M E N U   Home What is O'Casey's? What's On? This Month's Author Our Readers Photo Gallery Recordings Archives Get Involved!    T E R R Y   P R A T C H E T T   "Imagination, not intelligence, made us human." Sir Terry Pratchett is one of the most famous English writers alive today. Second only to J. K. Rowling in current UK readership, Pratchett has enjoyed a writing career spanning over 35 years. Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. His most well-known published work is the ongoing fantasy series, Discworld, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. His Discworld series currently totals 37 novels. The 37th, Unseen Academicals, was published in October 2009. Known for his wry sense of humour and his optimistic yet sardonic outlook on life, Pratchett has a cult following worldwide. In December 2007 he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Challenging the stigma of his condition, Pratchett has been extremely vocal about his condition. A BBC documentary of his first year living with the rare variant posterior cortical atrophy aired in February 2009. Pratchett is also one of Britain's most celebrated authors. In 1998 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to literature. In 2001 he was awarded the Carnegie Medal for his children's novel The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. He was knighted in the 2009 New Year Honours list. Several of his novels have been adapted into plays, animated feature films and broadcasted on radio. In 2006 a feature-length adaption of Hogfather aired on UK television. This was followed in 2008 by a further television adaptation of The Colour of Magic, the first Discworld novel and the second, The Light Fantastic. Pratchett's next book, I Shall Wear Midnight, is due to be published in September 2010. This will be a children's book set in the Discworld, featuring the established character Tiffany Aching. A further Discworld novel, Raising Taxes, is also rumoured. A third Discworld film, Going Postal, is due to air as a two-part adaptation in Spring 2010. A similar production of Making Money is rumoured to be in the pipeline. Official website: http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/