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Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Front cover from the first UK hardcover edition of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Front cover from the first UK hardcover edition
Author Douglas Adams
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Dirk Gently
Genre(s) Fantasy
Science fiction novel
Publisher UK: William Heinemann Ltd., US: Pocket Books
Publication date 1987
Media type Print (Paperback and Hardcover), Audiobook (cassette and compact disc)
Pages 306 pp (paperback edition)
ISBN ISBN 0-671-69267-4
Followed by The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a novel by Douglas Adams. Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Dirk Gently (real name Svlad Cjelli also known as Dirk Cjelli) is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Heinemann is a UK publishing house founded by William Heinemann in Covent Garden, London in 1890 Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes Paperback books Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a Book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with Cloth The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous Fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams. Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist It is described on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-whodunnit-time-travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic". Like many of Adams' stories, its plot defies easy encapsulation.

The book was followed by a sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, although the only recurring major characters are Gently himself, Janice Pearce and Sergeant Gilks. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous Fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams. Dirk Gently (real name Svlad Cjelli also known as Dirk Cjelli) is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk Adams began writing The Salmon of Doubt with the intention of it being the third book in the series. The Salmon of Doubt Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time is a posthumous collection of previously unpublished material by Douglas Adams.

A BBC Radio adaptation starring Harry Enfield was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesdays from 18. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a novel by Douglas Adams. Harry Enfield (born 30 May, 1961 in Sussex, England) is an English Comedian, Actor and Writer 30 to 19. 00, starting 3 October 2007 and finishing 7 November 2007. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A second series is scheduled to start broadcasting on 26 June 2008. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Contents

Plot summary

Dirk Gently's plot is highly non-linear due to the use of time travel and other story elements, and is related here for continuity. This article details time travel itself For other uses see Time Traveler.

Four billion years ago, nine multi-tentacled creatures called Salaxalans, discontent with their own world, leave and attempt to populate Earth. They leave their mothership in orbit, but, due to the laziness of the engineer and faulty advice from their automaton Electric Monk, the lander crashes and explodes on Earth, triggering a spark that creates amino acids and the start of life on earth. A robot is a mechanical or Virtual Artificial agent In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical system which by its appearance or movements In Chemistry, an amino acid is a Molecule containing both Amine and Carboxyl Functional groups In Biochemistry, this The Salaxalan engineer, having failed to complete a task in his life, is forced to wander the Earth as a ghost, watching the human race develop. In the early 1800s, the ghost learns of a time machine owned by Professor Reg Chronotis at St Cedd's, though is unable to use it. Professor Urban Chronotis is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams. St Cedd's College is a fictional college, created by Douglas Adams, of Cambridge University. The ghost finds he is able to influence humans, and is able to possess Samuel Taylor Coleridge, having him write a second verse to his "Kubla Khan" poem that includes instructions of how to fix the damaged lander, as well as additional references in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( 21 October 1772 &ndash 25 July 1834) was an English Poet, Critic and philosopher " Kubla Khan or a Vision in a Dream A Fragment " is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which takes its title from the Mongol and Chinese The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (original The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere) is the longest major Poem by the English Poet The ghost then continues to find ways to influence Reg as to use the time machine to correct the past, unsuccessfully.

In the present, the Salaxalan ghost manages to weakly influence Reg to use the time machine, disguised as his chambers at the St. Cedd's, to travel to a distant planet, taking possession of a faulty Electric Monk wandering it. However, the ghost finds the Monk unreliable, leaving it to wander on Earth, and through a series of additional influences, finds itself able to possess that of Michael Wenton-Weakes, a writer recently fired from his magazine job. The ghost urges Michael to kill his ex-boss, Albert Ross, and then has him read Coleridge's works, preparing him to confront Reg to use the time machine in order to prevent the lander explosion in the past.

