Slashdot Mirror
New Douglas Adams Book Planned
Cabby writes "The BBC and the Independant on Sunday have the news that all the remaining Douglas Adams material is going to be published later on this year, including the unfinished novel 'The Salmon of Doubt' and the proposed screenplay for the Hitchhikers Guide movie"
Well, Douglas ADAMS please (in the headline
Come on, people! There are many great and famous works which have been left unfinished by the death of the author or artist, later to be distributed posthumously:
The Aeneid - Vergil
Requiem Mass - Mozart
The Art of Fugue - Bach
Pieta (Florence) - Michelangelo
"Unfinished" Symphony - Schubert
Tenth Symphony - Mahler
The Silmarillion - Tolkien
Some other famous works were complete but not published until after the author's death:
The Prince - Machiavelli
Billy Budd - Melville
Of course, not all posthumous works are great, but they are at least useful in understanding the work of the artist, and there really is the occasional masterpiece.
Sure, Adams' estate will profit from this, but that is no reason to be disappointed or jaded.
Seriously, now. Did anyone *not* expect him to write another book? I just assumed that it wouldn't come hout during his death, but wait until the tax situation cleared . . .
someone implemented IP over spoon . . .
ooh, please! As the scond head. Detach it and surgically attach to, ahh, hell, anyone!
Oh, it didn't work. MY apologies to the Carrey estate. Somehow we'll have to get along without those "masterpieces" . . .
hawk
I can just imagine it: you get three quarters of the way through the book, having no clue what's really going on but expecting it to all make sense in the end...
...and then the rest of the book is blank, except for an editor's note at the end, explaining that the author died partway though.
People would argue for years over how he intended to finish it.
I get that feeling every time someone interesting dies who has any IP.
Novel theory: Modern Man evolved from psychopath
I actually thought Mostly Harmless showed him at the top of his form in quality of writing terms.
I loved the book -- until the end. The end was a bit of a problem; a tragic outcome seems somehow incompatible with the spirit of the series. I mean, here you are laughing your head off and all of a sudden everyone dies, in all universes, for ever and ever.
Oops.
I would really prefer to think that Arthur and Fenchurch were somehow reunited on a planet far, far away from anywhere. I think the problem was that Adams couldn't figure out a way to end the series and eliminate the constant cries for new stuff.
D
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I wish someone had told him this _before_ he released Mostly Harmless :-)
excellent point, but it's important to realize that _none_ of Kafka's novels were finished.
The Trial and the Castle were both assembled by Max Brod in sort of a best guess fashion, and are a couple of the most amazing books around.
...seventh Hitch-Hiker (sic) novel..."
...ideas in a faux-HitchHiker (sic)...
If you're going to slam on people not spelling "hitchhiker" correctly you could at least manage to spell it correctly (or even consistently) in your own post.
[About Kafka requesting his unfinished works to be burned]
Somehow, I have always suspected that Kafka wasn't entirely sincere about that. Especially since he made the request to his long life friend, the author Max Brod, who practically worshipped Kafka and his writings, and who, since their school days, with some exaggeration, had picked up every scrap of paper, that Kafka even touched, and put in a gilded frame.
And among the works Kafka wanted Max Brod to destroy, was the short story "Ein Hungerkünstler", a story, together with three others, he would edit, and correct spelling errors in, while in his dying bed.
Furthermore, those works Kafka really wanted to destroy (his earliest works), he did destroy. His own death from TB, wasn't a suprise, so if he really wanted, he could easely have destroyed whatever he wanted to.
Kafka was a meticously writer, who himself knew how good he was. Those works he published, got very good reviews.
So in my not so humble opinion, Kafka's message in his litterary testament to Max Brod, was something like this "Hey Max, you really don't have to burn my papers, but if you publish them, which I am sure you do, please separate the unfinished works from the rest, and let no one be in doubt which is which."
On another note; How I dislike, how Kafka is always portrayed, as this serious, "romanticly pale and TB-sick" author. He was a funny man, and his works are chuck full of humour. His slightly paranoid (rightly so), undecesive characters, who always think eight steps ahead before taking any action, and therefore end up taking no action whatsoever, are funny.
I am sure, more people would read Kafka, if they realized how funny his works are.
"I'd hate to have any of my unfinished work thrust onto the public. The difference between finished and unfinished is that with the former I'm happy with it going for general release, the latter, i'm not."
