Photo: Michael Hughes / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Douglas Adams turned cosmic meaninglessness into the funniest, most humane comedy in science fiction, and I will defend The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to anyone. Born 1952 in Cambridge, he started it as a 1978 radio series and grew it into a five-book trilogy that sold over 14 million copies in his lifetime, plus TV, a video game and a film. That single joke, that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42, lodged itself permanently in nerd culture. He died far too young at 49 in 2001. The blend of biting satire and genuine affection for absurdity has never quite been matched. A one-of-a-kind voice.
Overview
Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humourist, and screenwriter. He was best known as the creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a 1978 radio comedy series which he adapted into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 14 million copies in his lifetime. He also adapted it into a 1981 television series, a 1984 video game and a 2005 feature film.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Douglas Adams
- Name (Japanese)
- ダグラス・アダムズ
- Reading
- だぐらす・あだむず
- Born
- March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Dragon
- Origin
- Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- playwright / screenwriter / novelist / children's writer / science fiction writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- St John's College
Awards & achievements
- 1983 Inkpot Award
- 1980 Ditmar Award for Best International Fiction
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | — | |
| Notable work | Dirk Gently series | — | |
| Notable work | The Private Life of Genghis Khan | — |
6. Links
Playwright — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.