Novelist Terry Pratchett announces he has Alzheimers

[LongTomH]

Source: The Guardian Unlimited

Terry Pratchett, the bestselling author of the Discworld fantasy books, is suffering from a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's.

The author has published a statement on a website calling the diagnosis "an embuggerance". Pratchett, who is 59, says that he is taking the news "fairly philosophically" and "possibly with mild optimism". He adds that the statement, posted yesterday on the website of his illustrator Paul Kidby, "should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'" and says that he expects to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments.

Earlier this year Pratchett underwent medical investigations after he started having problems with hand-eye coordination and dexterity. An MRI scan showed some areas of dead tissue and the suggestion was that he had suffered a "mini-stroke" some time in the past few years, and that he was now living with its legacy. In his statement, Pratchett says that the early onset Alzheimer's "lay behind this year's phantom 'stroke'".

Pratchett is one of the country's most popular authors. He has sold more than 55m books and is best known for his Discworld series of humorous and satirical fantasy novels. The 36th of these, Making Money, was published earlier this year. He has also written children's books, including The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents which won the prestigious Carnegie medal for children's fiction. He was awarded an OBE in 1998 for services to British literature.

Read more: http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2226306,00.html

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I hope Terry's optimism is justified. In all of his fiction, even the Discworld cycle (maybe especially the Discworld cycle!) there's a strong streak of humanity and compassion for the human condition, along with a good dose of common sense.

[MissMarple]

1. Damn! He is one of my favorite authors.

Hopefully something can be done to inhibit the progression of the Alzheimer's.

Here's a toast to Terry. Gods bless him.

:toast:

[truebrit71]

2. Here's hoping the DiscMaster has a long and healthy life...

...Long Live AnkhMorpork!!!

[ThomCat]

3. That sucks! He's awesome!

Not only is it a total shame to watch a disease like this progress,

On a selfish level it means we're all going to be deprived of all the wonderful books he won't be able to write. :cry:

[Book Lover]

4. Oh, what sad news

I am glad to know Mr. Pratchett is optimistic; wish I were.

[pitohui]

5. jesus that's terrible

the only good thing about early alzheimer's is that it usually kills you faster than later onset alzheimer's, so there is little chance of him being kept alive without a brain for a couple decades like one of my relatives

if they can't cure this thing, they should provide the option of a humane suicide, i live with this fear every single day

[momster]

6. Darn...I adore his books

I hope the medical establishment or somebody can help him.

His wife Lynn helps a lot with the books...maybe she can carry on with less input from him.

[TalkingDog]

7. Today has truly sucked.

A friend died this morning when he lost control of his plane and the only fiction author I've enjoyed in the past 10 years is sick.

Truly, truly sucked.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[Nihil]

10. *Hugs*

I thought I'd had a shitty week but there's always someone worse off ...
:hug:

[TalkingDog]

17. Thanks: It seems to be going around.

An amazing rash of stupid, bad things happened to people I know this week.

I appreciate you taking the time to :hug: I hope your crappy day got better too.



My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[LongTomH]

18. I know the feeling, friend!

I'm leaving to attend my uncle's funeral! :grouphug:

[uppityperson]

8. Best wishes to Terry from a big fan of his.

[mcscajun]

9. Bloody Hell! We lost Douglas Adams too soon, and now

we'll lose Terry Pratchett...just more slowly.

Paging those "high-end experts in brain chemistry"! Alzheimer's is such a cruel disease for anyone, but to get it so early in life...Hell and Damnation!

[onehandle]

11. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What will become of Rincewind?

Fuck.

[bicentennial_baby]

12. Well, a shitty end to a shitty day...

That sucks! x(

Peace to Terry and his family :hug:

[NuttyFluffers]

13. noo! that's horrible!

he must go on a strict regimen of ecstacy and marijuana immediately to stave off as much of the ill effects as he can. or was that for parkinsons? eh, either way you'll end up happy and the worst that can happen is a bit of thirst and the munchies (well, there's dehydration, but that requires not being a careless goofball).

[Shallah Kali]

14. Waily Waily Waily. This man is one of my fav authors. I adore his books

Here's hoping those high end brain chem people can come through for Terry and all the other folks dealing with this accursed disease! I have the additional selfish hope for this as I am Aching to find out what he will write next.