That's what Franz Kafka thought too. He asked his wife and his editor to burn all his work after his death. Fortunately, his editor didn't, and that's why we have all of Kafka's stuff. Amerika, his unfinished novel, is still *great*.
Become a FSF associate member before the low #s are used
No, he meant spelt, the grain.
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I literally read the "Trilogy" from begining to end
Read ? You mean there's a _book_ of this stuff too ? I thought it was just on the radio !
(and at Theatr Clywd - anyone else remeber the Vogon Poetry Appreciation Chairs, made from forklifts)
Adams was infamous for his writing style (much like my coding style). Fiddle with the damn thing in a perfectionist manner for years, and never actually ship it until your agent pulled it out with pliers. I've not read this ms., but I bet a half-finished Adams' script is already in a far better state than most writer's final drafts.
Besides which, the Adams otaku will never shut up until it's published, spun-off, and there's some crappy plastic action figures to go with it.
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I like to watch.
I wish someone had told him this _before_ he released Mostly Harmless :-)
*sigh* yeah. "So long..." was a good enough ending. Mostly Harmless, really just sucked. :-(
On the bright side it was after reading that that I discovered "Last Chance to See" a non fiction naturalist sort of book that is just lovely. So while I don't even know the actual publishing chronology, I think of "Last Chance..." as his last book and feel nice about it.
Kahuna Burger
...will work for Chick tracts...
Oh, it's certainly a creepy process. After my dad died, one of the tasks that fell to me was to trawl his PC for documents, bank account details, tax stuff, contacts who needed to be informed of his death and, indeed, any remaining unpublished material (he was an academic of fairly high standing in a rather obscure field), particularly the commentary he'd been working on for the previous 15 years and had very nearly finished. It took one of his ex-colleagues about a year to get it finished, but as his family we're all very happy with the fact that it's out there and will probably be a major text in the field for many years to come, a fitting tribute to his knowledge and learning.
If the material is good, then it's a memorial to the late author's effort and talent. If it's not up to scratch and not likely to enhance the author's respect, then it should probably go quietly to the grave.
all depends on the material and the decision of his heirs. But it's a far from pleasant experience, the trawl
TomV
Well, if its made by any of the big hollywood film companies then none of us will be going to see it will we. You may recall that we are all boycotting the MPAA over the DeCCS case.
Death does not mean you can stop selling crap... at least not in our culture. Why, I saw John Wayne hawking Coors Light just yesterday on that there TeeVee!
Department of Homeland Security: Removing the rights real patriots fought and died for since 2001
Here's a quote by Neil Gaiman, a popular fantasy and comic-book writer (Sandman, Good Omens with Terry Pratchett, etc.). This blogger entry was a sort of eulogy written just after Adams' death, and sums up why I think the unpublished stuff should remain so (unless the Hitchhiker's movie is finally made with no changes to Adams' script).
"Research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing." -- Wernher von Braun
Well. It would have been nice had Slashdot SPELT HIS NAME RIGHT in the heading... "Douglas Adam" indeed.
(Same to all the stupid people who write phrases like "Douglas Adam's" or even "Hitchicker". Christ on a bicycle, have none of you ever read anything!)
The Salmon of Doubt. It would actually be interesting if all the drafts are present. It originally began in the early 90's (93?) as the third 'Dirk Gently' novel. Then the character of 'Dirk Gently' was written out. Some time later, it reappeared as the seventh Hitch-Hiker novel. Then it vanished altogether. Amazon were accepting orders for it for some time and ZZ9 were constantly having to tell people that no such book had been published!
Now it would be very interesting to see if any of this change survives.
It may seem like grave-robbing, but I'd rather they did this than have some hack finish off Adams' ideas in a faux-HitchHiker style. I'm very glad to see Ed Victor saying there is no question of having someone finish ideas off.
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
More like "from the picking-the-flesh-from-the-corpse-of-Douglas-Adams dept"... maybe there's a reason these works were unfinished?
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You know, he's only spending a year dead for tax purposes. I'm sure that he'll maintain creative control.
__
"So Long" was too happy. Arthur leans that Earth is still there and then spends a few chapters having flying sex with a total hottie while listening to Dire Straits records. The tone of the story was completely different than in the first three, which introduced a lot of very dark themes. (You can't escape bureaucrats; truely understanding the world would make you go mad; life is short, cruel, and usually unfair; etc.)
In "So Long", Adams abandoned the motif of depression that defined the series up until then in order to meditate upon just how sexy Mark Knopfler's guitar solos are.
