Today, April 28th, marks Sir Terrence David John Pratchett’s birthday, and along with being appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 (an honor that caused him to forge his very own sword from iron that he dug out of the ground), he was also once reputed to be the most shoplifted author in Britain. And what that tells us is actually very simple: Terry Pratchett writes wonderful books and we love to read them.
An only child and self-described “nondescript student,” Pratchett was first commercially published at age 15, and claimed to have received his true education from the Beaconsfield Public Library. He was an astronomy enthusiast all his life, and had an observatory in his home garden. There is an asteroid named after him. He had a love of wide-brimmed black fedoras, and a wit welcome among the likes of Twain and Wilde. While a great deal of fantasy spends its time displaying the grimmer aspects of life, the world loves Terry Pratchett for his ability to tell the truth in ways that make us laugh.
With a background in journalism, it wasn’t until 1987 that he began to write novels full-time, but he already had several Discworld books under his belt. Discworld, of course, is Pratchett’s comedic fantasy series that takes place on the Disc, and has given readers such memorable characters as Rincewind, Samuel Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, and Susan Sto Helit. It is Pratchett’s mastery of satire that makes him a legend, along with the vast knowledge of literature and more that permeates all of his works.
Pratchett was known for his staunch defense of the fantasy genre, his aggravation when it was dismissed as a literary form because, as he has said, it is “the oldest form of fiction.” His ability to write fantasy novels that are sharp, referential, and relevant have led many fans to the genre who might have otherwise never explored it. His was a mind that never stopped learning and exploring, and the books that he wrote reflected the scope of his interests, making us smarter in turn.
Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2007 (or, to use his words, the “embuggerance”), Terry Pratchett continued to write, refusing to stop unto the end. When he passed on March 12, 2015, fans and readers mourned, and even petitioned Discworld’s DEATH to bring him back. He was a reader’s reader, an author’s author, and a treasure not just for genre fiction—but for the literary world.
This article originally appeared April 28, 2013 on Tor.com, and has been updated to reflect recent events.
Glad to see all the Pratchett love! How about a Discworld reread? I would be all over that.
You might have noted that today is his 65th birthday or at least mentioned that he was born in 1948. Otherwise, it’s all a bit vague. Also, he did not dig up the iron ore his sword is forged from. It’s meteoric iron which he helped to smelt and then assisted in the forging of the sword. The meteoric nature of the iron both reflects his interest in astronomy and is far cooler.
Accoding to this: http://youtu.be/f7r5WH82AR0 the “most shoplifted” survey was done in 1996 and as Sir Terry comments “surely someone has overtaken me by now”.
So I just realised – I share my birthday with Terry Pratchett and Harper Lee. Two of the greatest literary influences of my life. How did I not know this before today?! This is so awesome.
*does happy dance*
~lakesidey
@2 – Glad to know I’m not alone. On first read, this article looks like an obituary. I’m relieved it’s his birthday instead.
ETA: And now I see that mentioned in the first line.
At the end of my copy of Good Omens, a Science Fiction Book Club edition, there is a section written by Neil Gaiman on Terry Pratchett and I never forget how Gaiman said that Pratchett is one of those rare people who like WRITING rather than HAVING WRITTEN (approximate quote as I do not have the book at hand) which always seemed to me a very apt description.
A delightful article regardless if all the ‘i’s’ were dotted as in mention of BD and age etc. I was worried a bit that it was an obit at first – but he is young yet, we may be able to enjoy his wit and humor quite a bit longer – I sure hope so and thank you for this super article.
The embuggerance! Oh no – well I hope he gives it a good swift kick and glad to know he’s still going to write until he can’t even lift a pen! #willingTerryPratchettslave Oh and of course he’s the most shoplifted! Even the readers in the crime world know good stuff when they see it!
Well I’ve bought his books for as long as I can remember but maybe we should celebrate his birthday by only stealing his books for the next year and making his ‘most shoplifted author’ title current and undeniable again. Who’s with me?..
What, no one? You bunch of prud-CRASH-THUMP-THUD-(is dragged off by Tor.coms administrative police force).
DemetriosX writes:
“The meteoric nature of the iron both reflects his interest in astronomy and is far cooler.”
And it’ll get at least +2 against elves, so win-win-win.
I agree on a discworld re-read!
Erm, surely the sword was for his knighthood (which traditionally, you know, involves swords, and which was conferred in 2009) rather than the OBE (which traditionally, you know, doesn’t involve swords, and which was conferred in 1998…)?
@14: Yes, the sword was indeed for his knighthood (Knight Batchelor).
There’s plenty of Pratchett on the way in 2014:
*The Long Mars (with Stephen Baxter)
*Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Stories
*A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-fiction
*Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook
@15 – Or even “Knight Bachelor”.
@16: Gah! I should have made that offering to Nuggan but no, I just had to get that drawer unstuck…
Edited version:
Today, April 28th, marks Sir Terrence [no, it’s “Terence”] David John Pratchett’s [66th] birthday,
and along with being appointed Officer of the Order of the British
Empire in 2009 (an honor that caused him to forge his very own sword from iron that he dug out of the ground) [no, he was appointed OBE in 1998; the sword came with the KB in 2009; his coat of arms, granted as a result the next year, has the motto “Noli Timere Messorem” – Don’t Fear The Reaper]…
@18: Not quite. Terry became Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to literature in 1998. In 2009, he was made a Knight Bachelor, again for services to literature: this event inspired the making of his sword. Terry is both an OBE and a knight but he is not a knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). Could you change “along with being appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009” to “along with being knighted in 2009.” I believe that this would be more accurate.
He also claims to have read The Lord of the Rings in under twenty four hours.
I’m still trying to beat that time, after seeing him interviewing Douglas Adams about twenty years ago at the Cheltenham lit festival. At the time I was only there for DNA, but I did think, “maybe it’s worth reading some of the stuff by this Pratt bloke”.
shaztaz, that piece by Neil Gaiman is also available on his website. It’s called ”
Terry Pratchett: An Appreciation”.
Trib, I’m now doing my Discworld reread along with Mark Oshiro (of Mark Reads).
TRiG.
I see my links were stripped out. Let’s try again:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Cool_Stuff/Essays/Essays_By_Neil/Terry_Pratchett:_An_Appreciation
http://markreads.net/reviews/category/discworld/
Most annoying.
A birthday he should have been here to celebrate. Other birthdays today include: Sam Merwin, Jr. (1910-1996), Philip E. High (1914-2006) and, in crime fiction, Ian Rankin (1960-).