The question is, why write about Pratchett, about whom many correct and clever words have already been said before me? And yet I will try. Only I will start not with Pratchett, but with those kind people who, working in publishing houses, write annotations for books. One gets the impression that they are all united in a secret order of reader-haters. They do everything to ensure that a person, after reading an annotation, either puts the book aside in disgust, or begins to read it in anticipation of something that it actually is in no way. This is exactly what happened to Pratchett. The fact is that Pratchett is not Petrosian. and not Zadornov. He is not a comedian at all. Yes, he is to some extent a satirist, but this is also only one facet of his works. Closest to him, perhaps, Swift. But not Belyanin and other authors of the "rzhaki". Besides, Pratchett is not a fantasy writer. This is not Perumov, not Tolkien, and not even Zykov. He is no more the author of "humorous fantasy" than the fabulist Krylov - the author of stories about animals. Then who is he? Pratchett is first and foremost a thinker. Philosopher. Humanist. Classic. And humor, fantasy is just a tool that allows you to convey complex philosophical concepts to a normal person who immediately falls into a healthy sleep during lectures on philosophy. This is the genius of Pratchett: he managed to make complex things exciting and tasty. Without puffing out cheeks, without piling up complex, far-fetched designs. His recipe is simple to, I repeat, genius. Fantasy surroundings are taken. It comes up with a simple plot for a number of permanent characters. Here and there handfuls of English humor scatter... and then the magic begins. Philosophy, like octarine - the eighth color of the rainbow - permeates the work, shining in short author's digressions, sparkling with pearls in the mouths of heroes. And as a result, two books are organically interconnected: one is pleasant entertainment, the other is an occasion for reflection, a means of educating the reader.
Small gods. This is essentially a treatise on the origin and properties of religiosity in human society.
Pyramids. The relationship between religion and the state, the fate of theocracy.
Patriot. A handbook about xenophobia, racism and the world's "state interest politics".
Interesting times. Psychology of a citizen of a totalitarian society.
True, Moving Pictures, the Guardian series are all serious and wise books.
Fantasy and humor in the work of Pratchett - just a bonus. And therefore, if you expect only laughter from his books or only brandishing swords - you can safely put them aside, you will not like them.
But Pratchett is also an answer to the swaggering "official" scientists-philosophers, ossified in their abstract, contrived worlds, showing off in front of each other with the abstruseness of phrases and logical calculations. Reminds no one? This is the Invisible University in all its glory, run only by young enthusiasts led by Ponder and the Librarian (don't call him a monkey!).
So from my point of view, Pratchett is a read for those who keep a fig in their pocket, flipping through the works of Bertrand Russell.
P.S. But now even a regiment of philologists will not convince me that Death is a feminine noun.)))
Score: 10
INSTRUCTIONS for use of the medicinal product for medical use Terripratchit
CLINICAL-PHARMACOLOGICAL GROUP. Nootropic drug with increased humorous and ironic activity.
RELEASE FORM, COMPOSITION AND PACKAGING. The most common option is small black books, averaging 400 pages. There are also omnibuses with a double, triple or sixfold dose of the drug. On the front side, a thematic drawing and the inscriptions "Terry Pratchett" and the name of a particular drug are necessarily applied. Pharmacological properties are indicated on the reverse side. Each book contains 10% interesting plot, 25% irony and apt expressions, 20% pleasant characters and 45% humorous situations.
PHARMACHOLOGIC EFFECT. The drug has a calming, anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) effect, without causing unwanted hypnogenic and muscle relaxant effects. Improves the tolerance of psycho-emotional stress. It has a stress-protective, nootropic, neuroprotective, antidepressant effect.
DOSAGE. Intracerebral. At one time - 1 or 2 books. Take 2 times / day for 10-20 pages; if necessary, increase to 4 doses / day. The course of treatment is 1-4 weeks; if necessary, the course of treatment can be extended up to 2 months or repeated after 1-2 months. In the absence of a persistent improvement in the condition within 3-4 weeks after the start of treatment, you should consult a doctor.
DRUG INTERACTION. Terripratchit is incompatible with other drugs of its clinical and pharmacological group, such as Asprin and Pirsantonite.
PREGNANCY AND LACTATION. The safety of Terripratchita during pregnancy and lactation has not been studied. If necessary, taking the drug should take into account the risk/benefit ratio.
SIDE EFFECTS. When used according to the indicated indications and in the indicated dosages, side effects were not detected. Possible reactions of increased individual sensitivity to the components of the drug.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF STORAGE. Keep out of the reach of children, in a dry, dark place at a temperature not exceeding 451°F. Shelf-life Unlimited.
INDICATIONS
States of despondency, melancholy, sadness;
An acute feeling of "dullness of everyday life";
Stress disorders with increased nervous tension, irritability, anxiety and autonomic reactions.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Children's age up to 16 years;
Increased individual sensitivity to the components of the drug.
Available without a doctor's prescription in most bookstores.