The "rain god" was funny, but probably would have been a better fit in a Dirk Gently novel.
I will grant you that Adams at his worst was still better than a lot of authors at their best *cough*Pratchet*cough*, but I really consider "So Long" to be the weakest of the five books.
"Mostly Harmless" was a return to form. Of course the Vogon bureaucracy would have ultimate vicory in the end... could it really be any other way?
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Does publishing the screen play mean they are not going to make the movie?
It'll reveal if God really is sorry for the inconvenience.
The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
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Scott Robert Ladd
Master of Complexity
Destroyer of Order and Chaos
All about me
Douglas Adams on a bad day is better than a whole lot of other stuff released.
TekWar anyone?
http://twitter.com/onion2k
I haven't read the book (obviously) but if its not particulary good then its only going to sour the memory of the other good books that he's done.
Live and let live. I'd hate to have any of my unfinished work thrust onto the public. The difference between finished and unfinished is that with the former I'm happy with it going for general release, the latter, i'm not.
(Anyone remember Gene Roddenberry's unfinished work? And how poor that was? Makes you realise why it was unfinished ...)
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Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
I'm quite happy to be able to listen to his final, unfinished work.
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'Fruity smells are what I like'
Debbie Gibson
For once, I guess we can be grateful someone didn't use strong encryption...
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"I'm not downloaded, I'm just loaded and down"
Like others have said, let Mr. Adams rest. Unless his last wish was to publish this stuff, it's safe to assume that he didn't want it published. Gotta love that boolean logic, eh?
So why rape his work after death? Just to capitalize on recent media attention? Is his estate in financial dire straits? I, for one, am unlikely to purchase any of this stuff - unless the critcs tell me to! ;)
CrazyLegs
"Pork!!" said the Fish, and we all laughed.
I can't let this one go by without comment. Are you saying that because the guy published some stuff, he forfeits privacy and the rights to control how his work is presented? Man, if this ain't Open Source run amok!
So you like his work! Great! Douglas Adams probably had that goal in mind and, dammit, if it didn't make him rich and famous. But come on, dude, he is not part of your life - his writings are. Douglas Adams doesn't owe you anything. As for your financial investment, you own the book you bought - that's it. Unless, of course, you forwarded Adams a few bucks when he was a struggling, destitute hack.
But let's take your line of reasoning a little further, shall we? You post your comments on /. and you are now publishing in the public domain. Furthermore, I've developed a perverse-worship-ideal about all things Flarg!-ian. Congrats! You're part of my like now! Can I have your address? What's your girlfriend's name? Do you have any unusual moles? Do you have any pictures, writings, thoughts, bad habits, or other creatively unique thoughts for me? By your own logic, "All Flarg!s are belong to us.".
What's that you say?.... Thought so.
CrazyLegs
"Pork!!" said the Fish, and we all laughed.
So you're saying that the era spoils all valid reasons for publishing the final work of a truly intestesting writer? I think that's a very shallow reading of the situation. "Tackiness" is such a terribly subjective thing, and has deep tendrils in the destruction of quality. Consider: Harry Potter sequels, unauthorized Priness Di biorgaphies and "Survivor" guest appearances are invented first for their marketability, and then adapted for content. In other words, any value that exists for the reader stems from an afterthought, not from the theme of the content. The essential difference between this sort of disjointed construction and releasing an essentially unfinished work is that the content is driving the concept, and not vica versa. Cosnider it thus: The Onion's editors write a headline before they right the page content, and therefore the page content is often far inferior to the hook. In the rest of the newspaper industry, the inverse is true...which is how a wholly intelligible and interesting article can have a title like "Man Dies in Truck Accident." Douglas' work, even if released for financial reasons, will indeed have positive literary value because it is not generated in response to this financial drive.
As for dignity, we must choose are battles. When all the pundits come out of the woodwork to prove Adams was gay/a nazi/a communist/a Tory/Ethel Merman, then we'll fight for his dignity. But to say that taking his notes and bringing them into the eye of his fans is robbing him of his dignity is anticipating that he was hiding them delibrately. If he was, trust me, we never would have found them -- Adams was an ace with a computer and would have locked them down like a new bicycle.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
Good points, all, and dually noted. Your perspective is totally valid.
