What I Read: Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official Biography by Rob Wilkins

About this book:

(Blurb from Penguin Random House SA):

The official biography of the award-winning and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett, written by Rob Wilkins, his former assistant, friend and now head of the author’s literary estate.

At the time of his death in 2015, award-winning and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett was working on his finest story yet – his own.

The creator of the phenomenally bestselling Discworld series, Terry Pratchett was known and loved around the world for his hugely popular books, his smart satirical humour and the humanity of his campaign work. But that’s only part of the picture.

Before his untimely death, Terry was writing a memoir: the story of a boy who aged six was told by his teacher that he would never amount to anything and spent the rest of his life proving him wrong. For Terry lived a life full of astonishing achievements: becoming one of the UK’s bestselling and most beloved writers, winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal and being awarded a knighthood.

Now, the book Terry sadly couldn’t finish has been written by Rob Wilkins, his former assistant, friend and now head of the Pratchett literary estate. Drawing on his own extensive memories, along with those of the author’s family, friends and colleagues, Rob unveils the full picture of Terry’s life – from childhood to his astonishing writing career, and how he met and coped with what he called the ‘Embuggerance’ of Alzheimer’s disease.

A deeply moving and personal portrait of the extraordinary life of Sir Terry Pratchett, written with unparalleled insight and filled with funny anecdotes, this is the only official biography of one of our finest authors.

My thoughts

“Of all the dead authors in the world, Terry Pratchett is the most alive.” – John Lloyd

The Discworld series, as authored by Sir Terry Pratchett, is a phenomenon. It was the first series of books with a dedicated fandom that I was aware of, growing up. It is pure magic, created by a prolific storyteller with sharp wit and an extraordinary imagination. The 41 novels that forms part of the Discworld universe are not Terry Pratchett’s only creations, but surely it is the most notable and familiar to the average reader.

But, let me also note that you don’t have to be a devout Terry Pratchett fan or Discworld geek to appreciate this wonderful biography. It is the story of a man who made a significant contribution to the literary landscape, a man who changed the way we read and experience enchanted fantasy. We all can do with a little magic in our lives, don’t you agree?

‘Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.’ – Terry Pratchett

“Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes” is a delightful, intimate portrait, written by Terry’s long-time personal assistant and friend, Rob Wilkins. Seeing that this book was published 7 years after Terry Pratchett’s death, I appreciated the care, love and respect Rob showed in the authoring of this biography. In a time where sensationalism and instant gratification is often the driver for biographies and autobiographies, this is a treasure.

Terry’s life story is told in chronological order, with his childhood and rise to prolific author as shared with Rob by Terry himself. Rob also tells the delightful story of how he came to be Terry’s personal assistant, confidant, and friend. I could not help but wonder how intimidating, but also inspiring, it was to be so close to this icon.

I did not know, for example, that Terry Pratchett published his first story at the age of 15 already, and that the extraordinary talent for writing was pretty much in his blood form a very young age. Anecdotes of where his childhood inspiration and fascination with a magical world and creatures came from, his life as journalist, a Public Relations practitioner and the drive and dedication it took this workaholic to get to the position of world-renowned author was extremely enlightening.

It is emotional, funny, and reflective. I loved reading about his relationship with anther one of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman, as well. As you probably know, together they wrote “Good Omens”, which is absolutely delightful and it was also Neil who inspired him to write about Death, as a character.

Through most of the book, I just could not stop smiling. Yes, the joy of grinning like an idiot while reading a book. The wit, the humour, the satire, the footnotes! Rob Wilkins also don’t sugar-coat the fact that Sir Terry Pratchett was a bit of a quirky, moody grump as well, which wasn’t a secret anyway. He was quite stubborn, so I can’t imagine that every day was just rainbows and candyfloss, working for him.

There are numerous hysterical, laugh-out-loud moments, this being one of my favourites:

“Terry didn’t really do deference around famous people. I was once in a position, in Dublin, to introduce him to Bono from U2, explaining, as I did so, that Bono owned the hotel we were standing in. ‘Ah, good,’ Terry said to Bono. ‘Can you get me a milkshake?’ Which he did.”

I don’t care if it sounds like a cliché, but this well-written and charming book had me laughing and crying – I experienced my full emotional range.

The last chapters, from the time when Sir Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s, broke me. The frustration, the cruelty of the disease, the irony. To read about the harsh progression of the illness (as he called it “The Embuggerance”), is gut-wrenching.
When I finally closed the book, I was deeply emotional and experienced an utter sense of heartbreak, sadness, and profound loss. He passed away in 2015 already, but it was another reminder of what we are missing out on, but also thankful for the magic he gave us.

This insider view of a phenomenal man is moving, insightful and charming. Thank you for sharing this celebration of life him us, Rob.

“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?” Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

May we never stop speaking about Terry Pratchett and the legacy he left us. And I am finally ready to read the entire Discworld series, and everything else the iconic author gifted the world.

RRR (Roelia Reads Rating) 10/10

With thanks to Penguin Random House SA for the opportunity to read this book.

The details:

ISBN 9780857526649

Format Trade Paperback

Recommended Price R350.00

Published October 2022

Available at most notable booksellers.

About Terry Pratchett:  https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

This is a wonderful website, full of wonderful information about his books, book lists, quotes, etc.

About the Author:

Rob Wilkins worked with Terry Pratchett for more than twenty years, first as his personal assistant and later as his business manager. He now manages the Pratchett literary estate and Terry’s production company, Narrativia.  (info via Penguin Random House)

@roelia_reads Thank you for the Magic, Sir Terry Pratchett 💫 What a wonderful tribute to a brilliant author! #terrypratchett #terrypratchettdiscworld With thanks to @Penguin Random House SA #roeliareads #booktok #booktoksa🇿🇦 ♬ original sound – Jen