Score: 8
Let's start with the fact that I really love Pratchett's Discworld, and reading reviews of some of his, in my opinion, very interesting and deep novels, I often pay attention to the spread of ratings from 10 (which by the way prevails) to 2. I tried to figure it out , why do people put such low ratings along with such high ones, accompanied by admiring reviews. And here's what I noticed: those people who put the "ten" admire not only humor (which, it seems to me, is specially stated in colloquial form), but also the philosophy of the works, imperceptible and subtle, which is the essence of the novel, but people who gave low marks only said that the humor was too flat and monotonous, not peering into the subtext of the works (“Dear, you didn’t buy a book with jokes! This is a NOVEL!” my inner voice shouted.)
By writing this, I hope to somehow influence the reader who is not yet familiar with Pratchett's work, and, having seen enough superficial assessments and reviews, will change his mind about starting reading his works.
I would like to believe that all the same, a stream of enthusiastic visitors from the world of "Spherical" will pour into the Discworld in the near future.
Score: 10
My friends advised me to read the Flat World series. They enthusiastically told nothing to me, who did not understand, about some crazy barbarian and loser magician, and I thought, “What the ..?” but then, after much persuasion, I nevertheless decided to take one of the books in this series from the library.
And so I started reading it. On the second page, I could barely suppress a smile. On the third - openly laughed. On about the fifth page, I lost count of these very pages. I woke up after I realized that I was reading the summary on the back of a book...
Never before have I read anything more interesting. Since then, these books have been one of my favorites. So my rating is 10.
Score: 10
Flat world. What can be said about him, besides many words of boasting and admiration?
The main thing to know about Discworld is the cycle that makes contrast absolute. Humorous - and at the same time very serious, frankly speaking about people, about the world and about good and evil. Characters who are by no means beautiful in appearance and not very pleasant in character - but who invariably turn out to be the focus of truth, justice, duty and order. Ridiculing some phenomenon - and at the same time describing it with all possible respect. Specially, deliberately unrealistic and fabulous - and at the same time frighteningly reliable. Telling about a world that is not at all friendly - and at the same time you are surprised to find in yourself the thought "but I would have been there." Banter and drama, sarcasm and real pain, irony and real feelings, comedy and tragedy all rolled into one.
Perhaps the plots are the most important drawback of the Discworld. No, they are not bad at all, they are very good - but let's just say, "unpredictable plot twists", "twisted intrigues", "unexpected ending" - this is all not for the Discworld.
Also, claims to the cycle can be made by ... let's say, certain people. Sir Pratchett laughs at religion and patriotism, rejects pathos, opposes racism and nationalism in any form, is generally tolerant and therefore may even seem too one-sided (although Pratchett is fine with self-irony in these matters too).
Unfortunately, there will be no ending to the cycle. Yes, perhaps the Discworld will have its own Brandon Sanderson, and other writers will create a collection of their fanfiction stories as a sign of respect, or something like that will happen ... But it is unlikely that this will be the same, unique and inimitable Discworld .
Bottom line: one of the greatest cycles in the history of fantasy and humor - and, perhaps, literature in general. Perhaps one of the best examples of how to create your own worlds and write books.
Score: 10
Despite the fact that Pratchett managed to create very colorful, original, unlike characters, I did not see two very important things here. First: a clear story. Of all the books I've read about the flat world, not one of them had a normal intelligible plot. Constantly some kind of ragged pace of the story. And yes, not one of the stories, precisely in terms of the plot, does not hold to the end, it is corny boring and at the same time also chaotic. And the second is just the same sparkling humor. There is no sparkling humor. There is more irony to everything that happens, and not like humor. This is my personal taste, of course)
Score: 5
Terry Pratchett is an incredibly talented individual.
It will remain a mystery to me how he manages to create light, fresh and incredibly funny works over the course of more than 30 books, surpassing himself over and over again. With the help of a subtle, truly English sense of humor, he was able to transfer our world in all its diversity to the pages of his books. And then he gave us the opportunity to look into it, as if into a distorted mirror, and see all the absurdity of the reality around us. To see, to laugh and, perhaps, to understand. Understand how funny we are sometimes. And laughing at oneself is the highest form of comedy. Art.
They say that laughter prolongs life. Personally, after getting acquainted with the work of this great writer, I extended my life at times.
Score: 10
Discworld=Terry Pratchett
Although he wrote many other books that have nothing to do with the Discworld, Pratchett will be remembered precisely for this cycle.
Rincewind, the City Watch, Witches, Death and Susie, Moist von Lipwig, a dozen separate story books, a lot of pseudo-documentaries, guidebooks and cookbooks - all this creates a true epic, one of the outstanding works of world culture.
A sea of satire, a lot of wonderful unusual characters, a great bunch of various paradoxes that reflect our life. Football, newspapers, the telegraph, cinema, rock music, post office, railroads and much more appeared in the Discworld.
Rincewind, Chest, Cohen the Barbarian with the Silver Horde, Sam Vimes, Carrot, Angua, Detritus, Asshole, Willikins, Nobby, Colonn, Death, Susie, Moist, Tiffany, Esme Weatherwax, Gita Ogg, Greebo, Patrician Vetinari and his secretary Knock Postuk, many-many-many others. They are remembered once and for all.
