Dirk Gently

Dirk Gently was a series of books written by Douglas to show he could do things other than science-fiction. They quickly entered the realms of science-fiction. Spot the irony.

There are two books in this series:

• Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
• The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

A third book, The Salmon of Doubt, was being worked on at the time of Douglas' death. This was never completed - but the book that was eventually released of the same name contains an unfinished version of the story.

Where did the phrase "Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul" come from?

The phrase "the long dark tea-time of the soul" appears in Chapter One of Life, the Universe and Everything. Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged is described as being eventually ground down by the Sunday afternoons, and "as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o'clock, and you will enter the long dark tea-time of the soul".

According to a posting on alt.fan.douglas-adams:

There is a well-known mystical poem by Saint John of the Cross called The Dark Night of the Soul ("La noche oscura del alma" to be precise) and I always thought the title of the book was a great play on that. The poem describes how the soul feels lonesome, yearning for the Beloved, and finally reaches him at dawn. All is well, ecstasy is shared (I don't mean pills) and, well, let's just say Spanish seventeenth-century mystical writing by Saint Theresa and Saint John (San Juan de la Cruz) is Spanish high-school students' introduction to highly erotic poetry.

See also:

• Dirk Gently Explanation