Terry Pratchett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Terry Pratchett
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Pratchett at the 2012 New York Comic Con
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| Born | Terence David John Pratchett 28 April 1948 Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 12 March 2015 (aged 66) Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, England |
| Occupation | Novelist |
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| Notable works |
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| Notable awards |
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| Spouse |
Lyn Purves
(m. 1968) |
| Children | Rhianna Pratchett |
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was a famous English writer. He was known for his funny fantasy novels. His most famous works are the 41 books in the Discworld series.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, came out in 1971. The first Discworld book, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. After that, he wrote about two books every year. The last Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was released in August 2015, a few months after he passed away.
He sold over 100 million books around the world in 43 languages. Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author in the 1990s. He received an award called the OBE in 1998. He was also made a knight in 2009 for his amazing contributions to literature. In 2001, he won the Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. This was the first Discworld book made for children.
In December 2007, Pratchett shared that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. This is a condition that affects the brain. He gave a lot of money to Alzheimer's research. He also made a TV show for the BBC about his experiences. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, when he was 66 years old.
Contents
About Terry Pratchett's Life
Early Years and School
Terry Pratchett was born on 28 April 1948 in Beaconsfield, England. He was the only child of David and Eileen Pratchett. As a child, he went to Holtspur School. He said he was sometimes picked on because of how he spoke.
In 1958, he passed an important exam. This allowed him to go to High Wycombe Technical High School. There, he was active in the debating club. He also wrote stories for the school magazine. Pratchett felt that his real education came from the Beaconsfield Public Library.
Terry was very interested in astronomy when he was young. He collected space-themed cards and had a telescope. He wanted to be an astronomer but found math too hard. He also loved science fiction books. He read works by famous authors like H. G. Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle.
His first short story, "Business Rivals," was published in his school magazine in 1962. Another story, "The Hades Business," was published when he was just 15 years old. In 1965, at age 17, he left school to become a trainee journalist. He wrote over 80 stories for a children's section under the name "Uncle Jim."
Becoming a Full-Time Writer
In 1968, Pratchett met a publisher named Peter Bander van Duren. Terry told him about a book he had written, The Carpet People. This book was published in 1971. He then wrote two science fiction novels: The Dark Side of the Sun (1976) and Strata (1981).
Before becoming a full-time writer, Pratchett worked as a press officer for a power company. He joked about starting this job right after a nuclear accident. He said he would write a book about it if anyone would believe him!
The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, came out in 1983. Its popularity grew when the BBC read it on the radio. Terry Pratchett decided to become a full-time writer in 1987. This was after he finished the fourth Discworld book, Mort.
His books quickly became bestsellers. He was the top-selling author in the UK during the 1990s. His books have sold over 100 million copies in 43 languages. His 2011 Discworld novel, Snuff, was one of the fastest-selling hardback novels in the UK.
Living with Alzheimer's
In 2007, Terry Pratchett shared that he had early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He called the diagnosis an "embuggerance," which is a funny way of saying it was a big problem. He tried to stay positive and hoped for a cure. He also said he felt he had time to write "at least a few more books."
In his later years, it became hard for him to write by hand. So, he dictated his stories to his assistant, Rob Wilkins. He also used special speech recognition software. In 2008, Pratchett donated a large sum of money to Alzheimer's research. He was surprised that cancer research received much more funding.
He worked with the BBC on a two-part TV show called Terry Pratchett: Living With Alzheimer's. This show won an award. He also met the Prime Minister to ask for more funding for dementia research.
Terry Pratchett's Passing
Terry Pratchett died at his home on 12 March 2015. He passed away due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. After his death, his assistant, Rob Wilkins, posted a special message from Terry's Twitter account. It used small capital letters, just like the character of Death speaks in Pratchett's books.
Many famous people, including authors and comedians, shared their sadness. Fans also created tributes. For example, some websites added a special message in their code. This was a reference to a Discworld book where people are remembered as long as their name is spoken.
Terry Pratchett's Personal Life
Terry Pratchett married Lyn Purves in 1968. They had a daughter named Rhianna Pratchett in 1976. Rhianna is also a writer. In 1993, the family moved to Broad Chalke, a village in Wiltshire.