Terry Pratchett won't write another book. We won't see new applications of Granny Weatherwax's headology, Vimes won't solve another case, Lipwig will stop pushing novelties into society, Rincewind will forever be frozen in his eternal escape from danger to boredom, Carrot and Angua will never marry, and Death & Susie's confrontation with higher entities order will remain unfinished. And I will always regret that Patricius Vetinari never received his own, solo book, which he clearly deserved.
All unfinished stories are cut off, there will never be new ones again. I sincerely hope that it will remain so - I do not want Discworld to repeat the fate of Sherlock Holmes, Conan the Barbarian, Lovecraftians and others. It would be better for it to freeze forever and live only in the imagination of readers than to wallow in mediocre sequels of literary vultures.
P.S. I sincerely hope that our publishers will not delay and will publish, within a reasonable time, all the remaining untranslated Pratchett books.
Score: 9
The subtlety of humor reaches transcendental heights. I re-read a lot of foreign humorous literature, but this author is a unique master of irony and jokes. The uniqueness lies in the fact that all the works of the author capture and do not leave the reader indifferent. The deep philosophy of life plays like clockwork and forms, out of everyday intricacies that are sometimes incomprehensible to us, a simple but very clear truth that constantly flashes before our eyes, but remains unnoticed. If you want to laugh very loudly, read The Color of Magic, if you want to think, read The Grim Reaper, if you please, make new acquaintances with whom it will be fun and interesting to spend time, READ THE WHOLE "FLAT WORLD".
Without Discworld, the fantasy genre would be different. The wonderful Englishman Terry Pratchett not only wrote a series of fascinating books about the inhabitants of a bizarre magical world - oh no! Readers have got a real encyclopedia of modern society, displayed from a different angle. And it's worth it to look at yourself from the outside! And who is the person who gave us such an opportunity, opened the door to the flattest of the worlds?
Terrence David John Pratchett was born on April 28, 1948 in the south-east of England, in the town of Beaconsfield (Buckinghamshire - in Russian sources you can find the name Bucks, as the British abbreviate it). Become a creative person Pratchett, as they say, was written in the family. The fact is that Terry's parents are from the Welsh city of Hay-on-Wai. This place in the county of Powys is called the "city of books" - many antique dealers are based there, and there are more than thirty second-hand bookshops for two thousand inhabitants! It is no wonder that bibliophiles from all over the country come to the city for prey. Things got to the point that in 1977, the owner of the largest local curiosity store, Richard Booth, declared Hay-on-Wye an independent book kingdom with himself as monarch. True, he did it on April 1, the “day of fools” ... In general, David and Elaine Pratchett had a love for books in their blood, and they completely passed it on to their only child.
Freelance Journalist
At first, Terry did not like reading too much, spending time in games. However, the parents slipped their fidget son a fairy tale by Kenneth Graham "The Wind in the Willows", after which the boy, as they say, "disappeared." Fiction soon became Terry's favorite reading, he especially admired the books of the classics - HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle. However, the boy willingly read both the adventurous fiction of American writers, and fantasy, of course. In addition, David Pratchett, being an active radio amateur, attracted his son to this - they even had their own radio wave Home-brew R1155. Another boy's hobby is astronomy. He could stare at the starry sky through a telescope for hours, studied special literature, even collected thematic insert cards about space from tea packs. And he dreamed of becoming an astronomer, but because of his poor knowledge of mathematics, his dreams were not destined to come true.
By nature, Terry turned out to be a pronounced humanitarian. In addition, he was never particularly diligent in his studies, stating later that the Beaconsfield Public Library became his main "university". However, this did not prevent Terry from successfully completing the John Hampden Grammar School in High Wycombe, where the Pratchett family moved after a two-year stay in Bridgetown (Somerset). At the age of 11, Terry moved to the next level of education of his "alma mater" - to the Higher Technical School. There he actively collaborated with the magazine Technical Cygnet, where in 1961 his first fantasy story, The Hades Business, appeared. Two years later, a markedly revised opus was published by the professional journal Science Fantasy; For the first fee of £14, Terry bought his own typewriter. In those years, his passion for fantasy grew into a true passion - he even became an active member of the fandom. However, after a couple of years, there was simply no time left for intellectual "pampering" - when Terry was seventeen, he left school and went to work.
The decision was not easy, but Terry made it consciously - however, after consulting with his parents. It should be noted that David and Elaine treated their son's act with understanding - after all, Terry wanted to devote himself to practical journalism, wanting to earn experience in the "field", and not in the audience. However, the guy also did not neglect special studies - collaborating with a small publication Bucks Free Press, he regularly attended journalism courses along the way. And at the same time he wrote his first fantasy novel, Carpet People.
The year 1968 became especially significant for Pratchett's later life. First, he happened to interview the director of a small publishing house, Colin Smythe Limited, Peter van Duren, whom Terry made a good impression on and agreed to look at the ambitious newcomer's novel. In addition, during his reporting exploits, Terry met a sweet girl, Lyn Marian Parvis. Their relationship developed dynamically and already in October the twenty-year-old journalist became a married man.
