The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The previous post was about the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (from herein referred to as Zen) which I was told, somewhat misguidedly, was a brilliant read, enmeshing philosophy and literature in equal measure. This post is about a book that, once again, I was advised to read. I must start by explaining that my first advisor, who told me to read Zen, was far less reputable than the second, and this therefore bestowed upon me a measure of incredulity before I had even embarked upon Zen.

My incredulity, as shown in the previous post, was reasonable and eventually validated, as the book didn’t even meet my cynically low expectations. The book at the heart of this post, The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, is, in my opinion, Zen’s antithesis. Whereas Zen managed to be worse than my already low expectations, Hitchhiker’s managed to surpass my already high expectations.

Some examples of why literature is so wonderful are contained in the above paragraphs. The fact that I have read two books that are very important to two friends of mine, one which I loved, one which I reviled (the books, not the friends), illustrates the vast array of peoples tastes, and how one can be moved by a novel that another companion may find abhorrent. The fact that one can read a book that another abhors, and then one can simply delve into a book one finds as encapsulating, and fantastical as I found Hitchhiker’s, shows how personable, and joyous the experience of literature can be.

Furthermore, it shows that literature is crazed and capricious, unpredictable, fascinating, boring and just about every other adjective. It demonstrates how even a book that one finds terrible has an important role; it could be seen as preparation for a book like Hitchhikers, dare I say fate. Perhaps this is slightly too romantic.

Nonetheless, Hitchhiker’s was a completely different experience from Zen. It has exquisite comedic elements embroiled in a plot that is quite moving. Douglas Adam has the mind of a child, an extremely refined and intelligent child, and this is what is so wonderful, it brings you into his innate mindset, a framework that produces some of the most flamboyant, marvellous sequences to ever grace a page.

Each character, from the depressed ‘paranoid android’ Marvin, to the eccentric president of the galaxy, Zaphod Beetlebrox, is endlessly entertaining and bring a charm and charisma so whimsical and absurd that they would be impossible to dislike. The story, while fanciful and bizarre, does contain elements of verisimilitude through the exploits and personality of protagonist Arthur Dent.

He’s lost his earth, his friends and most importantly, his house and is stranded in a galaxy that makes so little sense. And while he is, at times, understandably plaintive, he also marvels at the delights of his new life, a life as different and unbelievable as one could imagine in the wildest of one’s imagination.

The book entails the energy that is rarely found in literature, a vast, fast-paced vacuum of intelligence expressed in the most sardonic way. It is a book that one should not take too seriously while paradoxically reading it with the utmost reverence.

In the prologue, Russell T. Davies, who is responsible for the revival of Doctor Who, amongst other things, explains that the beauty of Hitchhiker’s is that it is a book everyone should pass around and share, both physically and mentally. And I thoroughly agree, this is the book that your friends must read, this is the book that will have them reporting back with such a zeal and enthusiasm, one that can only be matched by your own.

This isn’t Beckett or Joyce, this isn’t an epic novel, this isn’t the book that ostentatious hipsters will tell their friends to read, simply because they understood it after they had searched meretriciousness through its Wikipedia pages.


No, this is better, this is a funny and awe-inspiring book, it is something that you can enjoy without the pressure of not enjoying it, you can read this novel without feeling inadequate or inferior, there is no real challenge, there are no obstacles, this book is the reason people wrote fiction in the first place, for their enjoyment and for the enjoyment of their readers.