Sir Terry Pratchett was born April 28, 1948 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. As a child, he was not very fond of reading books, but his life changed at the age of 10, when he got his hands on the book “The Wind in the Willows”. With this discovery, the boy's interest in books grew, and he began to spend all his free time reading.

In 1959, Terry entered Wycombe High Technical School. He published his first story "The Hades Business" in a school magazine in 1961, and in 1963 the same story appeared in a professional edition. Terry spent his first fee on a typewriter.

Inspired by his success, in 1965, Terry Pratchett left school for journalism. His first novel, “The Carpet People”, was written when he was just 20 years old. He continued to write while working for a newspaper. At 30, he gave up journalism. When his fourth book, The Color of Magic, a brilliant, humorous fantasy novel, that kicked off the massive best-selling Discworld cycle, now counting dozens of books, was published by Corgi in 1983, he knew what to write - this is his calling, and he began to write, write, write ...

Discworld novels are aimed at an adult audience, but children read them with pleasure. They have been translated into 21 languages ​​and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Each new book from the Discworld series sells out in the amount of 500 thousand copies in the first weeks of sales - and this is only in England. According to statistics, Pratchett was the most widely read author in the UK during the 90s. His hardcover books have sold more than any other living writer. By some estimates, his books make up roughly 1% of all books sold in the UK.

In 1987, after finishing his novel Mort, Terry Pratchett decided to quit his job at CEGB and devote all his time to writing. Pratchett's books quickly became bestsellers, gaining more and more popularity. In 1996, “Maskerade” and Interesting Times hit the UK Top 10 Bestsellers. Published in 1995, the book “Soul Music” for four weeks was on the first line of the list of the best-selling "paperbacks". Reaper Man has become the eighth fastest-selling publication in the UK in the past five years.

Terry Pratchett has toured the world and signed over 6,500 books on each tour. He regularly visited Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. For his contribution to literature, he was awarded in 1998 the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 2008 - a knighthood.

                                                      Mekezhanov Yerassyl, librarian of the Department of the International Book