- This article is about the original character. For other uses of the name or character, see Dirk Gently (disambiguation).
Dirk Gently is a character in Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books, starting with the novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
For the character in adaptations, see:
- Dirk Gently (The South Bank Show)
- Dirk Gently (BBC Radio)
- Dirk Gently (BBC TV)
- Dirk Gently (BBCA)
- Dirk Gently (IDW)
Biography[]
Early life[]
Dirk claimed the maternal side of his family had lived "at the smarter end of Transylvania". Later in life he used this as part of the myths he spun around himself by loudly and repeatedly denying various rumors that supposedly existed about him.[1]
Dirk's original or at least earliest known name was Svlad Cjelli. By the time he was a university student he also was using the given name Dirk. A reference to "Dirk’s regular name changes" implies he may have used other names too.[1]
University student[]
In the 1970s, he was a student at St. Cedd's College, Cambridge. His room-mate was Steve Mander. He knew Richard MacDuff.
At university, he was infamous with lots of stories and rumors circulating about him, which were brought into circulation in the first place by Dirk denying their truthfulness to people and exhibiting strange behaviors. This created the myth of Dirk being a "psychic, mystic, telepathic, fey, clairvoyant, psychosassic vampire bat", having inherited his powers from his mother's side of the family who lived in Transylvania.
Dirk concocted a scam for selling exam paper questions to other students, produced by him via automatic writing under hypnosis. When the ones he sold turned out to be exactly accurate to the real exams, Dirk was ejected from university and arrested. Dirk claims he spent "considerable time" in prison for it afterwards.
After university[]
In the years after university, Dirk went through regular name changes. During this time he occasionally ran across Richard MacDuff. At some point he took on the name Dirk Gently.[1]
Dirk became a private detective, specifically a holistic detective claiming to use holistic detection based on the principle of the interconnectedness of all things. He founded Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. His office was in Islington in London at the address: 33a Peckender St., London N1 01-354 9112.[1]
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency[]
...[1]
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul[]
...[2]
The Salmon of Doubt[]
...[3]
In adaptations[]
In a 1992 edition of The South Bank Show about Douglas Adams' novels, Dirk Gently is portrayed by actor Michael Bywater.
In the Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency BBC Radio series, Dirk Gently is portrayed by actor Harry Enfield.
In the television series Dirk Gently, Dirk Gently is portrayed by actor Stephen Mangan. See article Dirk Gently (BBC TV).
In the television series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Dirk Gently is portrayed by actor Samuel Barnett. See article Dirk Gently (BBCA).
Behind the scenes[]
Appearances[]
- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
- The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
- The Salmon of Doubt
- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency comics:
Quotes[]
- "He seemed more like a succession of extraordinary events than a person." --Richard MacDuff thinking about Dirk Gently, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Notes[]
- Dirk Gently and Sally Mills had the same astrological sign (as they had the same horoscope by The Great Zaganza).