Pratchett supported his local library. He gave talks and donated money to help it. He also visited his old school to speak to students. He often wore big, black hats. He was also interested in solar energy and had solar panels installed at his house.
Terry Pratchett's Interests
Computers and Games
Terry Pratchett started using computers for writing as soon as he could. His first computer was a Sinclair ZX81. He later used an Amstrad CPC 464 and then a PC. He was one of the first authors to talk to his fans online.
He had many computers at home, with several screens to help him write. He always took a laptop with him when he traveled. In a 1995 interview with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Pratchett worried about false information spreading online. He thought it was hard to tell what was true.
Pratchett loved playing video games. He even helped create games based on his books. He liked games that were "intelligent and had some depth." He enjoyed games like Half-Life 2 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Nature and Animals
Pratchett was very interested in natural history. He even had a greenhouse full of carnivorous plants. He joked that they eventually took over his greenhouse!
In 1995, a fossil sea-turtle was named Psephophorus terrypratchetti in his honor. Fans also tried to name a new chemical element "octarine" after a color in his Discworld books.
Pratchett was a trustee for the Orangutan Foundation. He visited Borneo to see orangutans in their natural home. One of his most popular characters, the Librarian, is a wizard who turned into an orangutan.
Stargazing
Terry Pratchett loved astronomy since he was a child. He had an observatory built in his backyard. He even appeared on a BBC show about the night sky.
Awards and Scholarships
Pratchett sponsored an award for new science fiction writers. It was called the Terry Pratchett First Novel Award. The winner received a publishing contract. After his death, a scholarship was created in his name at the University of South Australia.
His Beliefs
Terry Pratchett grew up in a Church of England family. However, he described himself as an atheist and a humanist. He believed in using reason and compassion to understand the world.
He said he was "horrified" by the Old Testament but liked the New Testament. He felt that Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution made more sense to him. He believed that religion had a purpose in human history.
Awards and Special Honors
Terry Pratchett received a knighthood in 2009 for his contributions to literature. He was also given the OBE in 1998. He joked that his "services to literature" might have been for not trying to write any more! But he was very proud of the honor.
He received ten honorary doctorates from different universities. He was also made a professor at Trinity College Dublin in 2010.
Pratchett won many awards for his books. These include the British Book Awards' "Fantasy and Science Fiction Author of the Year" in 1994. He also won the Carnegie Medal in 2001 for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. This award recognized it as the best children's book published in the UK that year.
His Discworld novels about the young witch Tiffany Aching won several awards. In 2005, his book Going Postal was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel. However, he chose not to compete because the stress would spoil his enjoyment.
In 2011, he won the Margaret Edwards Award for his lasting contribution to young adult literature. Librarians praised his Discworld novels for their intelligence, humor, and ability to make teens think. In 2003, a BBC poll called "The Big Read" listed Mort as his highest-ranking novel. He had more books in the top 200 than any other author.
An asteroid (127005 Pratchett) is named after him. In 2013, he was named "Humanist of the Year" for his work on Alzheimer's research and his humanist values.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels led to special fan conventions around the world. He often attended these events and enjoyed meeting his fans. He said his fans were "everything" to him.
Terry Pratchett's Writing Style
His Unique Style
Pratchett was known for his special writing style. One unique thing was his use of footnotes. These notes often added funny comments or extra details to the story. Sometimes, a footnote even had its own footnote!
His early Discworld books made fun of classic fantasy stories. But as the series grew, he used less parody. Instead, the Discworld books became funny stories that made fun of real-world problems.
Pratchett usually did not use chapters in his adult books. He felt that "life does not happen in regular chapters." However, he did use chapters in his books for younger readers. He said his editor insisted on it!
His books often had funny names for characters and places. These names were often puns or references to other stories. For example, Cohen the Barbarian is a funny version of Conan the Barbarian.
Another special part of his writing was how he showed different characters speaking. The character of Death, for example, always spoke in small capital letters without quotation marks. This showed he was speaking directly into a character's mind.
Themes in His Books
Discworld novels often showed a modern invention appearing in a medieval world. For example, they showed how a police force started (Guards! Guards!), or how guns were invented (Men at Arms). Other books showed things like submarines, movies, newspapers, and even postage stamps.
