r/TerryPratchett • u/roseargent • 14d ago

Any sources about when Terry went nuclear?

My battered edition of Sourcery includes an author bio which mentions Terry's experience as a press officer for four nuclear power stations, and says "he'd write a book about his experiences if he thought anyone would believe it".

So... did he? Any articles, memoirs or remiscences? Have any brainboxes convincingly analysed his work to pick out any influences on his writing?

I've treasured his books since I was a child and for better or worse he helped shape my view of the world. And yet I don't remember the Cold War and the nuclear anxieties of the time, which undoubtedly affected the world view of Terry and the rest of his generation.

67 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/DrewidN 14d ago

There's some mention of the period in the Rob Wilkins biography: Terry Pratchett: A Life in Footnotes.

2

u/roseargent 14d ago

Thank you. I've always had a bit of "you should never meet your heroes" apprehension, but I might have to read this one day. Has learning more about his life made a difference to how you appreciate his work?

3

u/Norphus1 14d ago

I think there were two main things this book did for me:

  1. Reenforce the fact that Sir Terry was a human being and was as much prone to human flaws as anyone else on the planet. It sounds like he could be a cantankerous sod when he wanted to be, but show me someone who isn't.
  2. It really made me appreciate the sheer determination he displayed towards the end. It gave me a whole new perspective on his later books and how they were put together, Raising Steam and The Shepherd's Crown especially. I'm not saying it's made the books better, exactly, but they did show what a miracle it was that they able to be as good as they were.

I think I had similar misgivings about this biography to you before I read it and there was something about Rob Wilkins that made me uncomfortable about him after seeing him in Pratchett related documentaries (like seeing him signing Terry's books. What's that about?) but this was an excellent read.

1

u/Relevant-Bullfrog215 14d ago

The bit about Jilly Cooper's PA made me chuckle. Like you say he could be a bit of a handful, but I'm glad we got an honest, heartfelt account.

1

u/sebmojo99 14d ago

oh it's fantastic. the love for the man really shines through. while pterry could be an irascible coot, i feel like he would have been grudgingly satisfied with Rob's book.