Author Michael Crichton wrote about traveling too
Author Michael Crichton, whose death at 66 was announced today, undoubtedly will best be remembered for his blockbuster books-turned-movies “Jurassic Park” and “The Andromeda Strain,” but for me it’s his real-life “Travels” (1988) that made me appreciate this gifted writer.
His insights in this book resonated with me:
“For many years I traveled for myself alone. I refused to write about my trips, or even to plan them with any useful purpose. … I eventually realized that direct experience is the most valuable experience I can have. Western man is so surrounded by ideas, so bombarded with opinions, concepts and information structures of all sorts, that it becomes difficult to experience anything without the intervening filter of these structures….”
In “Travels,” Crichton skillfully limns why we all travel: to learn more about others, to learn more about ourselves.
My favorite piece is “Kilimanjaro,” an account of his high-altitude trek to Africa’s highest point (19,340 feet), a trip that has long been at the top of my own hiking list.
Here’s how it starts:
“The odds are seven to one against,” the courier said.
“Against what?” I said.
“Against making it to the top of Kilimanjaro. I polled the men, and they are seven to one you’ll never make it.”
Crichton creates tension and drama in this piece by recounting his own nervousness, the “flat, dull quality” of those who had already hiked the peak, the terror of having to plod on. It’s as hair-raising as any of his sci-fi tales. The images he created of the peak, the jungles and the effort will stay with me forever.
— Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times staff writer
[Photos: Top, Jim Cooper / Associated Press; middle, Elephants in Kenya, with the snowy top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background, Karen Prinsloo /Associated Press; bottom, book cover, harpercollins.com ]
6 Comments on “Author Michael Crichton wrote about traveling too”
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November 5th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I was a goofy and misunderstood pre-teen who found out that it was OK to be a scientist, no matter how uncool the other kids thought it was. Reading his novels was like taking apart a clock radio to understand how it works. My fiance’ calls me “Nick-i-pedia” for the wealth of useless information in my head, and I owe most of that to the insatiable curriosity that was set loose by Crichton’s books.
Travels, more than any other book, changed my life. In it, Crichton talks about his life and how he walked away from medical school to pursue adventure and something he loved (writing). I read it at a time when I was struggling with the similar decisions in my life. I have carried those lessons with me around the world; to the peak of Kilimanjaro, the reefs of Australia and through my life as a successful attorney. I just wish I would have had the opportunity to thank him.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I have a fairly good use of the English language, but am always delighted when I have to go to the dictionary to be introduced to a new word! limns: “To describe,” used beautifully in the sentence, “Crichton skillfully limns why we all travel . . .” Thanks Ms. Forgione,
November 5th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Like Nick, I was also influenced by Michael’s book Travels, especially the story of how he walked away from medicine to pursue writing. I had the chance to talk to him about it when I took a screenwriting class taught by Nelson Gidding at USC. I was facing similar a similar choice in life between following my own “passion” and a career that applies the investment that society had made on me and my education (PhD in Engineering). Michael’s answer was that his training provided him with the training to communicate more credibly (ER, etc). And no doubt, he has influenced many, many lives with his writing and flims. Probably even more-so that he would have as a doctor.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Man I will miss this guy. I so looked forward to his books. To me, it is pretty amazing that nobody has topped the Andromeda Strain or Jurassic Park, either in wealth of ideas or popularity. He had a unique niche in this field and probably would have written a few more best sellers.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I had the rare fortune of corresponding with Michael Crichton by e-mail over a period of a decade. Our last exchange was in May when he gave me hiking suggestions for my trip to Hawaii where he had a house. I tell this, not to brag about my connection with a famous man, but to show how Michael treated someone who was little more than a small voice among his millions of fans. He was an inspiration and role model and I will never forget his kindness.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:20 am
For me, too, Crichton’s book Travels was influential. It was not, however, the geographic journeys he wrote about that found traction with me, but rather his forays into the paranormal. Though I read that book some 20 years ago, I can still see him putting his hands into a bin of edited film, which was interpreted by the psychic as a basket of snakes. I’m still on that journey.