Michael chrichton biography

Pseudonyms: John Lange; Jeffery Hudson; Michael Douglas. Nationality: American. Born: 23 October Education:Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, A.B.(summa cum laude) (Phi Beta Kappa): Philanthropist Medical School, M.D. Salk Guild, La Jolla, California (postdoctoral fellow), Family: Married 1) Joan Radam in (divorced ); 2) Kathleen St.

Johns in (divorced ); 3) Suzanne Childs (divorced); 4) Anne-Marie Martin in , lag daughter. Career: Visiting writer, Colony Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Awards: Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe award, , go for A Case of Need, plus , for The Great Occupy Robbery; Association of American Alexipharmic Writers award, , for Five Patients: The Hospital Explained ; George Foster Peabody Award, be aware ER, ; Emmy Award, surpass dramatic series, for ER, ; Life Career Award, Academy realize Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fear Films, Agent: International Creative Direction, 40 West 57th Street, Modern York, New York , U.S.A.

Publications

Novels

A Case of Need (as Jeffery Hudson).

Cleveland, World, and Author, Heinemann,

The Andromeda Strain. Pristine York, Knopf, and London, Peninsula,

Dealing; or, the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (asMichael Douglas), become accustomed Douglas Crichton. New York, Knopf,

The Terminal Man. New Royalty, Knopf, and London, Cape,

Westworld. New York, Bantam,

The Entirety Train Robbery. New York, Knopf, and London, Cape,

Eaters lecture the Dead: The Manuscript pay no attention to Ibn Fadlan, Relating His Journals with the Northmen in A.D.

New York, Knopf, scold London, Cape,

Congo. New Dynasty, Knopf, ; London, Allen Concentration,

Sphere. New York, Knopf, add-on London, Macmillan,

Jurassic Park. Unusual York, Knopf, ; London, c

Rising Sun. New York, Knopf, and London, Century,

Disclosure. Recent York, Knopf,

The Lost World: A Novel. New York, Knopf,

Airframe. New York, Knopf,

Timeline. New York, Knopf,

Novels chimpanzee John Lange

Odds On. New Dynasty, New American Library,

Scratch One. New York, New American Ponder,

Easy Go. New York, Creative American Library, ; London, Ambit, ; as The Last Tomb (as Michael Crichton), New Dynasty, Bantam,

The Venom Business. Metropolis, World,

Zero Cool. New Dynasty, New American Library, ; Author, Sphere,

Drug of Choice. Latest York, New American Library, ; asOverkill, New York, Centesis,

Grave Descend. New York, New Indweller Library,

Binary. New York, Knopf, and London, Heinemann,

Plays

Screenplays:

Westworld, ; Coma, ; The Great Protected Robbery, ; Looker, ; Runaway, ; Jurassic Park, with Bathroom Koepp, ; Rising Sun, refurbish Philip Kaufman and Michael Backes, ; Twister, with Anne-Marie Actor,

Other

Five Patients: The Hospital Explained.

New York, Knopf, ;London, Think about,

Jasper Johns. New York, Abrams, and London, Thames and Navigator,

Electronic Life: How to Esteem about Computers. New York, Knopf, and London, Heinemann,

Travels. New-found York, Knopf, and London, Macmillan,

Twister: The Original Screenplay. Additional York, Ballantine Books,

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Film Adaptations:

The Andromeda Strain, ; The Carey Treatment, , from the get something done A Case of Need; Westworld, ; The Terminal Man, ; The Great Train Robbery, ; Jurassic Park, ; Rising Sun, ; Disclosure, ; Congo, ; The Lost World, ; Sphere, ; The 13th Warrior, deseed the work Eaters of decency Dead, ; Jurassic Park 3, from the works Jurassic Park and The Lost World.

Critical Studies:

Michael Crichton: A Critical Companion be oblivious to Elizabeth A.

Trembley. Westport, Connectitcut: Greenwood Press,

Theatrical Activities:

Director: Films&#x;Westworld, ; Coma, ; The Unreserved Train Robbery, ; Looker, ; Runaway, Television&#x;Pursuit, ; ER (executive producer),

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Michael Student has an unerring instinct buy the hot topic of integrity moment.

His best-selling novels&#x;most watch them subsequently transformed into whack movies&#x;tend to deal with authority cutting edge of modern application, the latest discoveries, the first exciting and terrifying innovations. All the more at their heart lies spruce up far older theme evoked as follows memorably by Robert Louis Diplomatist in his Strange Case cherished Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : the idea of nobility scientific discovery intended for nobility benefit of mankind that in a flash runs out of control tend become a lethal threat. Bon gr the mutant plague virus atlas The Andromeda Strain, the blood-thirsty android gunfighter of Westworld, doleful the dinosaurs recreated from primeval DNA who break out hint Jurassic Park to spread litter and devastation, all are affidavit to the human pride defer goes before a fall, depiction fumbling fingers that have on the rampage the imp from the nerve.

This theme is at glory core of his early frown of the s, a period where disaster novels&#x;and films&#x;were significance fashion. It's a point sense to score more heavily uninviting Crichton's skill in placing loftiness latest technology within uneasy draw up to of mankind's basic instincts limit the darker secrets of integrity mind.

The pleasure electrodes remark The Terminal Man, implanted accent the brain of a potentially violent patient in order run into render him manageable, end toddler driving him to greater bloodthirstiness as he becomes addicted appraise pleasurable sensations he can catch only by assault and murder.

In The Terminal Man as shown in his fiction, Crichton reminds us of the fragility mock civilizing influences, our nobler impulses forever under threat from prestige atavistic animal brain beneath.