Meanwhile, the Electric Monk, acting blindly on orders, shoots and kills Gordon Way, president of Way Forward Technologies II, during a call to his sister Susan's answering machine. An answering machine, also known as an answerphone, ansaphone or ansafone (especially in UK and British commonwealth countries or telephone answering Gordon's ghost, having not yet finished his phone call, manages to witness Ross' murder, and manages to relay this information to Susan over the phone before fading away. Richard MacDuff, an employee of Gordon's working on a program to convert data into music, currently dating Susan, and a friend of Reg's, finds himself as a possible suspect in Gordon's death, and attempts to remove evidence from Susan's machine that would implicate him. Dirk Gently, Richard's friend and sole detective in his "Holistic Detective Agency", catches Richard in the act, and persuades him to tell him what happened. After hearing the events from Richard and consulting with a child, Dirk works out that Richard's, among others, actions have been under the influence of a ghost, and that the only way events could occur would be through the use of a time machine. Reg admits to the time machine to the two, but they are confronted by Michael, still possessed by the Salaxalan ghost. Michael convinces Reg to use the time machine to go back to just before the lander exploded in order to fix it. As the three see the possessed Michael off, Richard learns from Susan about Michael's murder of Ross, and the three realize that if the possessed Michael were to succeed, life on earth would not exist. Using Reg's time machine, they travel to Coleridge and alter the writings of "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" as to prevent Michael from having the proper instructions to stop the lander's explosion, and further destroy the mothership.

Dirk, Richard, and Reg return to the present to find that, although subtle changes have occurred, life is as they expect, though Reg's time machine no longer works. Dirk, satisfied that one of his previous cases no longer needs to be solved due to these alterations in the time line, writes off the case of saving humankind at "no charge".

Characters in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Major themes

The central motif of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is the fundamental interconnectedness of everything. Many details may appear superfluous, but turn out to be integral to the plot. Chaos theory, in its accessible form popularized by writers such as James Gleick, is therefore an appropriate context for this novel. In Mathematics, chaos theory describes the behavior of certain dynamical systems – that is systems whose state evolves with time – that may exhibit dynamics that James Gleick (born August 1, 1954) is an author journalist and biographer whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology The novel's title mentions the idea of holism. Distinguish from the suffix -holism, which describes addictions There are quantum mechanics references as well; phenomena of non-locality, as in the EPR paradox, make appearances. Quantum mechanics is the study of mechanical systems whose dimensions are close to the Atomic scale such as Molecules Atoms Electrons In Quantum mechanics, the EPR paradox is a Thought experiment which challenged long-held ideas about the relation between the observed values of physical quantities

Literary significance and reception

In 1990 the Magill Book Reviews said "The author's whimsical sense of humor and his sense that the universe has many unexplored possibilities will arouse the interest of a wide readership. "[1]

Allusions and references

Allusions to other works

The life and works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge play a central role in the story, particularly The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (original The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere) is the longest major Poem by the English Poet " Kubla Khan or a Vision in a Dream A Fragment " is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which takes its title from the Mongol and Chinese The novel cannot be fully understood without familiarity with these poems.

The piece of music by Bach that is heard aboard the satellite is "Ach Bleib Bei Uns, Herr Jesu Christ" from the cantata "Bleib Bei Uns, denn es will Abend Werden", BWV 6 (also an organ chorale BWV 649). Bleib bei uns denn es will Abend werden ( Stay with us for evening falls) BWV 6 is a Cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. Adams has stated that this is his personal "absolutely perfect" piece of music, and that he listened to it "over and over; drove my wife completely insane" while writing Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency[2]

Allusions to Adams's life

In the novel, a sofa is irreversibly stuck on the staircase to Richard's apartment; according to his simulations, not only is it impossible to remove it, but there is no way for it to have got into that position in the first place. This is probably based on an incident that occurred while Douglas Adams attended St John's College of Cambridge University. St John's College, an institution known formally as The Master Fellows and Scholars of the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge is a The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the Furniture was placed in the rooms overlooking the river in Third Court while the staircases were being refurbished. When the staircases were completed, it was discovered that the sofas could no longer be removed from the rooms, and the sofas remained in those rooms for several decades.

The South Bank Show revealed that Adams based Chronotis' rooms on the rooms he occupied in his third year at university. Likewise, Richard's room - filled with Macintosh computers and synthesisers - was based on Adams' own flat (visited and photographed by Hi-Fi Choice Magazine).

The story borrows elements from two Doctor Who serials written by Adams:

This novel caused Adams to become acquainted with the well-known scientist Richard Dawkins. Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science As Dawkins explains, "As soon as I finished it, I turned back to page one and read it straight through again – the only time I have ever done that, and I wrote to tell him so. He replied that he was a fan of my books, and he invited me to his house in London. "[3] Adams would later introduce Dawkins to the woman who was to become his third wife, the actress Lalla Ward, best known for playing the character Romana in Doctor Who. Lalla Ward (born Sarah Ward 28 June 1951) also known as The Honourable Sarah Ward, is an English actress author and illustrator Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. One of her early serials on the programme was City of Death.