[blitzen]

15. My 13 year-old son will cry about this...

He is a Terry Pratchett fanatic and has read about 20 of his books. I credit Pratchett with instilling in my son a love for literature.

[blitzen]

16. Text of Terry Pratchett's statement

http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html

Folks,

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early
onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I
expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)




PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should
be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as
will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell.
I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I
would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry

[Greyskye]

19. oh Crap!

That's really terrible news. Pratchett's books are the ones I head to when I'm sick or depressed. He always makes me feel better through his stories and wit.

All the best to Terry and his family! :grouphug:

[yodermon]

20. Wow first Robert Jordan, now this.

I shall now go start reading his stuff, because I have been meaning to, and haven't yet.

[closeupready]

22. You've been missing out! He's the best, bar none.

Makes me laugh out loud every other freaking page. :D I am very sad about this news.

[JerseygirlCT]

27. Yes, there are few authors who honestly have you laughing out

loud. You know, where your companions give you weird looks?

He's one of them, and the laughs are usually very loud, too.

[VelmaD]

21. crap crap crap

Terry has been my favorite contemporary author for about 15 years now and I adore the Discworld books. Just adding my hope that his optimism is justified.

[Hekate]

23. godsdammit to hell. This is just wrong. What a foul, foul thing to happen to ...

...one of the world's finest authors. :cry:

What will become of Tiffany Aching?!

Pratchett ate'n't dead yet, but I'm going to go Waily, waily, waily and chew on the end of my kilt all the same.

godsdammit

Hekate

[YOY]

24. Terry's Memories will never die. He has given many of us some of his best.

And if death comes and claims him no matter how his mind, I am sure he'll be treated with kid gloves for making death itself a lovable character...

[lostnfound]

25. "The original sin is carelessness"

and the funny scene of the new-mother witch packing up a few things for the baby when going on a short trip, including everything all the way up to a grand piano, if I recall right.

I didn't know that he has written children's books. I am going to check it out at the bookstore, perhaps tonight.

[Shallah Kali]

29. His children's books are simply brilliant. I love them even more than the adult

I didn't think he could get any better until I read 'The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents' and then the Tiffany Aching novels. I wish the movie people who optioned Wee Free Men would get off their behinds and do something wonderful with it so more people will discover how amazing these books are!

[Hekate]

30. Pratchett wrote many books for kids: the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, the Tiffany Aching trilogy...

Johnny Maxwell:
Only You Can Save Mankind
Johnny and the Dead
Johnny and the Bomb

Tiffany Aching:
The Wee Free Men
A Hat Full of Sky
Wintersmith

The Bromeliad Trilogy

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

Good Omens

And a few more I can't recall just now. I think these are children's lit only in the sense that they have young (pre-adolescent) protagonists. He handles very mature themes in a way that kids can grasp, and the young heroes stretch and grow to meet big dangers and moral challenges.

As for all the rest of his books, I would leave them out where the youngsters in your house can see them and as soon as they can handle the reading, let them have at it. They will learn an astonishing amount about the world from reading Terry Pratchett. The man is a gift.

Hekate

[JerseygirlCT]

26. Oh he's so wonderful!

And I agree -- compassion, humanity, and that optimism he talks about.

Alzheimers is an awful thing. I hope he can hold its effects off for a long, long time.

[Withywindle]

28. I've been sad about this since yesterday.

And his own post about it is so...optimistic in a no-nonsense kind of way.

I got no time for people who turn their noses up at 'fantasy' because I can't think of another writer with as much genuine humanistic spirit and gift for eclectic thinking as Pratchett.

[Lisa]

31. horribly ironic -- he created so many unforgettable places and characters

Very, very sorry to hear this. One of my HS classmates told me that her 40-something mom was unable to live independently, less than a year after her early-onset Alzheimer's. Her mom loved cooking, and the family ended up giving away all her cookware and books, because she simply wasn't able to use them anymore. It was heartbreaking.

I can only hope that treatments have improved since those days. (At least people are more aware ... my friend said that the family was afraid to let anyone know about her mom's condition, because there was so much stigma attached.) Best of luck to Mr. Pratchett and his family.