Let's make this birthday one to remember.

69 years old (Born on August 23, 1955)

Happy Birthday to the one and only James Hynes—professor extraordinaire, literary explorer of tenure terrors, lecturerly mishaps, and existential adventures in infinite space! May your day be filled with joy as thrilling yet surreal as "Publish and Perish," without risk of any unexpected plot twists or academic intrigues.

From unveiling unforgettable insights amid Northern Ireland's turbulent history in "The Wild Colonial Boy" to brilliantly satirizing university absurdities in masterful novels like "The Lecturer’s Tale," you've fearlessly navigated life's ironies—and terrorized a few tenured hearts—in style. Here's wishing you another chapter full of wit, creativity…and plenty more publish than perish!