"Last year, when Pratchett was under the impression that he had suffered a stroke, his doctor asked him, The Daily Mail wrote, if he had suffered any loss of memory. Pratchett's answer? 'Not that I can recall."
La primera vez que alguien me habló del Mundodisco pensé "quésesoooo? Una enciclopedia en audio??" Y lo borré de mi carpeta de memoria (que es chiquititita). Luego vino un tiempo curioso en el que varias personas que no estaban relacionadas entre sí (lo dije bien?) me recomendaron leer a Prachett de modo que cuando, en mi siguiente visita a la librería de Tommy Savage*, vi ese nombre en un libro, lo compré de pura curiosidad.
Así llegó a suceder: mi primera experiencia en el Mundodisco se llamó Equal Rites y comenzó cinco minutos después de salir de la librería. En alguna parte de la Calama había una casa que en esa época (harán cinco o seis años) tenía un ancla de verdad, no me pregunten por qué, en la vereda de entrada. Ahí me senté porque me estaba riendo demasiado para caminar y esa imagen se quedó grabada en archivos de sistema. Siempre que busco "Practchett" aparece una yo más joven y feliz, sentada en un ancla en la mariscal (¿?) leyendo por primera vez una descripción de la gran A'Tuin viajando por el multiverso. Y la frase: "Watch closely, the special effects are quite expensive."
Desde ese momento decidí que me colgaría del borde de la capa del Maestro y lo seguiría a donde él quisiera llevarme (y me ha llevado a conclusiones gloriosas. A mí, y a millones de personas más). Años después, soy toda una friki (pero con vida todavía, eh?) y sigo leyendo con reverencia lo que el Maestro tenga para decir. El camino de un lector de Pratchett está lleno de emociones - de las buenas - y no guarda casi ninguna decepción. Yo sólo he tenido dos problemas, a saber: Lo difícil que resulta conseguir sus libros en idioma original, porque la traducción de Plaza y Janés es terriblemente española, y la reticencia de la gente ignorante (bueno, los que no quieren leerlo porque no gustan de los "libritos de chistes" son casos irremediables así que ni modo, pero las librerías de Quito son bastante narrow-minded al respecto. Sólo Mr. Books se salva: ahí compré Jingo y Night Watch YEAH!!).
Terry Pratchett has revealed that he has Alzheimer's disease.
The best-selling fantasy author told fans he has developed a rare early onset form of the debilitating brain condition, which had caused an earlier stroke.
On a website, he described the disease as "an embuggerance", but added: "I am not dead."
And he joked that he would consider offers of help only from "very high-end experts in brain chemistry".
Pratchett, 59, writes the fantasy Discworld series which has sold 55million copies. In 1998, he was awarded the OBE for services to British literature.
On Discworld News, a section on the website of his illustrator Paul Kidby, he wrote: "Folks, 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.
"I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom 'stroke'.
"We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism.
"For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals (works in progress).
"All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers.
"Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet.
"PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that 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 maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say, 'Is there anything I can do?', but in this case I would only entertain-offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."
Last year Pratchett told the Mail that he had been unaware that he had suffered a stroke until he had a brain scan.
It showed that a stroke had been caused by a blood clot which created a blockage in the artery to his brain.
Two or three years before the stroke was diagnosed, he had noticed "that his typing had been going all over the place", he said.
At first he had put the errors down to ageing. However, Pratchett finally decided to see a doctor while working on a manuscript and felt as though he was "typing wearing gloves".
When his GP asked whether he had suffered any memory loss, he said: "Not that I can recall."
Pratchett lives with his wife Lyn, in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He has a daughter Rhianna, 39. The first Discworld novel was published in 1983, when he was working as a press officer.
His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in a 1971 when he was just 23, but Pratchett decided to re-write it in 1992.
Pratchett is the second most-read writer in Britain, after Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. He received an OBE for services to British literature nine years ago.
His 20th book Hogfather, originally published in 1996, was adapted into a Sky TV mini-series last year and starred David Jason, Marc Warren and Nigel Planer.
Christopher Lee, Tim Curry and Sean Astin are currently filming a TV adaptation of his first Discworld book, The Colour of Magic at Pinewood Studios, in which Pratchett cameos as an astrozoologist.
His 2003 book The Wee Free Men is also being adapted for the big screen - Spider-Man film-maker Sam Raimi plans to release the movie version in 2010.
Alzheimer's disease, first identified by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1901, is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells.
Although some drugs can slow its onset, there is no cure.
More than 417,000 people suffer from Alzheimer's in Britain. Of all those diagnosed, only 3.5 per cent are aged under 65.
Other famous Alzheimer's sufferers include former Prime Minister Harold Wilson, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Irish novelist Iris Murdoch, 1940s movie star Rita Hayworth, Hawaii 5-0 star Jack Lord, The Ten Commandments actor Charlton Heston, Star Trek actor James Doohan, Death Wish star Charles Bronson and American boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson.
Pratchett es posiblemente el autor que más trabaja por sus lectores y nunca será posible agradecerselo con propiedad, especialmente para mí, que nunca lo voy a conocer :((( pero, aunque sea desde lejos, Maestro! Tiene usted mi cariño y apoyo al 100%. Estudiaré sobre las maravillas del poder psicotrónico para mandarle toda la buena vibra que se pueda XDDD
Ahora sí, hablando en serio: sé que todo se puede arreglar con un poco de Cabezología, pero si es prudente o no, eso le toca decirirlo a él.
Gracias, Sr. Pratchett por regalarnos tanto, de no ser por gente como usted, sólo nos quedaría Harry Potter :SSS ¡qué mundo más triste!
* Tommy Savage era el Gringo Homicida de los libros usados (larga historia). Luego, su lugar fue ocupado por otro señor, mucho menos simpático. Extrañamos a Tommy.