However, I would like to throw a few monkey wrenches into your theory. First: if the work has been tooled and retooled and gone into proproduction multiple times, then it is not exactly a hidden work. This is an obvious difference between the case at hand and other works released posthumously: the work wasn't buried under mountains of correspondence in somebody's attic, or in the possession of a trust friend, or in some other way existant only in analog in a precarious location. It exists on the disk drive of a personal computer, which he used to write all of his works, and his publisher knew about it (in computational terms, a handle existed to the file and it was still in memory). So, as soon as some reporter says to the publisher "will we ever see a lost work of our D.D., D.O.A. D.N.A.?", he is able to respond "well, yeah, I guess." The work is at hand: it needs no restoration. Furthurmore, the editors who were helping D.A. with the work are alive and kicking, and able to supply their interpretation of his vision as explained to them during the editorial process to its finalization.
I'm not saying finances weren't a factor -- certainly, collectors who couldn't care less about D.A. are going to want copies for their Dead Author's shelves. But finances were not the only factor, or needen't be -- this certainly won't be the case with future "memorial editions" of the H2G2 and Dirk. And I argue, also, that D.A. never put in that much money -- I bought my copy of the penultimate H2G2 at an overstock sale for $3 -- it's roughly 800 pages long in hardcover.
Privacy is something to be reserved for his relationship with his friends and family, with his style of living, or for his medical records...it's not something to worry about with works that were destined for the public view, anyway. I know if I were to die tomorrow, my code wouldn't be locked away in my coffin -- it would be exploited by the other programs, fixed, tweaked, replaced and otherwise trampled. A work like this -- which has apparently been close to release on several occasions -- is a rather different matter than truly personal documents.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
I wish all you "let the man be" people would take a hint from classical literature.
Writers are their own worst critics...good writers esepcially. And great writers, of whom I think Mr. Adams squeaks into the fray quite nicely, are often so critical of their own work they don't recognize the genious in it. Alan Ginsberg sat on Kaddish for something close to a year before releasing it, and when he did he only made minor revisions. And Emily Dickinson didn't release anything during her life -- books of her work were only compiled after her death when her loved ones and associated exchanged poems she had written for them. Surely, E.D. would have complained about the publishing of her most personal thoughts, her rawest fantesies, into the general public. But she can't. That's one of the appeals of posthumous publishing, you can remove the complaints of the party post likely to be embarassed by their own genius. And I, for one, applaud the effort. The dead have no claim to our world, because they are totally uneffected by it. If some of us would like a chance to see Adams' final works published -- and I do, if even as a tribute to the editrial process Adams undertook -- then by all means we should be allowed to.
Unfinished does not mean "crappy," just as finishing a book does not imply it was done with any quality. Mostly Harmless was a mistaken book to most who read it, far too cynical and abrupt. An unrushed, paced novel with no thoughts of marketability or story length would be a gem from the often disjointed Adams -- it could be as brilliant as some of the unfinished symphonies. And those who would place blame on the future publishers, answer me this: won't you buy it if it is published? Won't you read it and complain when it lacks the genius of Dirk Gently? I know I will...money making or not, this is not "2pac' s poetry book"...this is Douglas Adams.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
I hear so much complaining people, when are we going to learn that economics don't stop just because we die? The Beatle's released new songs in the '90's, complete with John's voice. John Candy and Marilyn Monroe died filming movies that were later (or will be anyway) finished and thrown out there.
I certainly wouldn't mind if I died and somebody updated my web page. Let's not let the world end because of some little departure.
spacefem.com
I agree that Mostly Harmless was the most cynical work by Douglas Adams, and that it didn't really fit in with the rest, but I also find that quite apt. Apart from killing off all possibility of a sequel (although I would love to read the complete history of the Cathedral of Chalesm), it could be understood as a comment on the popularity of the series (of the books, not the original radio~), and what it had become.
In that, it was quite visionary, albeit darkly so. I postulate parallels between the development of the Guide within the series and the Internet in the real world - how long before netNanny et al watch over all of us, from some black box plopped on every router everywhere? How long before the common technology Internet, brought to you by Microsoft?
I mean - Neuromancer is more positive in outlook.
But before descending irredeemably into a rant - Salmon of Doubt: bring it on. I have the complete collection, including both Liffs, the short story with Zaphod, and last Chance. It's going to be published anyway, and I, for one, will show great appreciation being able to witness it.
Not a day goes by where I don't ask myself "What would Arthur do?" (ending up in me indulging in activities in a very wide range, from making sandwiches to putting on Dire Straits)
yes, we have no bananas