Douglas Adams…in Memoriam
In Memoriam…Douglas Adams…March 11th, 2022, was the 21st anniversary of the death of the creator of Marvin the manic-depressive robot, Zaphod Beeblebrox and other unforgettable characters.Born in Cambridge, England – where he received a degree from Cambridge University’s St.John’s– Mr. Adams died in Santa Barbara, California on March 11th, 2001. Douglas Adams was a writer of science fiction…or to be more precise, comedy science fiction. A giant of a man – he was 6’5” – as well as a (giant of a ) writer, he was one of only two non-ensemble members who was ever given credit for writing a Monty Python sketch.
Whoda thunk that these two genres would mesh so well together, but when Adams made them do just that, the results were more than hysterical. They were mind – and life – changing. Like the iconic television series Seinfeld, Adams’ books attracted devotees who will never cease to amuse themselves and each other by recalling quips, quotes and even whole passages from his novels.
Consider this epigram from one of his Hitchhiker’s books…”In the beginning, the universe was created. This has widely been regarded as a bad move and made a lot of people angry ever since(sic?).”
Let these quotations from Adams’ books speak for themselves.
They do so quite admirably:
Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word ‘safe’ that I wasn’t previously aware of.
Arthur Dent in “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”
The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.
Mostly Harmless
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
