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A Slip of the Keyboard

A Slip of the Keyboard

Collected Nonfiction
EssaysBiography & Memoir
Pages
336
Published
2014
Language
English

Synopsis

A collection of non-fiction pieces spanning Terry Pratchett's career: journalism, speeches, convention addresses, forewords, letters, and personal essays. Topics range from the origins of his ideas to his experience of Alzheimer's disease, his views on fantasy literature and its detractors, the practicalities of booksigning, and his campaign for the right to an assisted death. The collection includes his landmark 2010 Richard Dimbleby Lecture, 'Shaking Hands with Death', delivered on his behalf by Tony Robinson. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the man behind the Discworld.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

Thought-ProvokingReflectiveInformativeIntellectual
Mentor FigureSacrifice

Genres

Essays Biography & Memoir Humor Literary Fiction

About the author

T
Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English author best known for the Discworld series, a sequence of forty-one comic fantasy novels set on a flat world carried through space on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant turtle. Across four decades, the Discworld grew from a parody of sword-and-sorcery fantasy into one of the most sustained works of social satire in English literature, examining politics, religion, science, gender, race, capitalism, and the nature of stories themselves. Pra...

Frequently asked questions

  • What is A Slip of the Keyboard?

    A collection of non-fiction pieces — speeches, essays, journalism, forewords, and letters — gathered from across Pratchett's career. It was edited by Rhianna Pratchett and published in 2014 by Doubleday.

  • What is the Richard Dimbleby Lecture included in this collection?

    'Shaking Hands with Death' (2010) is Pratchett's BBC Richard Dimbleby Lecture on Alzheimer's disease and the right to an assisted death. Pratchett was too ill to deliver it himself; it was read by Tony Robinson. The lecture is one of the most widely read pieces in the collection.

  • Is this a good starting point for readers new to Pratchett?

    Not as an entry point to his fiction — it works best read alongside the novels. For readers who have finished the Discworld and want to understand who Pratchett was beyond his books, it is invaluable.

  • Does the book address Pratchett's Alzheimer's diagnosis?

    Yes — several pieces deal directly with his diagnosis of posterior cortical atrophy (a variant of Alzheimer's disease) announced in 2007, his public advocacy for dementia research, and his views on the right to a dignified death. These are among the most powerful pieces in the collection.

  • Are there pieces about the Discworld in this collection?

    Yes — many pieces address Pratchett's views on fantasy literature, the creative process behind the Discworld, and his relationship with readers and the genre.