Farewell Sir Terry Pratchett, who wrote some of the funniest books I have ever read, but which like all humour contained some very serious and profound thoughts. My favourites were the ones involving the witches of Lancre, hence the name I adopted when I needed a blogger name to post on that website where Mary and I met Rebecca and Hugh back in 2004. It was the work of seconds to pounce on my favourite witch, Granny Weatherwax,who is number 2 on this Telegraph list.
His daughter has tweeted with dignity and her father’s humour. No 1on that list is the MAIN MAN – Death. Death is one of the good guys, and he makes an appearance in every book. As Miss Pratchett wrote today: AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER. (Death always speaks in CAPITAL LETTERS, another good reason to chose Granny Weatherwax as a name) Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.
His books brought a lot of pleasure and joy and I hope that they are what he will be remembered for.
For those who don’t know in later books Terry Pratchett concentrated on a very young witch, Tiffany Aching who while not quite Granny Weatherwax’s apprentice is mentored by her. One of the last books, Wintersmith was the subject of a collaboration between the author and the folk band Steeleye Span. Another favourite and a memorable gig.
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One Response
There are two books by Pratchett that I think members of the Counter-Jihad – especially in the UK – might find…interesting, because of certain analogies that come to mind as one reads. One is “Carpe Jugulum” – certain parts of which might be thought of as being about as good a description of what dhimmitude involves, and does to its victims, as any other I have come across. And the other is “Lords and Ladies”.
I think perhaps my favourite Pratchett quote – and worth bearing in mind as one watches the Islamic State, those most zealous of Muslims, descending endlessly into the bottomless pit of undoing of the City and of the Soul – is in Carpe Jugulum, when Granny Weatherwax is discussing theology with Oates, the earnest young priest of “Om”.
“And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things, including yourself. That’s what sin is.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.”
“Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes – “.
“But they *starts* with thinking about people as things…”.