Weston Museum showcases Terry Pratchett's Discworld art
A museum is displaying a number of illustrations that featured in author Sir Terry Pratchett's famous Discworld series.The exhibition opens at Weston Museum on May 24 and features illustrations by artist and character designer Paul Kidby - who worked with Pratchett for 30 years.Sir Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015 and lived in Somerset and the wider South West for much of his life."We are very excited for the exhibition, especially after reading the comments and seeing the engagement on social media" said Victoria Haddock, Exhibitions and Programmes Assistant at South West Heritage.
"This family-friendly exhibition offers a stunning selection of Paul's work, providing visitors a rare opportunity to see how the inhabitants of Discworld are brought to life, from early sketches to the final masterpieces," she added.The award-winning Discworld series is set on a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants stood on the back of a giant turtle and populated with hundreds of wonderful wizards, witches and magical creatures.The exhibition will feature original sketches, prints, paintings and sculptures that fully showcase Kidby's creative process.
There are 41 Discworld novels in total - with the first being coming in 1983 and the last being published posthumously - five months after Sir Terry Pratchett's death in 2015.Pratchett wrote 70 books in total in a 44 year career, he died of natural causes aged 66, having been diagnosed with Alzheimers.Mr Kidby has also illustrated for books written by Terry's daughter, Rhianna, although these are not part of the Discworld Series.In 2017 Mr Kidby created a bronze memorial bust of Sir Terry. The exhibition is a touring exhibition from St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery.The exhibition will run until August 30th.
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Weston Museum showcases Terry Pratchett's Discworld art
A museum is displaying a number of illustrations that featured in author Sir Terry Pratchett's famous Discworld exhibition opens at Weston Museum on May 24 and features illustrations by artist and character designer Paul Kidby - who worked with Pratchett for 30 Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015 and lived in Somerset and the wider South West for much of his life."We are very excited for the exhibition, especially after reading the comments and seeing the engagement on social media" said Victoria Haddock, Exhibitions and Programmes Assistant at South West Heritage. "This family-friendly exhibition offers a stunning selection of Paul's work, providing visitors a rare opportunity to see how the inhabitants of Discworld are brought to life, from early sketches to the final masterpieces," she award-winning Discworld series is set on a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants stood on the back of a giant turtle and populated with hundreds of wonderful wizards, witches and magical exhibition will feature original sketches, prints, paintings and sculptures that fully showcase Kidby's creative process. There are 41 Discworld novels in total - with the first being coming in 1983 and the last being published posthumously - five months after Sir Terry Pratchett's death in wrote 70 books in total in a 44 year career, he died of natural causes aged 66, having been diagnosed with Kidby has also illustrated for books written by Terry's daughter, Rhianna, although these are not part of the Discworld 2017 Mr Kidby created a bronze memorial bust of Sir Terry. The exhibition is a touring exhibition from St Barbe Museum and Art exhibition will run until August 30th.
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If I have any disagreement with his elevation to the ranks of the Penguin Modern Classics, then, it is less to do with Pratchett's own writing and more a sense of uncertainty as to what defines a modern classic. There is no stated definition on Penguin's website, and when I interviewed Henry Eliot, the former creative editor of Penguin Classics, a few years ago, he told me that: 'The Modern Classics series gathers the greatest books of more recent times, books that have challenged convention, changed the world or created something new. They are books that speak powerfully to the moment – and time will tell if they speak for more than that.' I would argue that Night Watch, although a book loved by Pratchett's many fans, is hardly something that 'challenges convention' or has 'changed the world'. Pratchett created something new in his Discworld series, and the love that his admirers hold for his works is testament to their enduring success. Personally I was surprised that Penguin didn't opt to publish 1987's Mort, the first Discworld novel to feature Death and the one usually regarded as Pratchett's single greatest achievement, or simply to come out with the entire series of Discworld books in one go. Pratchett was always a self-effacing figure and would probably have shrugged at the Classics label There are many deep-pocketed admirers of the author who would have ordered the entire canon in this new edition, although I can imagine that the effort involved in putting together 40-something painstakingly annotated novels may have been exhausting. This Penguin Classics edition also includes a foreword by Pratchett's PA and biographer Rob Wilkins, and an introduction and annotated notes by two Terry-o-philes, Trinity College Dublin's Dr Darryl Jones and the University of South Australia's Dr David Lloyd. 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Yet I can't help thinking that Penguin has done something similar to what the Folio Society has been doing over the past few years, and published a book that they know will cater to a fervent fanbase and sell in considerable quantities thanks to the added material. The question of literary excellence therefore becomes a secondary one. This is understandable – it's fine – but the brand is called Penguin Modern Classics, rather than Penguin Modern Notables. I am unconvinced that this particular instalment in the much-loved series lives up to its grandiose billing it.
