Crichton

By Richard Stenger
CNN Interactive Writer

November 10, 1999
Web posted at: 12:07 p.m. EST (1707 GMT)

(CNN) -- He's written best-selling books about genetically engineered dinosaurs, directed top-grossing films about organ transplant nightmares and a train robbery, and created a hit television series detailing the gore, guts and glory of a hospital emergency room. But did you know Michael Crichton once ran a software company, invented the computer game Amazon and wrote an authoritative study on the artist Jasper John?

Regardless of the medium, the versatile and prolific Crichton has arguably contributed more to pop culture than any other figure in the late 20th century, particular when the subject is science.

To pay for attending Harvard medical school Crichton churned out 10,000 words a day on the weekends and vacations, composing mystery and science fiction paperback thrillers under a variety of pseudonyms, including the same name as a dwarf who served in the court of Charles I. (Pretty funny, considering Crichton is 6 feet 9 inches tall.)

MESSAGE BOARD Chat connection: Michael Crichton     ALSO Review: 'Timeline' Read an excerpt

He used his own name in 1969 to unveil "The Andromeda Strain," a novel that began a lifelong pattern: Write a story with cutting edge and controversial ideas from science or politics. Watch it become a best seller. Turn it into a movie. Count the millions in book and box office receipts.

By the early 1980s Crichton had written about a dozen novels, displaying what appears to be an intimate knowledge of such subjects as primatology, biophysics, neurobiology and genetics. He has directed half as many movies, including "Westworld," "Coma," and "The Great Train Robbery."

Then he developed a bad case of writer's block. For a cure he roamed the world and delved into his own mind, holding deep conversations with a cactus in the desert, revisiting a past life as a Roman gladiator, "fluffing" his aura, bending spoons.

His productivity returned unscathed. He wrote "Jurassic Park," which was made into one of the top grossing films ever, and created "ER," the Peabody and Emmy-award winning television series.

Despite his success, Crichton worries about finding a literary niche. "In more intellectual circles, I'm seen as a popular entertainer, unworthy of consideration. In popular entertainment circles, I'm considered too intellectual. I don't seem to fit in anywhere," he once fretted to "The Los Angeles Times."

Conceding to critics that his characters sometimes lack depth, Crichton -- who's been on the cover of Time Magazine and the subject of a "Playboy" interview -- maintains he is most concerned with presenting ideas, not crafting a style. That must have struck a chord around the world, since his books have been translated into 24 languages.

Approaching 60, Crichton's newest book might be an apt epilogue to the end of the millenium. Based on the emerging field of quantum technology, "Timeline" chronicles the adventures of three young historians who travel back to medieval France.

"Readers probably haven't heard much about it yet, but they will. Quantum technology turns ordinary reality upside down," Crichton said.