Tom Wolfe

Author long known for his association with the New Journalism literary movement in which literary techniques are used in objective, even-handed journalism. Initially a reporter for The Washington Post and the New York Herald Tribune. His collections of articles and essays--The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby (1965), The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1969), and Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers (1970)--quickly made him one of the most culturally prominent figures of the sixties. First novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987), garnered critical acclaim and commercial success. Responsible for introducing or popularizing a number of now common phrases: the right stuff, radical chic, the Me Decade (sometimes altered to the Me Generation), and good ol' boy. Also noted for his drawings, which have illustrated his books and have been exhibited in galleries. Honors include the National Humanities Medal (2002) and the NEH Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities (2006).