Pratchett's debut novel seemed to Van Duren worthy of attention, but he still hesitated, because he gave the manuscript and its author into the hands of the owner of the publishing house, Colin Smythe. Another fateful incident - after all, it was Smythe who soon became the main lobbyist of the future bestselling author and his close friend. In the meantime, after some revision, careful editing and addition of illustrations, Carpet People saw the light of day - and it happened in 1971. Not to say that the book was a great success - despite the very flattering reviews in the press, it was still far from many thousands of copies. But the initiative was laid!
Terry went to work for another newspaper, the Western Daily Press, moving with Lin to the Somerset town of Rowburrow. Then, over the course of several years, Pratchett changed his field of activity a couple of times - he returned to the Bucks Free Press, moved to the Bath Evening Chronicle. In 1976, Terry and Lyn had a daughter, Rihanna, so more money was needed. Without stopping to engage in journalism and literary creativity, Pratchett found a surer piece of bread, becoming in 1980 the press attache of the Central Electricity Generating Board, which deals with nuclear energy (now PowerGen).
During this time, Pratchett published several more books (“The Dark Side of the Sun” in 1976 and “Strata” in 1981), but he still could not break out of the framework of the “promising” author.
In 1983, The Color of Magic appeared, the very first book in the Discworld series. And although this novel (in fairness, rather a collection of short stories) did not make a splash at all, it nevertheless became a kind of springboard in the literary career and life of Terry Pratchett.
| Works by Terry Pratchett | |
| "Flat World" (according to the chronology of the publication) | |
Novels "The Color of Magic" (The Color of Magic, 1983) "Mad Star" (The Light Fantastic, 1986) "Spellmakers" (Equal Rites, 1987) "Mort, Disciple of Death" (Mort, 1987) "Prophetic Sisters" (Wyrd Sisters, 1988) "Staff and Hat" (Sourcery, 1988) "Guard! Guard! (Guards! Guards!, 1989) "Pyramids" (Pyramids, 1989) "Moving Pictures" (Moving Pictures, 1990) "Eric" (Eric, 1990) "Witches Abroad" (Witches Abroad, 1991) "Grim Reaper" (Reaper Man, 1991) "Small Gods" (Small Gods, 1992) "Ladies and Gentlemen" (Lords and Ladies, 1992) "To arms! To arms! (Men at Arms, 1993) "Interesting Times" (Interesting Times, 1994) "Rock Music" (Soul Music, 1994) "Masquerade" (Maskerade, 1995) "Feet of Clay" (Feet of Clay, 1996) "Santa Hryakus" (Hogfather, 1996) "Patriot" (Jingo, 1997) "The Last Continent" (The Last Continent, 1998) Carpe Jugulum. Grab your throat!" (Carpe Jugulum, 1998) "The Fifth Elephant" (The Fifth Elephant, 1999) "The Truth" (The Truth, 2000) Thief of Time (2001) Night Watch (2002) Monstrous Regiment (2003) Going Postal (2004) Making Money (2007) Unseen Academicals (2009) Novels and stories The Troll Bridge (1992) "Theater of Cruelty" (Theatre of Cruelty, 1993) The Sea and Little Fishes (1998) "The Last Hero" (The Last Hero, 2001) Death and What Comes Next (2002) "Flat world" for children The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (2001) The Wee Free Men (2003) A Hat Full of Sky (2004) Where Is My Cow? (2005) Wintersmith (2006) I Shall Wear Midnight (released 2010) Additional materials The Arts of Falconrie and Hawking, A Begginners Guide (1998), co-author David Hodges Death "s Domain: A Disсworld Mapp (1999), co-author Paul Kidby The Science of Discworld II: The Globe (2002), coauthors: Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen Medical Notes (2002) Thud - A Historical Perspective (2002) The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch (2005), co-authors: Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen A Collegiate Casting Out of Devilish Devices (2005) The Unseen University Cut Out Book (2006), coauthors Bernard Pearson, Alan Batley The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld (2007), co-written by Stephen Briggs |
Road of Valor and Glory
At first, Pratchett's books were published in paperback in small numbers, which is why the first edition of The Colors of Magic went almost unnoticed by the general public. However, Colin Smythe managed to interest the editor of the more reputable Corgi publishing house Diana Pearson in Pratchett's work. In 1985, Corgi successfully reprinted the novel, again in paperback, but in a fairly decent amount. Solid sales were also helped by the production, which managed to break through on the fourth BBC radio channel.
In Britain and the United States, book publishing is divided into several streams. The most prestigious is the release of expensive books in hardcover, although their circulation is not very large (however, bestsellers in this form diverge in tens of thousands of copies). The next step is paperback books in a standard format: the price is lower, but the circulation is larger. Finally - pouches: paper cover, pocket size, low price. However, the circulation here can be in the millions. For example, now every new book by Terry Pratchett diverges in his homeland like this: in binding - about 100 thousand, in different types of paper cover - about half a million copies. And this is just the starter edition! With additional printings and reprints, more than 2.5 million copies of Pratchett's books are sold annually in Britain.
