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Au Revoir Terry Pratchett
Mar. 14th, 2015 12:57 pmLike many others I am saddened to hear of the death of Terry Pratchett. Alas, he didn't quite make it to Friday 13th, which I suspect he would have liked for aesthetic reasons. The 'Embuggerance', as he called the Alzheimer's affliction, finally caught him, and before he could put into practice his advocacy of voluntary euthanasia.
I only had the opportunity to meet Terry once, at Swancon 18 in 1993. We had a good-natured chat about my proposal of Orcs protesting against Elvish imperialism. I had been a fan of his work, especially in his Discworld novels, although on that occasion he signed Good Omens for me (I have never picked up the matching signature from Neil Gaiman, despite a couple of opportunities). Later I heard that my old mentor, also had an amusing encounter with him at a signing: (B: "Make it out to Bruce", T: "If you believe Monty Python all Australians are called Bruce", B (with a glint in his eye): "If you believe Monty Python there are no Australian homosexuals either").
Whilst Terry's playful use of common fantasy fiction and philosophical tropes was certainly part of his appeal, to me at least it was his insight to the human mind and behaviour that generated the most interest. Terry had a very good sense that wickedness, in its myriad of forms, was a function of the pathological desire for control of power or wealth, and he delighted in juxtaposing this with a very finely tuned sense of irony and the absurd. For my own part in an attempt to rectify this, I gave an address last year at the Melbourne Unitarian Church where I engaged in the unlikely comparison between Terry Pratchett and Carl Sagan, with a portmanteau title from two of their more famous works : Small Gods on the Pale Blue Dot. I don't know whether he was ever shown it; but I suspect he would have liked it.
I only had the opportunity to meet Terry once, at Swancon 18 in 1993. We had a good-natured chat about my proposal of Orcs protesting against Elvish imperialism. I had been a fan of his work, especially in his Discworld novels, although on that occasion he signed Good Omens for me (I have never picked up the matching signature from Neil Gaiman, despite a couple of opportunities). Later I heard that my old mentor, also had an amusing encounter with him at a signing: (B: "Make it out to Bruce", T: "If you believe Monty Python all Australians are called Bruce", B (with a glint in his eye): "If you believe Monty Python there are no Australian homosexuals either").
Whilst Terry's playful use of common fantasy fiction and philosophical tropes was certainly part of his appeal, to me at least it was his insight to the human mind and behaviour that generated the most interest. Terry had a very good sense that wickedness, in its myriad of forms, was a function of the pathological desire for control of power or wealth, and he delighted in juxtaposing this with a very finely tuned sense of irony and the absurd. For my own part in an attempt to rectify this, I gave an address last year at the Melbourne Unitarian Church where I engaged in the unlikely comparison between Terry Pratchett and Carl Sagan, with a portmanteau title from two of their more famous works : Small Gods on the Pale Blue Dot. I don't know whether he was ever shown it; but I suspect he would have liked it.
"Goodbye," Mort said, and was surprised to find a lump in his throat. "It’s such an unpleasant word, isn't it?"
QUITE SO. Death grinned because, as has so often been remarked, he didn't have much option. But possibly he meant it, this time.
I PREFER AU REVOIR, he said.
