I’m scared of dying badly: author
LONDON: Dying badly is a far greater worry for Terry Pratchett than death itself, he has confessed.
The author, who has campaigned for better Alzheimer’s treatment after revealing he was a sufferer, was asked about how he was coping with the disease.
He replied: “I am scared of dying badly. But then I think that is something most people (are scared of).”
Pratchett, 64, insisted he was not frightened of dying itself – and joked that this was because he had personified death as a character so often in his fantasy novels.
He added: “I can’t be bothered about death. I’ve made ‘him’ so popular he really must owe me.” Pratchett, who is famed for his Discworld fantasy series, has sold more than 65 million books worldwide and, after JK Rowling, is the most popular writer in Britain.
Despite battling Alzheimer’s, he said he remained as busy as ever. He has written a new Oliver Twist- style novel called Dodger, inspired by the Artful Dodger in Charles Dickens’s story, which is yet to be released. And The Long Earth, his first collaboration with sci-fi author Stephen Baxter, is out later this year.
Many have called for Pratchett’s work to be recognised by “serious” literary awards, such as The Booker Prize. But he dismissed concerns he had been a victim of snobbery.
The author has been vocal in his campaigns to legalise assisted death in the UK.
Earlier this year, he accused the British government of making dementia sufferers feel like “malingerers”. He said it was unfair families were “bankrupting” themselves paying for dementia care when treatment for other conditions is available on the National Health Service.
Last year, he made the documentary Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die, which was broadcast by the BBC.
The TV programme, which filmed the “assisted” death of motor neurone sufferer Peter Smedley, drew 900 formal complaints.
Four senior peers accused the BBC of running a “repugnant” campaign to change the law on assisted death.
Religious leaders, charities and politicians said the documentary was ”propaganda” for euthanasia. – Daily Mail