried along makeshift beds in sleeping quarters while most food carried squirming weevils.
Posted on Tue, May 29, 2007
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Pirates of The Caribbean
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Read more about Pirates in
Key West, Negril, Jamaica,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
and Panama City, Panama.
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