Here’s a link to the BBC article.
This is a weird one for me as I avidly devoured his books during my
teens and early twenties, they formed part of my development and gave me a
sense of how to look at the world with a critical eye. For me he was a person
to admire, for want of a better word an everyday bloke that enjoyed satirising
modern society, never one to seek the limelight of fame.
He told good stories that were more than generic fantasy comedy but a parody
of the real world with real issues described in a fantastical way. I remember
sitting a few years ago watching a documentary where he explored the very real
issue of assisted suicide, visiting Switzerland where it is a legal option for
those suffering from incurable and debilitating afflictions. It was touching
and quite disturbing at the same time to watch him agonise over whether he
would pursue that option, choosing to end his life at a time of his choosing.
It struck a chord with me at the time as my Grandmother was suffering severely
with Alzheimers, we (my brothers and I) were never that close to her in fact my
family is quite a dysfunctional bunch however it was at the forefront of my
mind and thus made me wonder what would I do if I were similarly afflicted.
Something to think about.
70 books
- Translated
into 37 languages
- In
a career spanning 44 years
- With
total sales of 70 million
No comments:
Post a Comment