We are carpeted! |
In 1986, Crazy Star came out, and it became clear to Smythe and Pratchett that in order to promote Terry as a writer, a serious company must be interested in his books. This is the only way to become a true best-selling author. Pratchett himself really wanted to break into Gollancz - but there was a problem: fantasy had never been released there before. But Smythe connected his friendships - as a result, Pratchett's three subsequent Discworld books were published under the joint patronage of Gollancz and Colin Smythe. The rise of Pratchett's popularity meant that Colin ceased to be his publisher, while remaining in the role of a literary agent. In the end, everything was decided amicably: Gollancz published the Discworld books in hardcover, and Corgi in paperback.
But let's leave the publishing business and return to Terry himself. In September 1987, a new change happened in his life - he left his permanent job for free writing. Pratchett even agreed to lose income and tighten his belt for the first time, but this did not happen - the books sold well, his popularity grew. Therefore, there were no problems with money. You could just write, write, write! And Pratchett caught his working rhythm: an average of two books a year. With each new volume, his fame grew - first in Britain, then abroad.
It's time for the awards. Already released in 1987, "Spellmakers" was nominated for the award of the magazine "Locus". Two years later, Pyramids won the British Fantasy Award. Pratchett's books more and more often got to the top of the British bestseller list, cartoons, television and radio shows, and games were created on their basis. Annual calendars were hugely popular, audio books, pseudoscientific works about the Discworld and various related products were successfully sold - in general, Terry Pratchett gradually turned into an incredibly popular best-selling author. His exploits, of course, faded against the backdrop of the Harry Potter phenomenon, but Rowling's success is more of a social phenomenon than a literary one. But in terms of the number of first places in the book charts of the British Isles, Terry Pratchett still holds the absolute lead - regardless of genre. He is a true national treasure of the Kingdom!
Since the second half of the 1990s, Terry Pratchett's fame has spread across the ocean - although he is not as popular in the States as at home, nevertheless, in America, books about the Discworld regularly hit the bestseller lists. Pratchett knows and loves the entire English-speaking world, continental Europe, and, of course, Russia. The total circulation of his books has already exceeded 50 million copies. In 1998, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Terry Pratchett the Order of the British Empire, and in February 2009 he was knighted.
In 1993, the Pratchett family left Rowberry and moved to the Domesday estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire. In addition to their daughter, Terry and Lin had no more children. Curiously, Rihanna followed in her father's footsteps. True, she mostly writes not books, but scripts for fantasy computer games: Mirror's Edge, Dungeon Hero, the Overlord series, dialogues for the new version of Prince of Persia. Rihanna is also engaged in journalism, regularly collaborating with gaming periodicals.
| It is interesting | ||||
|
From great to funny
Why has the Discworld series become so popular? At first, Terry Pratchett composed a frank parody of genre clichés and some of its especially famous representatives (such as works about Conan the Barbarian, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, the dragons of Pern). But Terry quickly abandoned the path trodden by others.
Discworld began as a kind of antidote to bad fantasy - a fantasy boom was growing in the 1970s, and a lot of books were frankly second-rate stamping. Therefore, my initial books were filled with small references to the work of other writers - and good ones. I've put together a few typical fantasy universes. I recalled Mad magazine's characterization of the Flintstones series: "Dinosaurs 65 million years ago in the same world as today's idiots." And I tried to do something like this with my Discworld. Not every character shown there is truly modern, but they are recognizable to us, because their views and actions are more like the views of our contemporaries... Writing about the Discworld is almost the same as being a journalist.
Terry Pratchett
Only the first two Discworld books by Pratchett had a semblance of a through plot. Fearing assembly line creativity, in later volumes Terry focused on showcasing different parts of his universe. And did not lose! However, Pratchett still has cycles, but some are atypical. Yes, several groups or individual characters pass from book to book, or at least are mentioned in them. However, if Pratchett wants to speak out about some contemporary issue that interests him, he is able to forget about the most popular heroes for a long time, no matter how annoyed readers object to this. Many of us love to read in fact about the same characters. And the demiurge of the Discworld at times completely forgets about the foolish Rincewind, and about the valiant old man Cohen, and about the guards of Ankh-Morpork. In return, as if promising - now I'll tell you such I'll tell you! Another author would have been let on a sausage for such things long ago, but Pratchett gets away with everything. Real master!
Pratchett avoided the trap that too many writers fall into when they taste the sweetness of victory. Under pressure from publishers and readers, such authors begin to scribble endless sequels, prequels, side-by-sides of books that brought them recognition and cash receipts. And abundant seriality too often buries talent and clarity of thought. Having succumbed to this misfortune, the author turns into a prisoner of his popularity. He is constantly tormented by anxious thoughts: what if readers don’t like new characters and plots, what if publishers don’t want to print “non-format”? Under such a burden, you see, and another potentially brilliant author's idea is covered with fake gilding. Shine on the outside and absolute emptiness on the inside...
