Jonathan Rendall, 1964-2013
February 13, 2013 3:02 PM Subscribe
Late last month, the writer
Jonathan Rendall was
found dead at his home in Ipswich. He was 48.
He was the greatest gonzo writer you've never heard of.
The epitome of the '
troubled writer', Rendall was given up for adoption by his birth mother. He spent part of his early life in Greece, before going up to Magdalene College, Oxford, where he boxed for the university. He wrote three books:
This Bloody Mary is the Last Thing I Own, a memoir about time spent writing about, and promoting, boxing (and which won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1998);
Twelve Grand: the Gambler As Hero, for which he was given £12k to gamble away and then wrote about the experience (later
adapted for
television); and
Garden Hopping, an account of his search for his birth mother. For a time he wrote a monthly column in 'The Observer Food Magazine' entitled '
Last Chance Saloon', which focussed mainly on his
relationship with alcohol. His writing on sport (mainly boxing) appeared in numerous
newspapers and
magazines. He could really, really write.
God bless gonzo journalists like this forfuckingever.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:13 PM on February 13