Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's
2007-12-13 11:54
London - British fantasy and science
fiction author Terry Pratchett, 59, has been diagnosed with a
rare form of early onset Alzheimer's disease, he said in a
statement to his fans.
"I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little
while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the
need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to
withhold the news," Pratchett said.
In the statement posted on the website of Paul Kidby, artist
for Pratchett's popular Discworld series, Pratchett said the
condition was the reason behind a "phantom 'stroke'" he was
diagnosed with earlier this year.
Alzheimer's disease is usually found in people over the age
of 65.
It is characterised by cognitive and motor deterioration,
including the loss of memory, muscle mass and language in its
latest stages.
Pratchett said he was continuing his work and planned to
complete his current commitments. His publisher is
HarperCollins.
'Keep things cheerful'
"Frankly I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful,
because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet,"
he wrote in the statement, dated on December 11.
"PS ... This should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I
will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody
else. For me, this may be further off than you think - it's too
soon to tell."
Pratchett was Britain's best selling author in the 1990s and
has sold more than 45 million books in 33 languages, according
to the HarperCollins website TerryPratchettBooks.com.
His Discworld series, an often satirical series comprising
more than 40 books, depicts a fantasy world shaped like a large
disk resting on the backs of four giant elephants which are in
turn supported by a giant turtle swimming through space.