But the most important advantage of Terry Pratchett is that he is not just witty, he is truly smart. Perhaps you can even call him a sage. But not depressingly pompous - absolutely not! His wisdom is one of those that causes sincere respect, at least among people of intellectual development. Pratchett can be called the Jonathan Swift of our time: his books appropriately combine a sincere smile (sometimes turning into hysterical laughter), deep insight into the secrets of the human soul, and the ability to empathize. Pratchett is able to understand himself and show others what lies in the heart of an ordinary person. All in all, Terry is a damn talented and smart writer whose books can easily be re-read several times. This rarely happens in genre fiction.
The flattest of the worlds
We talked about some details of the cosmogony of the Discworld in a special article (“MF”, No. 5, 2004), therefore we will only briefly recall. In front of us is a flat, like a pancake, world lying on the backs of four giant elephants that stand on the shell of the gigantic turtle A "Tuin, swimming in boundless space. The flat world is full of magic, although there is also a kind of science. The inhabitants of the Discworld are striking in their diversity - no wonder , because Pratchett's ironic arrows hit a variety of targets.The heroes of this world, despite a fair touch of caricature, look like they are alive.
The themes of the Discworld books are also quite varied. Here are reflections on true and imaginary heroism, and the problem of freedom of thought and speech, and the study of the essence of power ... Religion and journalism, law and order, fairy tales and equality, the magical power of art and thoughts about death, Shakespeare and the Phantom of the Opera, vampires and dragons, xenophobia and patriotism, death and faith... Sometimes it seems that Pratchett in his series touched absolutely all aspects of human existence. Of course, this is not yet the case, but Sir Terry is persistently trying to fill in the gaps. So, he devoted his latest novel to the phenomenon of big sport - more precisely, football adored by the British. Turns out the people of Ankh-Morpork are crazy about him too!
In addition to the main series, Pratchett has written a few more "flatland" books for children, there are illustrated books, and pseudoscientific works composed mainly by Stephen Briggs, and chic guidebooks. In general, the Discworld is a place where you can immerse yourself seriously and for a long time.
School of Life
A significant layer of Terry Pratchett's work is dedicated to the younger generation. His debut novel, Carpet People, was aimed at young readers, a fantasy about a magic carpet with a whole world inside. In 1992, the book was published in a heavily rewritten version - an almost new novel appeared. Sir Terry's other early novels ("The Dark Side of the Sun" and "Strata") are now, perhaps, of interest only to science fiction. I can’t even believe that the demiurge of the Discworld wrote them. However, in the "Strate" there are some ideas that Pratchett actively used in his subsequent work.
At the turn of the 1990s, Pratchett released a trilogy about nomah- a small people who once flew to Earth. Under the pressure of circumstances, the remnants of the nomes went in search of a new home. As in many of his other books, Pratchett brilliantly balances on the edge of wit and tragedy. Moreover, Terry's "children's" books are so saturated in semantic and emotional terms that even quite adult people can read them completely freely.
A trilogy about the adventures of a simple English schoolboy Johnny Maxwell has also been written for children. There is always something going on with this calm and handsome boy. Either he comes into contact with the characters of a computer game, or he becomes a friend of the cemetery ghosts, or he is transferred to the years of the Second World War. With amazing tact, Pratchett manages to strike up a quite appropriate dialogue with teenagers. On the one hand, the cycle frankly parodies the cliches of teenage fiction, on the other hand, at times Pratchett's stories look frighteningly serious, without any discounts on "children's" entertainment.
Finally, one of the last works of the writer, The People, which has collected an impressive number of various prizes this year, is conceived by Pratchett as the beginning of a new teenage trilogy (for more details, see the traditional book review in a foreign language).
But Terry Pratchett has few "adult" fantastic works, except for books about the Discworld. The most famous novel is Good Omens, co-written with the then not so famous Neil Gaiman. The action of this humorous fantasy takes place in the modern world on the eve of a probable Apocalypse. The demon Crowley and his old friend-enemy the angel Aziraphale are very well settled on Earth as field agents of Hell and Paradise. However, the upper management has already announced Armageddon... The novel is written in the best traditions of the Discworld with the addition of Gaiman's terrifying penetration.
****
Alas, not everything is rosy in the life of the famous writer. At the end of 2007, it became known that Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease. So far, everything seems to be fine, except for a slight forgetfulness, but this summer, Sir Terry has already stated that he would rather die by his own hand than turn into a feeble-minded senile. Let's hope that one of the sharpest minds of our time will be able to avoid such a sad fate. And we will get many more funny, wise, entertaining books, and the "knight of a cheerful image" Terry Pratchett will remain in our memory forever. After all, real geniuses do not die, they simply pass into a different form of existence!
On April 28, 1948, one of the greatest English writers was born, one whom the world community has long placed on the same pedestal with such luminaries of literature as John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and Clive Lewis. This man was Terence David John Pratchett - the author of numerous fantastic stories, novels and short stories, as well as a whole series of exciting books dedicated to the inhabitants of the Discworld invented by him.
The idea of writing books came to the mind of a student of a technical school far from immediately, but success came at the age of 13, after the first publication of a short story in a local magazine, for which the aspiring writer received only 14 dollars.
Flat world - the beginning of success
In the world where Pratchet lived there was a lot of mundane, ugly and uninteresting, something was definitely missing in it. The post-war years, the surge and decline of the economy, unemployment, violence and robbery - that was the very reality of the real world in which the writer lived.
