Political winds vex writers
THE times they are a-changing too fast for literati Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson, who are trying to make sense of the current conservative climate. A source close to Thompson - who is wrapping "Kingdom of Fear"- tells PAGE SIX that election night sent the gonzo journo into a "tailspin. He wouldn't get out of bed." Thompson, however, has enough energy to ditch Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner. He tells our source that his new book will not be excerpted, as per usual, in Rolling Stone. "Hunter's disappointed with its garish lad-mag makeover," the source says. Instead, the likely home for first serial rights will be Vanity Fair. "He had a good experience with them in the past," says the source, adding that Thompson describes "Kingdom" as a guide to "how to live life as an outlaw." Meanwhile, Wolfe has had a difficult time finding meat for his campus-set novel "Hooking Up." From his year of combing America's universities, Wolfe tells our spy, "I don't see a new Left rising. I don't see a phenomenon like radical chic occurring again. I'm perturbed by the lack of issues on campuses. There are union issues, but that's not very sexy."