The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

by Douglas Adams

Interesting Facts

Origins & Acclaim

The idea for the series came to Douglas Adams while he was stargazing in Austria. He had

been hitchhiking from London to Istanbul with a copy of Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe by

Ken Welsh . The novel was adapted from Adams's multi-part radio series that was1

originally broadcast from 1978 to 1980 . It garnered attention for its innovative use of music2

and sound effects (it was the first comedy series to be produced in stereo), and was the only

radio show ever to be nominated for a Hugo science fiction award .3

Towel Day

Celebrated on May 25 each year, Towel Day was created as a tribute to Douglas Adams .4

On that day, fans around the world carry a towel in his honor.

The End?

Adams had fallen behind schedule in finishing the book, so his publisher called and told him to

finish the page he was writing because they were sending someone to collect his manuscript

in a half an hour . Adams is quoted as saying, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise5

they make as they go by.”

5 https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/july/hitchhikers-guide-galaxy-douglas-adams-42-facts.html

4 http://www.towelday.org/

3 https://www.webcitation.org/5yVVCtt7U?url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1979-hugo-awards/

2 https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Hitchhikers-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-novel-by-Adams

1 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63473/16-fun-facts-about-hitchhikers-guide-galaxy

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Marvin the Muse

Several musicians have paid homage to Marvin the Paranoid Android in

song. Stephen Moore released two pop singles and Radiohead named a

song "Paranoid Android" in Marvin's honor.

Discussion Questions

A Matter of Style

The writing style of this book is incredibly unique. Have you read anything like this? Can you

think of any stories that would benefit from this style? Try telling a short story in this style.

Adaptations

The radio series was adapted into a novel, video game, comic book, stage production, and a

live action movie.

● What about the book do you think made these adaptations possible?

● Are there new mediums (like TikTok or Twitter) that would lend themselves to a

modern adaptation of the book?

Parody and Predictions

Shamini Bundell explores how the themes of the book were ahead of their time.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02969-8

● What themes do you think are still relevant today?

● Is there something about science fiction that enables authors to explore these issues?

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Parody & Satire

A parody is a work that’s created by imitating an existing original work in order to make fun

of or comment on an aspect of the original . Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration,6

or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices .7

● What elements in the book do you think are parody?

● What about satire?

● What institutions or people are the target?

● Are there other works of comedy or science fiction that are parodies or satires?

Other Resources

Serious Series

● The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first of five books in a series that

Douglas Adams wrote, with a sixth written by Eoin Colfer.

● The series gives of a mockumentary vibe. This sub-genre of comedy includes movies

(Best in Show) and TV (The Office) that take the form of a serious documentary in

order to satirize its subject. If you enjoyed Hitchhiker's, check out some

mockumentary works!

Sci-Funny

Hitchhiker's isn't the only funny scifi novel! Check out EpicReads' list of 14 hilarious science

fiction books:

https://www.epicreads.com/blog/funny-science-fiction-books/

Science Fiction Podcasts

Listening to fiction allows you to use your imagination to fill in many of the details that would

be provided on film. Check out this list of 15 great science fiction podcasts:

https://discoverpods.com/sci-fi-podcasts-science-fiction/

7 https://literaryterms.net/satire/

6 https://literaryterms.net/parody/

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For Math Fans

The number 42, which is given as the answer to life, the universe, and everything, has a

range of interesting mathematical properties and turns up in a variety of curious

coincidences:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/for-math-fans-a-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-n

umber-42/

Activities

A Visual History

Design manager Stuart Wilson explains how the cover design of each

edition of the book evolved.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/science-fiction-and-fantasy/

the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-cover-design

● Create your own book cover design for The Hitchhiker's Guide to

the Galaxy.

Write Your Own Entry in the Hitchhiker's Guide

Make up a planet, species, future historical event, etc. Describe it

in 160 words or less.

● Draw/create a photo to add to the entry.

● Share via social media as a photo with a caption.

Alternatively, you could create an entry for a character in the

book. Include a description of what makes them worthy of their

own entry in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

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Strange New World

World building refers to the act of creating a new fantastical or futuristic world. Get a jump

start on creating your next new world by looking through Pinterest or Google images to find

a picture that, for whatever reason, represents something in your world.

● Why does that image speak to you?

● What is the tone of the story this image tells? (light, dark, fun, serious, scary)

● What is the nature of the people who live in this world? (peaceful, aggressive,

contemplative)

● How do they dress?

● What might the soundtrack to this world be? Actually pick a few songs!

https://nicolepeeler.substack.com/p/worldbuilding-101-an-exercise

Now Streaming: Your Sci-fi Comedy

Take a spin at writing your own science fiction comedy pilot episode

(or short story, or podcast, or videogame, or tweet, or comic).

● Write down your premise, character list, and a summary of the

plot.

● Describe something you'd want to poke fun at or criticize

about our modern world or way of life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_comedy

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