Fiction writers around the world have made last-minute, futile attempts to come up with something more to impress the reader, but few have succeeded. And so, in the midst of all the fuss and injustice, a spark arose - an idea consisting of a plan, which in turn was followed by a goal that came to life.
The idea was this: to place the whole earth in a special dimension - the Disc, in the future just the Flat World, turn it over like a pancake in a pan and populate it with strange, but quite recognizable heroes. The flat world does not appear immediately, it arises from fog and chaos and rests on the heads of three elephants, which in turn are trying to stand on the shell of a huge turtle. This support is extremely unstable and therefore the whole world and its inhabitants are constantly shaking, those who are especially unlucky can fall off the edge altogether, not having time to step back in time. But as the inhabitants of the Discworld themselves believe, a good shake-up has not harmed anyone yet.
After graduating from school, Terry Pratchett became a full-time journalist, nourishing an inexorable craving for writing. Soon, his fantasy novels become very popular, but not as popular as the young writer would like, so he begins to work hard to eventually give out to the critics in 1983 the first book from the Discworld cycle he had conceived, written in a humorous vein. which is almost impossible for the uninitiated to understand. Nevertheless, you should not give up reading, understanding will come with time, then there will be complete delight from what you read.
A word about sequence
It should be noted that you can read books in any order, but usually they are still divided into several subcycles, each of which includes from 2 to 8 books.
Start. A cycle of books about wizards and heroes of the flat world. Rincewind
You should start diving into the history of the Discworld and its inhabitants with the book "The Color of Magic". It was her with such love and reverence that the writer cherished for a long time, it is here that the Discworld, countries, cities, villages for the first time looms. The reader is helpfully informed that one of the main cities where all further actions will take place is Ankh-Morpork and he begins to understand that the surrounding reality has changed, wizards appear in it, talking chests filled with gold, absolutely legal guilds of thieves, murderers, robbers , and even imaginary dragons.
The cycle about wizards and heroes consists of 8 complete books, on the pages of which anything can happen to the reader, so it's best to prepare and find out what really awaits everyone who plans to visit the Discworld. So, let's read in order:
- "The Color of Magic". The book appeared on the shelves in 1983;
- "Mad Star". The flat world becomes reality, the novel was published in 1986;
- "Staff and Hat". The book is imbued with humor and sarcasm, and more importantly magic, published in 1988;
- "Eric". Fantasy novel published in 1990;
- "Interesting Times". First published in 1994;
- "The Last Continent". Saw the light in 1999;
- "Last Hero". The final edition of the cycle, published in 2001.
The last book ends the cycle, but not the story of the Discworld itself, each inhabitant of which can be the hero of a single book in itself, so it was not difficult for the writer to write dozens more stories loved by readers all over the world.
Thus, the following cycles appeared: Witches, Tiffany, Death, Guard and Von Lilwig, each of which is worth considering in more detail.
"Witches" - Feminism in the Discworld
Reading the cycle of books "Witches" should begin with the book "Spellmakers", which should be read without illusions and without looking for a utopia in which all people are happy and completely satisfied with their lives. If the reader hopes to find just that in its pages, he should immediately put the book back on the shelf and take something from Thomas More.
The flat world is just as unfair as the real one, the difference is that in the latter, injustice is covered up with a mask of benevolent intentions and hypocritical sympathy, while in the flat world everything is put on display, an explanation and a name are found for everything. What can be difficult in a world where everyone and everyone can conjure, but in our world everyone can live in abundance, but only a few live. This is true, just as it is true in the Discworld that only men have the right to engage in witchcraft, against which women rebel and a surprisingly long and funny story begins, consisting of 6 books and one story:
- "Spellmakers", 1987;
- "Prophetic sisters", 1988;
- "Witches Abroad", 1991;
- "Ladies and Gentlemen", 1992;
- "Masquerade", 1995;
- "grab your throat", 1998;
- "Sea and fish", story, 1998.
"Tiffany" - continued
The 4-book series below is a kind of continuation of the Witches series, but with its own story:
- "Free Folk", 2003;
- "Hat Full of Heaven", 2004;
- "Winter Master", 2006;
- "I'll dress in the color of the night", 2010;
Death on vacation
Of greatest interest is the cycle called "Death". Oddly enough, everything is not so gloomy, death is just a skeleton in a black hoodie and with a scythe - an ordinary character in the Discworld. Death has friends, relatives, even a daughter and granddaughter. There are also quirks, one of them is leaving business on temporary leave. It is from the vacation that the first story of the cycle begins, which includes 5 full-fledged and extremely exciting books:
- "Mort is the Disciple of Death", 1987;
- "Grim Reaper", 1991;
- "Rock Music", 1994;
- "Santa Hryakus", 1996;
- "Thief of Time", year 2001.