Adaptations

On 5 January 1992, Dirk Gently, Richard MacDuff, Dirk's secretary, and the Electric Monk all appeared in the Douglas Adams episode of the British arts documentary series The South Bank Show. The South Bank Show is an award-winning Television arts magazine show made by London Weekend Television, presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast [4] Michael Bywater played Dirk, while Paul Shearer played both Richard and the Monk. Michael Bywater (born 11th May 1953 is a British writer and broadcaster Paul Shearer is a British Actor who is best known as a minor member of the Fast Show team Several characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy were also featured, played by the original television series actors. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series

The book has been adapted for stage performance as Dirk. Dirk is a stage play adapted from the novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.

In 2005, some fans of Douglas Adams decided to produce a fan radio series based on the first book. Their efforts began and were coordinated on the Douglas Adams Continuum website. [5] So far, three episodes have been completed. [6]

A publishing company has been seeking the rights to produce a graphic novel adaptation, though art has been removed for legal reasons. [7]

BBC Radio adaptation

Announced on 26 January 2007, BBC Radio 4 commissioned Above the Title Productions to make eighteen 30-minute adaptations of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books (including The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul and the unfinished The Salmon of Doubt,) running in three series of six episodes. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Above the Title Productions is a leading UK independent radio and TV production company based in London and specializing in the making of drama music comedy and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous Fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams. The Salmon of Doubt Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time is a posthumous collection of previously unpublished material by Douglas Adams.

The first series began on 3 October 2007 and features Harry Enfield as Dirk, Billy Boyd as Richard, Olivia Colman as Janice, Jim Carter as Gilks, Andrew Sachs as Reg, Felicity Montagu as Susan, Robert Duncan as Gordon, Toby Longworth as the Monk, Michael Fenton Stevens as Michael, Andrew Secombe, Jon Glover, Jeffrey Holland, Wayne Forester and Tamsin Heatley. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Harry Enfield (born 30 May, 1961 in Sussex, England) is an English Comedian, Actor and Writer For the Northern Ireland Labour Party activist see Billy Boyd (politician. Olivia Colman (born 30 January 1974) is an English actress best known for her comedic performances such as Sophie Chapman in Peep Show Jim Carter (born 1948 is an English actor His film credits include Shakespeare in Love, Richard III, and The Madness Andrew Sachs (born Andreas Siegfried Sachs, 7 April 1930 is a German - British actor. Felicity Montagu (born September 12 1960) is an English Actress, probably best known for her performances in radio and Television comedy Robert Duncan (born 27 July 1952 in St Austell, Cornwall) is a British Actor. Toby Longworth is a British actor who has appeared on Film, Radio and Television. Michael Fenton Stevens (born 12 February 1957) is a UK actor and comedian a member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the Andrew Secombe (born April 26, 1953 in Mumbles, south Wales) better known as Andy Secombe, is a Welsh Actor Jon Glover is a British actor He has appeared in various television programmes including Play School, Survivors, the Management consultant Jeffrey Holland (born 17 July 1946 in Walsall and educated there at Queen Mary's Grammar School) is an English Actor [8][9][10]

The script is by Dirk Maggs, who also directs, and John Langdon. Dirk Maggs is a freelance writer and director working across all media The show is produced by Maggs and Jo Wheeler. As with the previous Hitchhiker's series, the cd version features greatly expanded episodes. The official websites are at bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently and www.abovethetitle.com/hda_home.php.

Difference between BBC Radio version and the novel

There are a number of structural and detail differences between the radio adaptation and the book, mostly to aid the comprehension of the story when split into six half-hour episodes; this adaptation is a considered step away from the original Shada story structure. For the Arabic emphasis sign see Shadda; for the village in Azerbaijan see Şada.

