A Guardian critic called Terry Pratchett 'mediocre' and people are NOT happy

Jonathan Jones has got himself into a lot of trouble with Discworld fans.

A Guardian critic called Terry Pratchett 'mediocre' and people are NOT happy

"Get real. Terry Pratchett is not a literary genius"

That's the headline of a pretty brutal piece in today's Guardian by art critic Jonathan Jones on Terry Pratchett's skill as a writer. It's managed to do the impossible - unite the internet.

The much-loved author died in March of this year after a well-documented battle with Alzheimer's. His final novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published on August 27.

Here's the kicker - Jones actually hasn't read any of Pratchett's books but still felt qualified to offer his option on the quality of the writing.

"I have never read a single one of his books and I never plan to. Life’s too short.

"No offence, but Pratchett is so low on my list of books to read before I die that I would have to live a million years before getting round to him. I did flick through a book by him in a shop, to see what the fuss is about, but the prose seemed very ordinary."

He goes on to discuss why people should read what he considers "actual literature" - in his opinion, that means Jane Austen and Charles Bukowski - before finishing up by saying that "it’s time we stopped this pretence that mediocrity is equal to genius".

In what is possibly the first instance of this, Twitter (including many of Jones' colleagues from the Guardian) was unanimous in defending Pratchett and slamming Jones, not only for his failure to actually read any of Pratchett's work before critiquing it but also for the insensitivity of the piece given the author's recent passing.

We'll just leave this quote from Terry Pratchett himself here:

“It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it.”

more courts articles

Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman
Coronation Street actor William Roache (91) given three months to settle tax debt Coronation Street actor William Roache (91) given three months to settle tax debt

More in this section

Smartwatch with health app. Glowing neon icon on brick wall background Health watch: How much health data is healthy? 
Cork's wild salmon warrior Sally Ferns Barnes looks to the future Cork's wild salmon warrior Sally Ferns Barnes looks to the future
(C)2024 Disney. Disneyland Paris – Disneyland Hotel Re-Opening Watch: Iconic Disneyland Paris hotel re-opens after two year renovation
ieParenting Logo
Writers ieParenting

Our team of experts are on hand to offer advice and answer your questions here

Your digital cookbook

ieStyle Live 2021 Logo
ieStyle Live 2021 Logo

IE Logo
Outdoor Trails

Discover the great outdoors on Ireland's best walking trails

IE Logo
Outdoor Trails

Lifestyle
Newsletter

The best food, health, entertainment and lifestyle content from the Irish Examiner, direct to your inbox.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited