The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (also: Hitchhiking into space, original title: The Hitchhiker 's Guide to the Galaxy, HHGTTG abbreviated, or H2G2 ) is the most famous work by the English writer Douglas Adams. It is a mixture of comedy, satire and science fiction, which was first broadcast as a radio drama series from BBC radio. An internationally successful novel, the work has been further developed and still in other media (TV series, computer game, movie ) implemented. " The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy " is both the title of the first book as well as simultaneously throughout the series. The story gained early cult status, with the characteristic humor of the author was particularly well received.
- 5.1 German -speaking Links
- 5.2 English Language Links
Genesis
Originally written in 1978 as a radio drama series for the BBC, Adams continued to develop the story, and there was a series of novels, which appeared in five parts between 1979 and 1992. A television series produced, which was later translated and broadcast in greatly abbreviated form in German - It was also in 1981 - also for the BBC. In collaboration with Douglas Adams was a 1984 implementation of the story for a computer game. The cabaret theater group MäGäDäm wrote a story from the musical, which she performed in Hamburg in 1997. In April 2005, came a film adaptation of the hitchhiker in the cinemas.
The basic idea of its history had Adams claims to be, as he drunk in Innsbruck ( Austria ) once lay in a field, the book Hitchhiker's Guide to Europe las and his view of the starry sky was falling. → quote in the article: Douglas Adams
Although the various adaptations - radio, books, computer games and TV series - describe the same action on the whole, there are numerous variations in individual points; there are even some contradictory elements and variants.
Action
The story is all versions based on the adventures of Arthur Dent, an average Englishman who escapes the total destruction of the planet Earth by an alien race called the Vogons narrowly and with the help of his friend Ford Prefect. At Arthur's astonishment, his friend turns out to be of extraterrestrial visitors, who traveled the world for research purposes because of a galactic reference book and had the misfortune been no onward travel option for several years. When the fleet of Vogon appears to order the construction of a galactic hyperspace express route to destroy the Earth, Ford takes the opportunity and brings himself and Arthur means " Subspace ether - Winker " (Sub - Etha - Sens -O -Matic, a kind of electronic thumb), so to speak hitchhiking aboard one of the Vogonenraumschiffe.
However Vogon not feature special hospitality, and so Arthur and Ford are transported through an airlock into space. Now, instead of perishing in space, the two are rescued from gold at the last second by the spaceship Heart. There meet Arthur and Ford, the other main characters of the story: Zaphod Beeblebrox, half cousin of Ford and at times President of the Galaxy. Zaphod has in common with Tricia McMillan (called " Trillian "), a woman who had Arthur once met at a party in a flat in Islington, stole the spaceship. Also on board is also Marvin, a depressed robot. Together they embark on the search for the legendary planet Magrathea, they can also be found.
On Magrathea they meet Slartibartfass, who explains that the Earth was in fact a supercomputer, on which he has worked. The sole purpose of the earth was to see the question of the meaning of life, the universe and all the rest. The answer to the question was computing time from an earlier version of the supercomputer called Deep Thought calculated after seven million years old, but looked unable to formulate the underlying issue.
After the Vogons destroyed the earth five minutes before the end of the 10th -million-year program, try the client, a race of hyper- intelligent, pandimensionaler creatures in the shape of white mice, Arthur abzukaufen his brain, as they consider it a part of the computer matrix and hope to be able to filter out the question. After Arthur refuses to try the mice to remove his brain with violence. Just at that moment, however, meets the galactic police looking for Zaphod. In the resulting confusion Arthur, Ford, Zaphod and Trillian can escape to the heart of gold and decide once something to eat, making Adams the transition to the second part of the novel series, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe creates.
In the radio drama and television series, this end is slightly different: the policemen destroy a computer, behind which hide the protagonists. By following this explosion are hurled through time directly into Milliway 's, bringing the action begins at chapter 14 of the book.
Radio drama series
The Hitchhiker 's Guide to the Galaxy was first written in two seasons as a radio drama series for the BBC. The first episode ran on March 8, 1978 BBC Radio 4 After the production of the radio play series Adams broke the story in novel form, whereby the first two volumes arose. In the following decades he wrote three more books were based on which in turn produced three more seasons of the radio drama series after his death and aired in 2004 and 2005. Many speakers of the original series could this be required again. The theme music is the Eagles - Journey of the Sorcerer piece.
