Com quarenta romances publicados desde 1983 (mais alguns
companion books) e milhões de exemplares vendidos em todo o mundo, a série
Discworld de
Terry Pratchett é um caso raro de longevidade e de qualidade na fantasia literária, com as suas sátiras tão inteligentes como provocadoras, as suas personagens cativantes para leitores de todas as idades, e, claro, o seu humor inconfundível. Em
entrevista ao diário norte-americano The New York Times, Pratchett fala sobre os seus gostos, sobre os seus heróis literários e sobre o impacto que a leitura de
The Wind in the Willows teve durante a sua infância - e, de caminho, ainda dá a resposta perfeita à inevitável pergunta de Verão sobre que livros escolher para a proverbial ilha deserta.
Alguns excertos:
New York Times: Who are your favorite fantasy novelists?
Terry Pratchett: O.K., I give in. J. R. R. Tolkien. I wrote a letter to him once and got a very nice reply. Just think how busy he would have been, and yet he took the time out to write to a fan.
NYT: What makes for a good fantasy novel?
TP: The kind that isn’t fantastic. It’s just creating a new reality. Really, a good fantasy is just a mirror of our own world, but one whose reflection is subtly distorted.
(...)
NYT: Which novels have had the most impact on you as a writer? Is there a particular book that made you want to write?
TP: It has to be “The Wind in the Willows.” It fascinated me. He had toads living in great country houses and badgers and moles acting like British gentlemen. I read the pages so often they fell apart, and God bless him for leaving in the pieces called “Wayfarers All” and “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” I am sorry to say that certain publishers, who really should know better, have produced editions with those pieces cut from that wonderful book, stating they were simply too heavy for children. I scream at stuff like that. After all, “The Pilgrim’s Progress” was a book written for children. A good book, no matter its intended audience, should get people reading, and that’s what started me writing. And once I started, I never stopped.
