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The
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy launched Douglas Adams as
a superstar when it appeared in 1978, becoming phenomenally
successful as a novel, and a radio and TV series. He achieved
success early - over 17 million copies of his books have been
sold worldwide. Nick Webb's friendship with Adams began when
he commissioned the first novel for Pan and they remained
friends thereafter. This portrait of a larger-than-life character
has been drawn up with the help of family and friends many
of whom are going on record for the first time. The result
is a privileged vantage point from which to share a revealing
and affectionate view of an astonishing man who is still mourned
by his millions of fans around the world...
Published
to coincide with the 25th anniversary of The Hitchhiker's
Guide To The Galaxy, Wish You Were Here is the
official biography of Douglas Adams - although being published
over two years after his death I'm not entirely sure what
the title "official" actually means - presumably
it has been authorised by his estate.
The
problem with "official" biographies is that they
are generally lacking all the sordid bits of detail that most
people want to read. Instead they are usually full of puff
to show the subject in as good a light possible. And when
they do talk about "that court case" or "substance
abuse" they also seem to show the subject as the victim
of circumstance, rather than the weak willed fool they obviously
really were.
So,
it was not surprising to discover that this book really didn't
delve deep enough into the psyche of the man that millions
of people around the world know as "that bloke wot wrote
Hitchhikers". Instead it seems to be filled with
stories about how the movie was never made and how the attempts
at making the movie left Adams disillusioned with Hollywood
- how often have we heard that from writers who have been
tempted by the bright lights of Hollywood. Here's some free
advice for any future Douglas Adams, Rob Grant or Doug Naylor
types... If you are that passionate about your work then don't
sell out to the States for a truck full of money and then
complain when they try to Americanise your product.
To
give Author Nick Webb credit, he has thoroughly researched
his subject, it's just that what
could have been an insightful look at one of this county's
most famous exports ends up being just an interesting book
full of anecdotes.
While
not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination there are
better titles on the same subject out there. One of which
is also published this month - Don't
Panic by Titan Publishing.
Nick
Smithson
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