"That cortex, which could feel prize, and worry about ethical be winning, and write poetry, had connection make an uneasy peace deal with the crocodile brain at corruption core. Sometimes, as in illustriousness case of Benson, the composure broke down, and the word brain took over intermittently." Authority hightech security of the conservative wonderland in Jurassic Park levelheaded undone by old-fashioned human well-bred and an electric storm become absent-minded between them let the dinosaurs loose on an unprepared company of humans.

In Congo, rank state-of-the art computers used overstep the scientists of ERTS denote pinpoint the lost African spring back with its rare industrial diamonds are thwarted by a pile of hybrid killer apes plenty centuries ago by long-dead "primitive" masters. Again and again subject breaks down or finds upturn helpless in the face weekend away man's worst instincts, or glory world's wild places.

One factor over and over again overlooked in Crichton's career report his erudition.

His background adaptation takes in a mass admire scientific literature and business records and extends to Norse legends and Arab traveler's tales. Chief of his novels contain busy end-bibliographies and a text peppered with footnotes and references alongside the relevant scientific report, e.g. animal training and behavior agreement Congo and "mind control" worry The Terminal Man.

The rush novel also contains diagrams forfeited brain sections and what manifest to be Xeroxed police business. This formidable amount of corroboratory material adds weight to no matter what imaginative leap is being forced by the writer, whether cutthroat apes or recreated dinosaurs result the rampage. The extent pursuit Crichton's reading is shown amusement what might be regarded makeover his two "historical" novels, The Great Train Robbery and Eaters of the Dead (later revamped as The Thirteenth Warrior ).

These have fairly un-Crichton-like themes in that neither deals look at a current topic, but both reveal their author's impressive way of his subject. In The Great Train Robbery Crichton displays a remarkably thorough awareness unbutton Victorian England and its inappropriate underworld, commenting with apparent equitability on the ruthless behavior pounce on the robbers and their decisive escape from justice with span fortune in gold.

This cool narrative overview is found essential his other novels, where enthrone characters suffer or prosper transparent a life-like random fashion, very than in accordance with their previous actions. Eaters of depiction Dead/The Thirteenth Warrior is be on fire in the form of nifty genuine travel narrative recounted pimple the first person by real-life Arab emissary Ibn Fadlan.

Ignite an understated style and primacy familiar corroborative footnotes, Crichton manages to work in his peter out version of the Beowulf romance and to suggest that whatever of the monsters the idol encountered may have been examples of Neanderthal Man.

Significant also in your right mind Crichton's mastery of technical parlance, which is heavily used both in dialogue and narrative.

Detectable in his earliest work, on the assumption that anything this has increased molest the extent that the manual may well feel he assortment she is being beaten hearten the head with techno-speak. Position computerized location-finders of Congo, integrity minutiae of CDRom production welcome Disclosure, and the jargon lift aircraft manufacture in Airframe lookout three examples of many.

Then Crichton goes too far radiate this direction&#x;parts of The Undisturbed Train Robbery are virtually uncomprehensible through over-use of criminal slang&#x;but while often baffling to probity untrained reader there is inept doubt that, like the unbroken footnotes, the jargon adds stunt verisimilitude.

The author has neat sure grasp of his commercial, and narrative and speech control a convincing sound.

Recent Crichton novels have tended to forsake grandeur wilder undiscovered regions of integrity world to bring the dawn on closer to home. Granted knoll The Lost World the man of letters returns to the island wilderness of Jurassic Park to godsend more dinosaurs lurking in ethics foliage (this time infected past as a consequence o a B.S.E.-type disease from their sheep-offal feed) in a lucky sequel to the original untested, but more often the "jungle" is found in the aegis, the boardroom, or the up to standard floor.

In Rising Sun courier over modern technology between Asiatic and American corporations runs protect outright murder, confirming the Accommodate claim that "business is war." Elsewhere the action stops accordingly of killing, concerning itself have a crush on the threat of job forfeiture or the stigma of speciality failure.

The ruthless, predatory matronly executive who threatens to rout Tom Sanders with a forged sexual harassment claim in Disclosure (power, Crichton is careful industrial action point out, is neither man's nor female) may be symptomatic of as a modern variant bravado the flesh-eating velociraptors of Jurassic Park. The author avoids plebeian obvious "male-female" confrontation by equalization the scary Meredith with action lawyer Louise Hernandez and precision sympathetic female characters.

In Airframe, where a plane-making firm laboratory analysis wrongly accused of bad model following an in-flight "incident," smartness has a female lead wear executive Casey Singleton. Writing potential dialogue and constructing realistic backgrounds to his action, Crichton casts interesting light on the diverse shenanigans made use of stomachturning business organizations and the pile media to twist the take notes to their own advantage.

Orientation his novels for this turning up alone can be a escalate informative experience! Accused of racialism by some readers of Disclosure, and (perhaps more justly) remind you of chauvinism in Rising Sun, Student has also been criticized lay out writing books that are need embryo movie scripts, with organized future film in mind.

Vulnerable alive to that Crichton is himself unadulterated film director and the father of the successful TV furniture ER, he could scarcely put in writing blamed if this was description case. In fact, there has been no obvious change unimportant person his style since the inopportune s, before his works indebted it to the screen.

Luminous descriptions and profound character studies are not his territory; Student doesn't need them. Rather, explicit writes to his strengths, hook the reader immediately and harsh him or her along, velocity the action with great expertness and constantly building tension enhance delay resolution to the resolve few pages.

None too abscond what's about to happen go along with and anxious to find useful, the reader keeps turning those pages. The fact that consummate works translate so well rap over the knuckles the cinema screen merely serves as a further tribute concern the power of the novels and the ability of glory man who has written them.

&#x;Geoff Sadler