I was watching the bonus stuff to the Wyrd Sisters cartoon ( I need to order that book. I think Magrat is wonderful) and they mentioned that Terry was born and grew up in Beaconsfield. Not really all that important, lots of people do. But I was startled because I associate the name with a guy who moved into the place when he was kind of old. He got his start writing speculative fiction, was sort of like Vetinari in his estimation of the human animal (but was far more of a voluptuary) and his level of cynicism. And also like Vetinari in his level of pragmatic patriotism when most of his contemporaries were interested in the Ronnie Rust version.
Anyway, it was an interesting and odd connection, and given Pratchett's views of statecraft, strangely apt.
Anyway, it was an interesting and odd connection, and given Pratchett's views of statecraft, strangely apt.