These new inventions often caused big changes in the Discworld world. The stories then explored how society dealt with these changes. For example, the "clacks" system, like an old-fashioned telegraph, brought many new ideas and problems.
What Influenced Him
Pratchett openly shared what influenced his writing. He often brought characters from classic books or popular culture into his stories. He always added a funny twist to them. He also loved crime novels, which is why the Ankh-Morpork City Watch appears often in Discworld.
Since he was an only child, many of his characters also don't have siblings. He believed that "only-children are the interesting ones" in stories.
His earliest inspirations included The Wind in the Willows and books by H. G. Wells. He also admired writers like P. G. Wodehouse and Mark Twain.
Terry Pratchett's Books
The Discworld Series
Terry Pratchett started writing the Discworld series in 1983. He wanted to "have fun with some of the cliches" of fantasy. The series is very funny and often makes fun of real-world issues.
The Discworld books are set in a colorful fantasy world. This world is a large disc that rests on the backs of four giant elephants. These elephants stand on the back of a giant turtle named Great A'Tuin, who swims through space.
The books usually follow a timeline. You can see how the Discworld civilizations grow and change, like when paper money is invented. Many of the novels make fun of real-world topics. These include movies, newspapers, rock and roll music, religion, and even university politics.
The Science of Discworld Books
Pratchett wrote four Science of Discworld books with a mathematician and a biologist. These books mix fiction and non-fiction. The fictional parts are set in the Discworld universe. Characters there observe a world that follows our physics. The non-fiction parts explain the science behind these events.
Folklore of Discworld
He also worked with a folklorist on The Folklore of Discworld (2008). This book looks at how the characters and places in Discworld are connected to real-world myths, legends, and fairy tales.
Other Books by Terry Pratchett
Besides Discworld, Pratchett wrote other books. His first two adult novels, The Dark Side of the Sun (1976) and Strata (1981), were science fiction. He also wrote Good Omens (1990) with Neil Gaiman. This is a funny story about the end of the world.
He also worked with author Stephen Baxter on "The Long Earth" series. These books explore parallel Earths. The first book, The Long Earth, came out in 2012.
Terry Pratchett also wrote short stories and articles. Many of these were collected in books like A Blink of the Screen (2012) and A Slip of the Keyboard (2014).
Books for Young Readers
Pratchett's first book for children was The Carpet People in 1971. He later rewrote it in 1992. He also wrote The Nome Trilogy (also called The Bromeliad Trilogy). These books are about tiny, gnome-like creatures called "Nomes." The trilogy includes Truckers (1988), Diggers (1990), and Wings (1990).
He also wrote the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. These books follow the adventures of a boy named Johnny Maxwell and his friends. They include Only You Can Save Mankind (1992), Johnny and the Dead (1993), and Johnny and the Bomb (1996).
In 2008, he wrote Nation, another children's novel not set in Discworld. This was followed by Dodger in 2012, which is set in Victorian London.
Pratchett also wrote a popular five-book series for children set in the Discworld universe. These books feature a trainee witch named Tiffany Aching. The first book was The Wee Free Men in 2003.
After his death, several collections of his children's stories were published. These include Dragons at Crumbling Castle (2014) and The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner (2016).
Terry Pratchett on TV
- Terry Pratchett: Living With Alzheimer's (2009)
- Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die (2011)
- Terry Pratchett: Facing Extinction (2013)
- Terry Pratchett: Back In Black (2017)
Books About Terry Pratchett
Several books have been written about Terry Pratchett and his works. These include collections of essays and biographies.
A BBC show called Terry Pratchett: Back In Black was broadcast in 2017. It starred Paul Kaye as Pratchett and used his own words. His assistant, Rob Wilkins, said Terry was working on this show before he died.
In 2020, an unofficial biography called The Magic of Terry Pratchett was published. It won an award in 2021. In 2022, Rob Wilkins wrote Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes, which is the official biography. Critics praised it for capturing Pratchett's unique style.
Images for kids
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Terry Pratchett's Coat of Arms, granted in 2010. The owl and ankh refer to his Discworld city, Ankh-Morpork.
See also
In Spanish: Terry Pratchett para niños
