In his inimitable style, in a statement entitled An Embuggerance, Terry Pratchett has just announced that he is suffering from a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's.
This makes me feel incredibly sad. Not just because it's sad when people get incurable illnesses, which is sad enough, but because Terry Pratchett was one of the earliest influences on my writing. I read his books when I was about 11 or 12, at the suggestion of my brother. I wasn't allowed to crease the spines of his copies so I had to read them only an inch open, so the fact that I got through so many so fast is testimony enough to their brilliance. I loved their imaginativeness, how much they made me laugh, and the way he used fantasy stories to satirise the real world. Bro still reads them all, I stopped after a few years, but I recall them with great affection, and remain slightly disappointed that my university librarian was not an orangutan.
People can be snotty about Pratchett, mainly I think because he writes within the comic fantasy genre which is seen as a bit geeky, but his books are clever and funny and surprisingly moving and I aspire my books to be all of these things. I aspire to be as prolific as Pratchett and as rich too. He can keep the hats though. Without Discworld and particularly Good Omens there would be no Gods Behaving Badly, though that's just a grain of sand on the beach of his legacy.
As he himself is at pains to point out, he's not dead yet. But even so, even so, even so. It was bad enough losing Douglas Adams so young. I'm not ready for another ancestor to go.
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9 comments:
I know, as you said it's bad enough when someone gets an incurable disease but a genius as gifted ad Pratchett who has written some of the most wonderful books I have ever read, it's a tragedy.
Also, Robert Jordan died a few months ago, and although he might not have been everyones cup of tea, I think most people would agree he was a very good writer, and managing to keep a cast of hundreds of characters straight through 11 books was a herculean feat.
Possibly there is some sort of curse on fantasy writers at the moment?
I still feel guilty because when I heard Robert Jordan died my first thought was "I hope he left notes".
Horrid illness. Class act though, "I
would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry". Genius.
Me too, apparently he did, I think that was everyones first thoughts, though I still feel a bit guilty too. If you havn't already look at his blog on dragonmount, Jason went to his funeral and wrote a wonderful post about. I just looked and it been updated 'Brandon Sanderson will be working closely with Harriet and Jim’s staff to write aMoL', the next book so WoT isn't over, totally how RJ would have wanted it I think.
Actually, thinking about it my first thought was 'Damn now I'll never know who killed Asmodean!'
Hear, here, Marie. In my view Terry Pratchett is a our greatest living satirist only no one realises it because he writes comic fantasy. (And such sublime comic fantasy too).
I am sad beyond measure. Alzheimer's is just horrible. I feel for his family too, because they are in for a really rough ride.
You should go back to him Marie - in recent years I think he's got better and better.
Definitely; I once stood on a train platform for ten minutes instead of going home, just so I could finish Going Postal.
Adams. Peel. And now Pratchett. The universe had better have a good explanation.
I suspect beard envy.
Jane Henry is right - his books have matured into even greater brilliance recently. Let's hope he manages to stave off the effects of his illness for a long, long time.
PS - You're still not allowed to crease any of the spines. Don't let me catch you trying.
PPS - Robert Jordan. I'm pretty sure it's what we all thought first off. But could there be any greater compliment to an author?
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