Too Late

“Life is wasted on the living.” – Douglas Noel Adams

I first came to know about Douglas Adams through a Fast Company article. His firm and ideas seemed so outstanding and fascinating that I put his novel on hold in the library. I am not and never have been much of a science fiction writer, but TheHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy made me laugh from the first paragraph. I went on to read the rest of the five-part trilogy and even some others. I found his writing refreshing and hilarious and I wish I were half as creative as he is.

Or I should say “was” since Douglas Adams passed away yesterday, at 49, from a heart attack.

I’ve often wondered whether I’d like to meet my favorite writers. I read pretty much non-stop and have a long list of favorite authors. And Douglas Adams is definitely my favorite science-fiction writer, assuming I can categorize his work as such.

On the whole, I tend to like character-driven novels, which must be why I like the works of Anne Tyler, Salinger and Nick Hornby. The combinations of unforgettable characters and interesting plots like with John Irving or Charles Dickens are even more rewarding. And then there are the classics like Little Prince, lovingly provided by Antione deSaint Exupery. There are novels that make me think like Fahrenheit 451 or The Fountainhead. And writers like David Sedaris who makes me laugh and Harper Lee who makes me cry. There also are the nonfiction writers like Feynman who show me the wonders of the world in which we live.

All of these writers, and many more, touch my life regularly. They give me glimpses of their thoughts, knowledge and imagination. This must be why it’s common to be asked which writer you’d like to meet. Douglas Adams definitely was someone I’d love to have met. It seems he was really unique and I think he would have inspired me. I don’t feel that way about Salinger or Dickens though I adore their novels. Feynman sounds like another amazing human being, someone so incredibly fascinated with the magic of science, who loved his wife passionately and played the bongos for fun is definitely worth meeting.

Douglas Adams’s death made me realize that I need to be more active in going to my favorite writers’ events. I want to attend readings and find out more about the people behind the novels. It also made me want to go back to writing my own novel.

So long and thanks for all the novels, DNA, I hope you have your towel with you.

Who are your favorite writers? And which ones would you like to meet?

Previously? Out There.