Eukara Vox
Legendary AdventureGuide!
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The Author Himself!
by Personater
The Answer - one man knew what it meant. Perhaps his studies at Cambridge caused him to ponder a vast and ever-stretching space, or perhaps, he just knew and had to pen it down. Whatever the cause, the universe must have aligned for his birth in March of 1974 and allowed proliferation of his many wild and wonderful ideas.
Adams started out in radio broadcasting (however, he did not turn the earth into a giant speaker) for BBC Radio. His radio broadcasts eventually turned into books (including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe), a movie, a video game, and even a stage play! Ultimately, Adams died of a heart attack in May of 2001, but his humorous writing abilities live don and are widely known today.
So, what is it about this very ostentatious comic? What did his life offer and what legacy did he leave? Adams himself believed that "[he] may not have gone where [he] intended to go, but [he] thinks [he]... ended up where [he] needed to be" (Adams). Where exactly was that?
This problem may be hard to solve - I may be putting on quite a show trying to harvest an answer. According to Adams himself, however, "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." I feel that more meat will help us understand exactly what needs to be cooked up to solve this starchy problem.
To put it simply, Adams must have ended up in the hearts of his readers by capturing a wide range of emotions and forever imposing vast and hilarious ideas in curious minds. One person alone cannot cover the vast scope required to lift the veil on Adams, and I have enlisted the help of three additional sources in order to find out more about this mysterious character. What can we learn about this man? To answer this, a few questions were prompted, and after seeing what they have to say, I will come to a conclusion.
___________________________
How do you feel about Douglass Adams?
Maegwyn:
First of all, it's Douglas. He has only one 's' in his first name which is rather sad, really. It's like having a glass that's half empty. (Someone drank away one 's') So I suppose you could say that I feel a little sad for him and I'd like to send him a bucket of esses.
Genoclysm:
Anyone capable of writing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is likely nuttier than a fruitcake.
Eagle88:
Douglas Adams was a genius- enough said! No one made reading more page-turning then he did!
Conclusion:
~Douglas Adams lost a drinking game and had his name legally changed. His writing about the universe may have indeed been from his search for the lost 's'!
~Adams loves fruit. He even believes that "Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast."
~The scope and profundity of Adams' writing is highly beneficial for the human race.
Verdict:
Adams indeed is a puzzling character, I think that we now have more questions than answers! A childhood game gone bad resulting in a deficiency of nominal letters? This task seems to be a task of mass fruitility!
___________________________
If you were to describe him (Adams) in a phrase, what would it be?
Maegwyn:
How many hitchhikers wearing rhinoceros suits does it take to change a dim bulb at teatime?
Eagle88:
Douglas Adams is: Don't Panic!
Conclusion:
~Pink rhino suits and dim light bulbs? Don't panic, everything's alright.
Verdict:
If you think, therefore you are. Being creative doesn't hurt.
___________________________
What is your favorite quote from a novel of his?
Maegwyn:
Now wait," he interrupted before Richard even had a chance to start, "don't I vaguely remember that you had some sort of computer when you were here? When was it? 1977?"
"Well, what we called a computer in 1977 was really a kind of electric abacus, but..."
"Oh, now, don't underestimate the abacus," said Reg. "In skilled hands it's a very sophisticated calculating device. Furthermore it requires no power, can be made with any materials you have to hand, and never goes bing in the middle of an important piece of work."
"So an electric one would be particularly pointless," said Richard.
"True enough," conceded Reg.
"There really wasn't a lot this machine could do that you couldn't do yourself in half the time with a lot less trouble," said Richard, "but it was, on the other hand, very good at being a slow and dim-witted pupil."
Reg looked at him quizzically. "I had no idea they were supposed to be in short supply," he said. "I could hit a dozen with a bread roll from where I'm sitting."
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Genoclysm:
My favorite quote from the works of his I've read is about the machine that examines one's taste buds for the absolute most perfect drink but invariable produces a liquid that is almost but not quite entirely unlike tea.
Verdict:
These are quotes or events from his literary works that help us understand his style - humorous, interesting, and gregariously witty.
___________________________
What would you tell someone who hasn't read any of his literary works - either to encourage them to read it or to provide an honest review?
Maegwyn:
"You haven't lived until you have 'met' Dirk Gently. There's more to life than the Hitchhiker series!"
Genoclysm:
As far as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is concerned, expect absurdity at every turn. It is a fantastical sci-fi journey through the universe riddled with hilarity and plot twists.
Eagle88:
I would recommend his books in a heart beat!
Conclusion:
~Glowing reviews. Flying colors. What more can I say about this?
Verdict:
~Adams' literary works' are something that everyone should experience. It is not just an experience - it is THE experience.
___________________________
So, what can we determine from this all? The mind of Douglas Adams is synonymous with crazy and wild ideas that have influenced and been appreciated by many people. Expect the unexpected, don't be afraid to get your feet wet and hands dirty, and bring a towel. Adams is a curious character, the likes of which are hard to come by. From this attempt to learn more about him, I indeed can say that I have; however, more questions have popped up on the journey! I have concluded that, in order to study the author who discovered the Answer, you realize how little you know and how much fun you can have trying to find out!
Some information used from the sites below:
- http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/bio.html
- http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Douglas_Adams
Douglas Adams' Bibliography:
Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
Mostly Harmless (1992)
And Another Thing... (2009) (with Eoin Colfer)
Hitchhikers Companion Original Galaxy Radio Scripts (1985)
The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts (1987)
More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide (1987)
The Illustrated Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1994)
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (1996)
The Complete Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy (2003)
The Hitchhiker Radio Scripts 2 (2005)
Dirk Gently
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987)
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988)
The Salmon of Doubt: And Other Writings (1995)
Other Fiction
The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book (1986) (with Peter Fincham)
Starship Titanic (1997) (with Terry Jones)
Doctor Who - Pirate Planet: Script (1994)
Doctor Who : Eighth Doctor - Shada (2003)
Short stories
The Total Perspective Vortex (1980)
Young Zaphod Plays It Safe (1986)
Anthologies containing stories by Douglas Adams
Simulations: 15 Tales of Virtual Reality (1993)
The Wizards of Odd: Comic Tales of Fantasy (1996)
Non-Fiction:
The Meaning of Liff (1983) (with John Lloyd)
The Deeper Meaning of Liff: A Dictionary of Things That There Aren't Any Words for Yet (1990) (with John Lloyd)
Last Chance to See (1990) (with Mark Carwardine)
Douglas Adams's Guide to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1999)
Douglas Adams at the BBC (2003)
*Special thanks to Genoclysm, Maegwyn, and eagle88 for their invaluable help in this article!*
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