Cooking the RealAge (R) Way

MichaelCrichtonItstandstoreasonthatsomeonewithasmanypursuitsasMichaelCrichton(novelist,nonfictionwriter,screenwriter,director,softwareengineer,M.D.)mightachieveonlymodestsuccessinanyofthem.ButCrichtonsomehowexcelledatthemall.Hisbooks,suffusedwithhisscientificresearchandknowledge,neverfailedtopresentimaginative,chillingscenariosthatjumpedfromhistoricalcaperstofuturisticsci-fi.HediedonNovember4,2008,afteralongbattleagainstcancer.BiographyMichaelCrichton'soeuvreissovividandvariedthatithardtobelieveeverythingsprangfromthemindofasinglewriter.There'sthedino-moviefranchiseandmerchandisingbehemothJurassicPark;thelong-running,top-ratedTVseriesER,whichCrichtoncreated;andsci-fitalessocinematicafewwerefilmedmorethanonce.He'sevenhadadinosaurnamedafterhim.Ironically,forsomeonewhoiscreditedwithsellingover150millionbooks,Crichtoninitiallyavoidedwritingbecausehedidn'tthinkhewouldmakealivingatit.Soheturnedtomedicalschoolinstead,graduatingwithanM.D.fromHarvardin1969.Thebuddingdoctorhadalreadywrittenoneaward-winningnovelpseudonymically(1968'sACaseofNeed)tohelppaythebillsthroughschool;butwhenTheAndromedaStraincameoutinthesameyearofhismedschoolgraduation,Crichton'snewcareerpathbecameobvious.TheAndromedaStrainbrilliantlyandconvincinglysetsoutanAmericanscientificcrisisintheformofadeadlyepidemic.Itstone--bothcriticalofandsympathetictowardthescientificcommunity--setaprecedentforCrichtonworkstocome.A1970nonfictionwork,FivePatientsoffersthesametoneinaverydifferentform,thatbeinganinsidelookatahospital.Crichton'sworkswereinspiredbyaremarkablycuriousmind.Hisplotsoftenexploredscientificissues--butnotalways.Someofhismostcompellingthrillersweresetagainstthebackdropofglobaltraderelations(RisingSun),corporatetreachery(Disclosure)andgoodold-fashionedVictorian-eratheft(TheGreatTrainRobbery).Theauthornevershiedawayfromchallengingtopics,butit'sobviousfromhisphenomenalsalesthatheneverwaxedpedantic.WritingaboutPrey,Crichton'scautionarytaleofnanotechgoneawry,TheNewYorkTimesBookReviewputitthisway:"You'reentertainedononelevelandyoulearnsomethingonanother."Onthepage,Crichton'sstorytellingwaseerilynonfictionalinstyle.Hisjournalistic,almostprofessorial,andusuallythird-personnarrationlentanairofcredibilitytohisoftendisturbingtales--inTheAndromedaStrain,hewentsofarastoprovideafakebibliography.Alongtheway,herevelledinfloutingbasic,oftensubconsciousassumptions:Dinosaursarelong-gone;womenareworkplacevictims,notpredators;computersare,byandlarge,predictablemachines.ThedazzlingdiversityofCrichton'sinterestsandtalentsbecameevermoreevidentastheyearsprogressed.Inadditiontopenningbestsellingnovels,hewrotescreenplaysandatravelmemoir,directedseveralmovies,createdAcademyAward-winningmovieproductionsoftware,andtestifiedbeforeCongressaboutthescienceofglobalwarming--thislastasaresultofhiscontroversial2004eco-thrillerStateofFear,anovelthatreflectedCrichton'sownskepticismaboutthetruenatureofclimatechange.Hisviewsonthesubjectwereseverelycriticizedbyleadingenvironmentalists.OnNovember4,2008,MichaelCrichtondied,followingalongbattleagainstcancer.Belovedbymillionsofreaders,histechno-thrillersandscience-inflectedcautionarytalesremainperennialbestsellersandhavespawnedaliterarygenreallitsown.GoodToKnowSomeinterestingouttakesfromour2005interviewwithCrichton:"I'mveryinterestedin20th-centuryAmericanart.""Ihavealwaysbeeninterestedinmoviesandtelevisionaswellasbooks.Iseealltheseasmediaforstorytelling,andIdon'tdiscriminateamongthem.AtsomeperiodsofmylifeIpreferredtoworkonmovies,andatothersIpreferredbooks.""Intheearly1990s,interviewersbegancallingme‘thefatherofthetechno-thriller.'Nobodyeverhadbefore.FinallyIbeganaskingtheinterviewers,‘Whydoyoucallmethat?'Theysaid,‘BecauseTomClancysaysyouarethefatherofthetechno-thriller.'SoIcalledTomupandsaid,‘Listen,thankyou,butI'mnotthefatherofthetechno-thriller.'Hesaid,‘Yesyouare.'Isaid,‘No,I'mnot,beforemetherewerethrillerslikeFailsafeandSevenDaysinMayandTheManchurianCandidatethatweretechno-thrillers.'Hesaid,‘No,thoseareallpolitical.You'rethefatherofthetechno-thriller.'Andthereitended.""Myfavoriterecreationistohikeinthewilderness.IamfondofHawaii.""Iusedtoscubadivealot,buthaven'tlately.ForatimeIlikedtophotographsharksbutlikeanythingelse,thethrillwearsoff.EarlierinmylifeItookseriousrisks,butIstoppedwhenIbecameaparent.""ItaughtmyselftocookbyfollowingIndianandSzechuanrecipes.Theyeachhaveabout20ingredients.Iusedtogrindmyownspices,Iwasreallyintoit.NowIdon'thavemuchtimetocookanymore.WhenIdo,IcookItalianfood.""Ireadalmostexclusivelynonfiction.MosttimesIamresearchingsometopic,whichmayormaynotleadtoabook.Somyreadingisprettyfocused,althoughthefocuscanshiftquickly.""Ihavealwaysbeeninterestedinwhateverismissingorexcludedfromconventionalthought.AsaresultIamdrawntowriterswhoareoutoffashion,bypassed,irritating,difficult,orexcessive.Ialsolikethedisreputableworksoffamouswriters.ThusIendupreadingandlikingPaulFeyerabend(AgainstMethod),G.K.Chesterton(Orthodoxy,What'sWrongwiththeWorld),JohnStuartMill,Hemingway(GardenofEden),Nietzsche,Machiavelli,AlainFinkielkraut(DefeatoftheMind),AntonEhrenzweig(HiddenOrderofArt),ArthurKoestler(MidwifeToad,BeyondReductionism),IanMcHarg(DesignwithNature),MargueriteDuras,Jung,lateJamesM.Cain(Serenade),PaulCampos."BecauseIgetupsoearlytowork,Itendtogotobedearly,around10or11.SoIdon'tgooutmuch.IsupposeIamborderlinereclusive.Idon'tcare."AlsoKnownAs:JohnMichaelCrichton(fullname),JefferyHudson,JohnLangeHometown:LosAngeles,CaliforniaDateofBirth:十月23,1942PlaceofBirth:Chicago,IllinoisDateofDeath:十一月4,2008PlaceofDeath:LosAngeles,California