Pratchett anger at Rowling's rise
Author Terry Pratchett has complained that the status of Harry Potter author JK Rowling is being elevated "at the expense of other writers".
Pratchett, one of the UK's most successful novelists with 40 million books sold, said the media ignores the achievements of other fantasy authors.

He also took a sideswipe at Rowling for saying she did not realise Harry Potter was fantasy until it was published.

His comments came on Rowling's 40th birthday, also Harry Potter's birthday.

In a recent interview with Time magazine, Rowling said she was "not a huge fan of fantasy" and was trying to "subvert" the genre.


The magazine also said Rowling reinvented fantasy fiction, which was previously stuck in "an idealised, romanticised, pseudofeudal world, where knights and ladies morris-dance to Greensleeves".
Pratchett, whose first fantasy novel was published 34 years ago, wrote to the Sunday Times saying the genre had always been "edgy and inventive".

"Ever since The Lord of the Rings revitalised the genre, writers have played with it, reinvented it, subverted it and bent it to their times," he wrote.

"It has also contained come of the very best, most accessible writing for children, by writers who seldom get the acknowledgement they deserve."

He also expressed surprise at Rowling's comments that she only realised Harry Potter was fantasy after the first book was published.

"I'm not the world's greatest expert," he wrote.

Birthday celebrations

"But I would have thought that the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns, hidden worlds, jumping chocolate frogs, owl mail, magic food, ghosts, broomsticks and spells would have given her a clue?"

Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, sold almost nine million copies in the UK and US in its first 24 hours of release on 16 July.

Meanwhile, Rowling celebrated reaching 40 on Sunday, the same day she has given as her young creation's birthday.

The author's website displayed pictures of a birthday cake and birthday card with the words: "Happy birthday Harry Potter."

Fans have been trying to deduce how old he is, with one site saying the boy wizard has now turned 25.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/ente...rts/4732385.stm



I understand his view, Rowling sounds rather arogant there, and the papers ignorant.

Personally though I don't consider Rowling or Pratchett's works fantasy.

I've been reading fantasy like Dragonlance, Wheel of time, and Lord of the Rings for 15 years and true fantasy books can be recognised from other genres because it takes itself seriously. Although its called more and more 'High fantasy' nowadays to try and seperate itself from the others.

Franchises such as Xena and Hercules tv shows, ARE NOT fantasy, they're tongue in cheek, but they are a p*ss-take on fantasy, not true fantasy. Its 'Comic fantasy', a butchardisation of fantasy. Rowling or Pratchett's works are the same, as good as Harry Potter novels are, they still have a high level of tongue-in-cheek and lack's seriousness (although each installment continues to head towards Contemporary fantasy rather than comic fantasy, but its roots are still firmly in comic fantasy.) For example, a true fantasy novel would not have all the ridiculous names in Harry Potter and boggy-tasting sweets.

As good as Potter is, lets not get it confused to proper fantasy novels such as Lord of the Rings.

Edit: spelling

Pratchett's jealous... I’m not a fan of harry potter, but how childish can you get. Rowlings books are kids books for heavens sake

All the best
Faeden

I would guess that this is one of those comments which has been blown a little out of proportion. Terry Pratchett has a point but I can't see him going on a vendetta because of it. He is allready one of the worlds best known Authors himself.

^I agree, its probably just the media twisting Pratchett`s words, so as to make it seem bigger and worse than it actually is dragging more people to this supposed feud between Rowling and Pratchett!

I think you missed the point. Its not that he's jealous, its the fact that the fantasy genre has been around for millenia since the days of Homer's writtings 3000 years ago. And yet the papers are saying Harry Potter a book which only appeared in the last 10 years 'reinvented fantasy fiction', Potter's good, but it certainly did not reinvent the genre. He's disagreeing with ignorance of the media reporting the issue when modern fantasy has been published in thousands of books since the 1940s since Tolken reinvented the genre. Its back to the old Lord of the Rings vs Harry Potter issue that Potter fans started when the first movie came out that gor all us purists hating Potter to begin with even though we hadn't read it. Potter is a good series, but it is not comparable to Lord of the Rings, and the claim that to somehow reinvented a genre that Tolken set the standard for is just insulting.

I will agree with one with Rowling says though, Potter certainly isn't true fantasy.

Harry Potter reminds me a lot more of James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, than Lord of the Rings.

Harry Potter is to Lord of the Rings
As the Batman(Adam West) TV series is to Batman Begins.

Yeah, it's very much apples and oranges. I love Harry Potter, don't get me wrong (and I wouldn't say it was strictly a kids' book, Faedan. Its themes are pretty intense and I know more adults who like it than children.) but it will never hold a candle to something of such depth and magnitude as LOTR. Tolkien was a genius whereas Rowlings just has a fun and vivid imagination.

I must admit, I never really look at Harry Potter as Fantasy...more sort of misc. fiction I actually feel it has more in common with science fiction than fantasy.

I think Fantasy involves more than simply having magic and monsters...it's also about setting.

But anyway, that's not the point. The point was that Mr Pratchett, who's books are very entertaining in their own right, doesn't like the manner in which Harry Potter is being put on a pedistral as spearheading a genre that, quite frankly, he took by the horns long before she did.

The definition of fiction is :

Fiction characterized by highly fanciful or supernatural elements.

That could just about cover everything...... Including the bible

Good thing it's fantasy then, and not fiction

...And lets look up the defination of idiot.

One who does not read what hes writing...... *slaps himself*

That was the definition of fantasy, but I dont hide from my mistakes..so it shall remain written wrong...

Or we could edit the above three posts to read something completely different?

We could, but thats too much work for me....

You know ive never read a prachett novel..... Im surprised..... and ive never read harry potter.

Maybe I cant read?

Aww that sounded like it'd be fun

But oh well...

To be honest, I've never read Pratchett either...not all the way through. I'm a little die hard when it comes to my fantasy...as much as I am easily amused by someone reading a funny section of one of his books, I prefer fantasy that takes itself seriously. Tongue-in-cheek fantasy is what gave rise to Xena, and that absolutely horrendous D&D movie.

The reason I forgave Harry Potter is, of course, I don't think it's fantasy.

I thought the D and D movie was ok.....

....DVD's make cool frisbees sometimes...

Watching that movie was like getting colonic irrigation

....I'll take that on your advise...

Aparently they want to make a second one. Maybe after the success of LotR's they know where they went wrong... or they just want to cash in.

Yeah, and I heard they were considering Paris Hilton for a role in it. (I am not joking.)

Okay ........ so they've not learned their leason, they are indeed just wanting to cash in. Why can't they get someone who knows what they're doing to write and direct it, for crying out loud.

Paris Hilton lives in a fantasy world of her own devising, but not D&D type fantasy. That movie was pretty sad.

Never saw D&D, don't think much of Miss Hilton either... But I have enjoyed a Terry pratchett book. I think they are great when you don't want to get into something serious, and drama filled. Lord knows there is already enough drama in real life. And the books can actualy make you not only laugh out loud but gaffauw enthusiasticaly as well as snort in public.

My 8 year old in currently reading Goblet of fire, it's a little too intimidating for me at the moment, so I'll just get the run down as he reads through it.

I have never read a Harry potter book. There, that little confession feels much better.