The Magic of Terry Pratchett
 Cover art by Andrea C White | |
| Author | Marc Burrows |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Andrea C. White |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
Release number | 1 |
| Sub-series | Reference |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | White Owl/Pen and Sword |
Published in English | 2020-07-30 |
The Magic of Terry Pratchett is the first published biography of Terry Pratchett, written by Marc Burrows. While not official or authorised, it was read by representatives of the Pratchett estate, who wished him the best with the book via Twitter. It won the 2021 Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction book.[1]
Blurb
The Magic Of Terry Pratchett is the first full biography of Sir Terry Pratchett ever written. Sir Terry was Britain’s best-selling living author[2], and before his death in 2015 had sold more than 85 million copies of his books worldwide. Best known for the Discworld series, his work has been translated into 37 languages, and performed as plays on every continent in the world, including Antarctica.
Journalist, comedian and Pratchett fan Marc Burrows delves into the back story of one of UK’s most enduring and beloved authors, from his childhood in the Chiltern Hills, to his time as a journalist, and the journey that would take him – via more than sixty best-selling books – to an OBE, a knighthood and national treasure status.
The Magic Of Terry Pratchett is the result of painstaking archival research alongside interviews with friends and contemporaries who knew the real man under the famous black hat, helping to piece together the full story of one of British literature’s most remarkable and beloved figures for the very first time.
Podcast episodes
Major appearances
These are episodes primarily devoted to discussing this book.
| Date | Show | Episode | External link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-10 | Radio Morpork | “The Magic of Terry Pratchett (w/Marc Burrows)” | radiomorpork.wordpress.com |
| 2020-07-29 | The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret | “The Magic of Terry Pratchett (an interview with Marc Burrows)” | thetruthshallmakeyefret.com |
Other appearances
These episodes feature some significant discussion of the book, but it's not the main focus.
| Date | Show | Episode | External link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-11-15 | Desert Island Discworld | “Marc Burrows and the Bromeliad” | desertislanddiscworld.com |
| 2021-01-08 | Pratchat | “All the Fun of the...Fish?” | pratchatpodcast.com |
Adaptations
Marc adapted the book into a one-person stage show which, after a series of previews in London, debuted at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It has toured around the UK and Ireland in 2023 and 2024.
External links
- marcburrows.co.uk - official page for the book on the author's website
- The Magic of Terry Pratchett at the L-Space Wiki
Footnotes
- ↑ Following Rob Wilkins' two awards for Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes, Marc has taken to referring to himself as "the mono award-winning biographer of Terry Pratchett".
- ↑ Now disqualified on both counts.