Guards, always only guards
The flat world needs not only wizards, witches and Death, but also guards. Suddenly, some troll, having quarreled with the gnome, decides, without having a license to kill the offender, - a mess, guards are needed. It is about her that will be discussed in as many as 7 books:
- "Guard! Guard!, 1989;
- "To arms! To arms!, 1993;
- "Feet of Clay", 1996;
- "Patriot", 1997;
- "The Fifth Elephant", 1998;
- "Night Watch", 2002;
- "Boom!", 2006;
The postman always delivers letters on time.
The postman occupies a special place in the Discworld; it is to him that the small Von Lipwig cycle of 2 books is dedicated, on which an equally interesting film has already been shot:
- "Postmail", 2004;
- "Make money", 2007
Summing up, it should be noted that in total the writer's collection contains more than 40 books, stories, maps, reference books and even one cookbook about the Discworld. The flat world has long been a separate story, and not just a collection of books on one topic, you need to read it carefully paying tribute to the wonderful skill of the writer.
This year. Already at the age of thirteen his first story was published. During his life, the writer managed to write more than 70 books, of which forty novels make up his most popular cycle - "The Flat World".
short biography
The writer's birthday is April 28. He was born in 1948. In 1965, Terry left school with the consent of his parents and began working as a journalist. Through this work, he met Peter van Daren, a publisher. Pratchett told him about his first novel. And in 1971 his book "Carpet People" was published. Thus began the real career of Terry Pratchett as a writer.
Probably, Terry Pratchett was destined to become a writer. His parents are from the town of Hay-on-Wye, which is called the "city of books." This city is a dream for all book lovers, as many second-hand bookshops as there are probably nowhere else to be found. And, as they say, the love of books was simply passed on to the writer by genes, he had no choice - he was doomed to write. Although at first Terry did not really like to read, but the parents, who themselves loved books, slipped the child Graham's story "The Wind in the Willows", with which the boy's love for literature began. Terry's second love was astronomy. And, perhaps, he would have become an astronomer, but he did not teach mathematics well at school, and this profession was not available to him.
In 2007, the writer was overcome by an ailment - Alzheimer's disease. And the author was already preparing for voluntary euthanasia, but in March 2015, the disease got ahead of him. The writer worked almost until his last days. When he could not write, he slandered texts.
The Beginning of Discworld
Flat World appeared in 1983. The first novel was The Color of Magic. In 1986 and 1987, the next two novels of the cycle were published: Mad Star and Spellmakers.
Since 1987, the writer quits his job and since then has been engaged only in writing. His books are gaining popularity and become bestsellers.
Terry Pratchett: Discworld - Book Reading Order
The cycle is quite voluminous and unusual. Until now, the writer's fans are arguing about how Pratchett Terry himself would like his books to be read. The reading order is constantly changing. The author's fans make graphs and tables. The easiest way is to read chronological books. That is, in the order in which the books were written by Terry Pratchett. The order of reading in this case should not cause discussion.
The catch is that, in addition to fantasy novels, the author also wrote short stories and scientific novels, also included in the cycle. And some readers prefer to skip them, while others recommend them for mandatory reading. Yes, Pratchett Terry managed to puzzle his readers. The reading order of the first books is divided mainly into two variants. First: "The Color of Magic", then "Mad Star", then "Staff and Hat" and after "Interesting Times". The second option: the first book remains unchanged, followed by Mad Star, followed by the story The Bridge of the Trolls, followed by Interesting Times and the novel The Last Continent. Perhaps one of the most common questions from readers: "Terry Pratchett, what is the reading order?" 2014 was crowned with the last completed book by this writer, and now, by 2017, the Eksmo publishing house plans to release all of Pratchett's books. This is certainly a joy for fans of his work. This science fiction writer with an excellent sense of humor left behind a great legacy. Many people love him. There are probably no people in Russia who would not hear the name Pratchett Terry. The order of reading books is not so important if you like his works. They are all equally interesting. And every book deserves to be the first.
How to get started with a writer
Another important dilemma is the question of which book to start getting acquainted with the work of the author, if the reader is not familiar with him yet. Opinions are divided in this case. Every lover of the writer's work has its own subjective point of view. Some suggest reading something outside of the series, such as The Unvarnished Cat, a humorous book written by Pratchett Terry. The reading order in this case does not matter. You can read non-series books in any order. Others advise starting with Discworld, but absolutely with any book, not necessarily the first. Indeed, despite the fact that books were written in series, Terry Pratchett did not impose any reading order on anyone, and all novels are autonomous. And they can be read in any order.
Terry Pratchett
Great Britain, 28.4.1948
Born in Beaconsfield. In 1959 he entered Wycomb Technical High School. The first story "The Hades Business" was published in a school magazine in 1961, and in 1963 the same story appeared in a professional publication. In 1965 he left school for journalism. In 1971 he published his first novel, The Carpet People. Pratchett's real success came in 1983 with the publication of The Color of Magic, a brilliant humorous-fantasy novel, which began the grandiose Discworld bestseller cycle, now numbering more than 20 books. Currently, Pratchett is one of the most widely read British writers, for his contribution to literature he was awarded in 1998 the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
According to statistics, Pratchett was the most widely read author in the UK during the 1990s, with more hardcover books sold than any other living writer. By some estimates, his books account for approximately 1% of all books sold in the UK.