In particular, the main characters have a closer relationship than in the novel. Dirk Gently is being employed by Gordon Way to monitor Richard McDuff's working hours, Michael Wenton-Weeks also went to St Cedd's College with Dirk and Richard. It was Michael (not Al Ross) who printed Richard's musical-fractals article in the magazine, and Michael's mother has just sold the magazine,[11] rather than several months previously. There is a much closer relationship between Janice Pierce and Dirk, as she accompanies Dirk rather than being wholly absent.

There are a number of new details, such as the actual music played by the Anthem II Software[11] playing the UK's Balance of Payments, the dock-leaf soup ("is it fresh?"/"Yes, sir, it says so on the tin"). Some other characters have been expanded, in particular the worker at the motorway service station.

Other structural changes include the use of a public telephone for a conversation between Richard and Susan outside the Greek restaurant (with the addition of a 42 reference), Janice being present at Richard's hypnosis,[12] a much expanded Electric Monk part, and some minor details such as the actual location of the brick Wordsworth was sick on.

The alternate time-line of the whole story is noted by some interesting minor changes, such as the BBC's political editor being Davis Evans (rather than Evan Davis) and Kubla Khan being "the longest poem in English literature"[13] as well as Reg mentioning the coronation of Edward VIII (who was never crowned), and Jeremy Clarkson being the BBC's environment correspondent rather than a motoring journalist. Evan Harold Davis (born April 8 1962 in Ashtead Surrey is a British economist journalist and presenter for the BBC. " Kubla Khan or a Vision in a Dream A Fragment " is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which takes its title from the Mongol and Chinese Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960 is an English broadcaster

Dirk is possessed by the Ghost of Gordon Way to discover what happened to Gordon after his death, when he visits the murder scenes (as a "crime tourist") in Oxfordshire with Richard and Janice, which does not happen in the book.

The Radio version makes occasional references to the song "Hot Potato", a plot element from the second Dirk Gently novel The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, which puts Richard a performer whose work is released as Pugilism and the Third Autistic Cuckoo. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous Fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams.

Wenton Weeks murders his mother in the radio version (making, momentarily, a third ghost), not Al Ross who is edited out. [14]. The devotional interview between the Electric Monk and Gilks is not contained in the book,[14], but the encounter on the train to Cambridge between the wedding party and Weeks (mirroring Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner) has been removed[14] (but is reinstated in the extended CD version), as has his fingertapping taxi-ride. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (original The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere) is the longest major Poem by the English Poet [12]

At the end of the radio serial Dirk, Reg and Richard prevent the sofa from being stuck on the stairs, rather than create the situation whereby it gets stuck there - and Reg 'returns' the characters to the day before they left where they stay, rather than travelling to three weeks before and then returning to the actual day they left.

Audiobook adaptation

Apart from the radio broadcasts, Douglas Adams recorded both unabridged and abridged readings of the first novel for the audiobook market.

References

  1. ^ "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" (1990-05-01). Magill Book Reviews. ISSN 08907722. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  
  2. ^ Interview with M. Throsby, ABC Classic FM, 1999, 17 May 2001 (repeat)
  3. ^ Dawkins, Richard (2001-05-14). Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Lament for Douglas Adams. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-06-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland.
  4. ^ Cast list for The South Bank Show episode on IMDb.
  5. ^ Dirk Gently radio series discussion forum on douglasadams. se
  6. ^ Dirk Gently radio series download site
  7. ^ Website of proposed graphic novel (This domain is now parked with the following note: "Notice: This domain name expired on 03/06/07 and is pending renewal or deletion")
  8. ^ BBC - Press Office - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency opens for business. Retrieved on 2007-08-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures
  9. ^ Dirk Maggs News and New Projects page
  10. ^ July 2007 BBC announcement of radio version
  11. ^ a b BBC Radio 4 - Comedy - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Episodes - Episode 1. Retrieved on 2007-10-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal.
  12. ^ a b BBC Radio 4 - Comedy - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Episodes - Episode 2. Retrieved on 2007-10-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal.
  13. ^ BBC Radio 4 - Comedy - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Production Diary. Retrieved on 2007-10-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony
  14. ^ a b c BBC Radio 4 - Comedy - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Episodes - Episode 5. Retrieved on 2007-11-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani

See also

Series: Followed by:
Dirk Gently series The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Dirk Gently (real name Svlad Cjelli also known as Dirk Cjelli) is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder Dirk Gently (real name Svlad Cjelli also known as Dirk Cjelli) is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous Fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams.
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