Tom Wolfe, the innovative writer who chronicled the early days of the U.S. space program, American surf culture and the rise of 1960s counterculture before becoming a novelist with his classic Bonfire of the Vanities, died Monday night. Lynn Nesbit, Wolfe’s longtime agent, confirmed the death to the New York Times and said Wolfe had been hospitalized with an infection. A pioneer of what came to be called “New Journalism,” Wolfe practiced saturation reporting and would shadow his subjects for long periods. After the 1979 publication of The Right Stuff, Wolfe set his sights on writing novels. In some circles, Wolfe was known as much for his stylish all-white or pastel suits as he was for his writing.

Source: Huffington Post May 15, 2018 15:50 UTC