Terry Pratchett (was: Smell of Cabbage)

[abigailnus]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "bluesqueak" <pipdowns at e...> wrote:
 
> Wee Free Men's a very good book, btw. I suspect the publisher's 
> willingness to let Terry experiment with children's novels owes a 
> certain amount to good old JKR. PoA and GoF proved that children 
> will read fantasy novels dealing with big serious subjects and, more 
> important to a publisher, said novels sell by the bucketload.

As I mentioned upthread, I was at a signing with Terry Pratchett almost exactly two 
years ago in Chicago.  He took quite a few questions and answers, and someone 
asked him about Harry Potter.  I don't remember his exact words, or whatever it was 
he said about the quality of the books, but with regards to the effects on his own 
sales he said something like "Well, there's this whole group of kids coming out of the 
Potter Factory, and, hey, look!  There's these books with funny covers, and they've got 
wizards in!"

He said it a lot funnier.  I swear, the man could make a discussion about the digestive 
system of sheep funny.

> 
> There is also a very small joke about schools for teaching magic in 
> it ;-)

I've found several references in recent Pratchett books which I think are nudges at HP.  
They're all rather subtle, so I can never be quite sure.  Two (very minor) characters in 
The Truth, for example, are named Hermione, a name which I had never heard before 
reading HP.  In that same book, the main character is described as being a graduate 
of Hugglewinks, which is a boarding school for rich children.  If I remember, I'll quote 
the passage describing it when I get home tomorrow, as it is priceless.

In all fairness to Pratchett, though, he was using the notion of the psychotic boarding 
school way back in Pyramids, which was published in the early 90's.  In Night Watch, 
(the most recent Discworld novel for adults), however, he returns to that setting, and 
reinforces it, this time introducing prefects and common rooms.  Maybe I'll quote that 
scene too. 

Abigai