Oscar Acosta (Oscar Zeta Acosta) Biography

Chicano writer, born in El Paso, Texas. Acosta was a controversial figure whose narratives focused on ethnicity and the cultural history of the Chicano people. Also a lawyer, he was lead attorney for the defence of some of the Chicano movement members whose exploits are detailed in his work. He was a friend of Hunter S. Thompson and provided the basis for the presentation of his ‘sidekick’ Dr Gonzo, the attorney, in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972). The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo (1972), his best-known work, is a fictional autobiography describing his transformation from an alienated Chicano poverty lawyer into a major figure in the Chicano movement in Los Angeles; The Revolt of the Cockroach People (1973) follows his exploits as he activates the Chicano, and continues to develop his cultural identity. Acosta disappeared in May 1974, when writing a journalistic piece on cocaine smuggling from Mexico into the USA. He was last heard from when he placed a telephone call from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, to his son, Marco. See Latino/Latina Literature in English.