Under the title The Hitchhiker's Guide to All a German radio play version of BR, SDR and WDR was 1981/82 production directed by Ernst Wendt, which includes the six episodes of the first English radio series. 1990/91 more parts were then taken under the direction of Hartmut Kirste that comprise the contents of the third and fourth book of BR and SWF. The theme music is by Frank Duval.
Novel
Later, Adams developed it into a novel, which he continued in several volumes, up to 1992 " Part 5 of the four-volume trilogy" appeared (English original title in parentheses):
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ( The Hitchhiker 's Guide to the Galaxy), ISBN 3-453-14697-2. The English edition of this book appeared in 1979. The German translation was published in 1981.
- Life, the Universe and Everything (Life, the Universe, and Everything ), ISBN 3-453-14605-0
- Take care, and thanks for all the fish (So Long and Thanks for All the Fish ), ISBN 3-453-14606-9
- Mostly Harmless ( Mostly Harmless ), ISBN 3-453-08230-3
The first four parts have been translated into German by Benjamin Black, the fifth part of Sven Böttcher.
For Hitchhiker series also includes the short story Young Zaphod plays it safe ( original title " Young Zaphod Plays It Safe" ), which may be regarded as a connecting piece between the 4th and the 5th band. The story is in two slightly different versions ago and has been published in various anthologies, including the estate tape Salmon of Doubt ( The Salmon of Doubt ), ISBN 3-453-40045-3.
In October 2009, published with the permission of Douglas Adams ' widow, one written by Eoin Colfer continued under the title:
- And by the way one more thing ... ( And Another Thing ... ), ISBN 978-3-453-26640-7.
TV Series
Due to the high popularity of the radio play a six-part television series produced in 1981, in which most actors played along the radio play ( Exceptions: David Dixon as Ford Prefect and Sandra Dickinson as Trillian ). The series is based on the six episodes of the first radio series, which ( to the Galaxy and The Restaurant The Hitchhiker's Guide to the End of the Universe ) comprises roughly the contents of the first two books. The plan was a second series based on Douglas Adams ' Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen project, which was not realized due to various problems. From the project band later became three Life, the Universe and all the rest
The series is available on two DVDs on the market.
Movie
1997 Douglas Adams wrote a contract with Disney / Spyglass, who wanted to bring his cult novel into the movie theaters at the time. Directed by Jay Roach should lead. Adams said in 2001 that he or Hugh Grant Hugh Laurie could imagine for the lead role Arthur Dent himself.
In October 2003, fans of long-awaited film project was then started. Was filmed in the bestselling Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, directed by Garth Jennings. The former writer Douglas Adams was once again edited by Karey Kirkpatrick, who among other things, the animated film Chicken Run - Hennen is known to run. The main role of Arthur Dent plays actor Martin Freeman, Ford Prefect is implemented by the musicians Mos Def, his cousin Zaphod Beeblebrox, the president of the galaxy, the American actor Sam Rockwell, and in the role of Trillian you can see Zooey Deschanel. In the English original of the British actor Alan Rickman lends to the depressed robot Marvin his voice. Helen Mirren speaks the super - computer " Deep Thought ", and Stephen Fry, personal friend of Adam ', is the narrator, which accompanies the film. In the role of Slartibartfass Bill Nighy is seen.
Especially for the cinema release added Douglas Adams a new character into the script a: Humma Kavula, the spiritual leader of Jatravartiden. He lost the election as President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox against. The role of John Malkovich was tailored to the body, which they eventually accepted.
Film's release in Germany, Austria and Switzerland was 9 June 2005.
Musical
The music of the musical is available on CD: MäGäDäm: Do not Panic. Produced by MäGäDäm (Andrea Bongers, Jo Jacobs) and Tim Brettschneider. Hamburg 1997.
Theater
The Linz Phoenix Theater put the substance of the first two books in 2001 with great success to as a theater piece. Was directed by Stefan Kurowski and Jürgen Heib.
More media
The theme has also been implemented in a text adventure computer game developed by the company Infocom ( The Hitchhiker 's Guide to the Galaxy). The latter was released by the author to the public and therefore can be played online. Furthermore, the first three Hitchhiker books were implemented as comics.
Allusions to the story can even play in a wide variety of computer games (eg Futurama ) found (eg Marvin serves as a cheat code in Gothic ) or series.