Terry Pratchett has a form of Altzheimers. He is putting a very positive spin on it, and reckons he has several books still to come, but it's awful news about a top bloke and great writer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7141458.stm
2007-12-13 00:40:43 · 15 answers · asked by Avondrow 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
It's terribly sad, isn't it? I love his work, and understand that he's just the best in person.
He'll be in our thoughts...
2007-12-13 00:44:29 · answer #1 · answered by nicolemcg 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have met Terry Pratchett and have a couple of books he signed for me. The first of his books I read was a collaboration, a friend of mine was travelling around and left a haversack at my house for a couple of weeks and he said there were a couple of books in the bag if I fancied a read, 1 was was The Good Omen, which is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read, it is one of the only books that have made me laugh out loud (Not particularly good for the other train passengers), I was hooked on Pratchett from day 1. He is an immensely amiable and warm man with an lovely, mischievous glint in his eye.
It is a terrible shame, maybe even more so for the people around him who love him. What a lovely man he is.
2007-12-14 08:04:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be given such a devastating diagnosis is hard, and in time he will need all the love and support that he can get from friends and family. The effects of Alzheimers affects different people at different rates and perhaps Terry will manage to write for some time to come. I cannot get over the resiliance and courage of human beings and how they face the most devastating of challenges in their lives with faith and courage and often without complaint. It is a humbling experience to know such people and we can learn a lot from their example. I think of the actor Michael Fox when he was told he had Parkiinsons or Dudley Moore with his brain disease before he died. They never whinged but got on with the job of living life to the fullest. I hope and pray that we will all face our challenges with love and kindness. Good luck to Terry Pratchett and his family.
2007-12-13 08:57:03 · answer #3 · answered by she2sing 1 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It is very sad that he has early onset Alzheimers. It has no respect of persons. Remember Iris Murdoch? A brilliant novelist, and a lecturer in Moral Philosophy at Oxford, but it got her too. It has nothing to do with 'intelligence'. I work 14 hours a day in a home that has 60 residents, all with varying degrees of dementia and Alzheimers. All of them are sad cases, regardless of their status (or lack of it) in this world. They need to be cared for, washed, dressed, fed, talked to, hugged, understood, many things. They need to trust you and feel safe with you and to feel free to tell you whatever they want. I have worked in nursing homes, care homes, hospitals, hospices, the whole lot, and nothing shocks me now. I am just so grateful that people are so honest with me and that they trust me. I WOULD NOT HURT A FLY.
But this kind of problem is on the increase.
2007-12-13 16:57:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
As he put it: "it's an embuggarance", but "I am not dead"
Or as Esme Weatherwax, "borrowing", puts it: "I ATE'NT DEAD"
One day (like all of us), he will be. But even then the truth in Reaper Man will apply...
Not really dead while his books are enjoyed, and he can still raise a smile, a laugh and the occasional pointed thought.
"top bloke and great writer."Yes.
I still miss Douglas Adams, too.
But while I miss him, he's not completely gone.
"Fomeone's got to remember the poor bugger!"
(Cohen, The Last Hero)
2007-12-13 09:07:46 · answer #5 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I know. I only found out about his books 1 and a half years ago from a friend. It's awful. But as long as he has a happy and enjoyble life then it could be worse.
2007-12-14 06:50:28 · answer #6 · answered by heathy211 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How sad and how typical of him to find something positive out of something so negative
I hope he does continue to write as he brings pleasure to all ages and he is such a talented man
2007-12-14 08:34:36 · answer #7 · answered by sammie 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Balancing that he has a lot of moolah now from his Discworld books so he can afford the best treatment unlike most Alzheimer's sufferers.
2007-12-13 08:44:46 · answer #8 · answered by jubjub firefly 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This is a very cruel reward for a guy who has given so many people so much pleasure.
2007-12-13 11:34:42 · answer #9 · answered by Rosina 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Seen that,terrible shame.Life can be a bummer sometimes.
2007-12-13 09:17:54 · answer #10 · answered by Misty Blue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