Araucaria - Sad News

[kayakamina]

The brilliant Guardian setter has used his crossword today to announce that he
terminal cancer.

I have been wrestling with his puzzles for years and he has given me a great deal
of enjoyment (and frustration) and I wish him well in whatever time he has
left.

[mallyh]

such a cruel illness lost my dad and quite a few family members to it ,so i feel really sad when i read about other people having to cope with this

[mazie]

That's really sad K.

[catsrcool]

I agree terrible news it will be a sad day when we are not able to do any more of his crosswords.

[slaney]

That is sad K - do I understand he actually worked the news into the crossword? That takes some doing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/cryptic/25842

[kayakamina]

Hi slaney

Yes he did. Typical of the man!

[ichkeria]

At least he has had a very long life and the satisfaction of knowing he has brought delight - and frustration - to millions over the years

[Ronnie10]

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention kayakamina.

I actually heard this first from fifteensquared but didn't know what to make of it as a link wasn't supplied.

It really is a sad day and my condolences to his family and his many friends and followers.

[Kiki-frog]

That's sad news. I didn't realise he was still setting crosswords for the Guardian. My late mum was a great fan of his, and she passed away 12 years ago

[Iluvspikey]

This has been known for some time now in the subscription crossword publications, such a shame. He's in his 90's - just shows how good his brain still is.

[maurice]

Simply the best! I've "known" him for decades, and he's just unbeatable in my opinion. That sort nof news is always terrible: I received it myself a few years ago, but was "saved" for the time being. I'm sure it will help him a little to know-through this medium too-that his genius has always been (& indeed always will be) so appreciated by so many people.All I can do now is download the latest, enjoy it, & hope for the best. A sad day for all of us.

[humbersloop]

very very sad news

[Johnh42]

Very sad news, but what a wonderful way of giving the news in a crossword and including merriment in it. Hope it's not the Rev's last.

[maurice]

I hope this will not be regarded as tactless: on the contrary I suspect A. himself either was then or is now aware of the irony (or was it really coincidence?) --- Guardian Cryptic No 25,597, published getting on for a year ago, contained the signs of the zodiac omitting "Cancer". Am I reading too much into this fact, or was it perhaps even partly intended as a hint? Don't want to create a myth, but thought after mature reflection I could at least remark on the fact, whether it has any significance or not.

[Obscurantist]

The best crossword setter ever IMO. Christmas, Easter and the August Bank Holiday won't be the same without his jumbos when he finally hangs up his pen.

I hope he knows how many people have appreciated his talents over the years.

[Prudie]

That is sad, he was the only setter I 'knew', absolutely the best for the Guardian prize on Saturdays. Haven't done it for a long time but it used to be the highlight of my weekend. Hope he doesn't suffer too much.

[Flyhalf]

This is weird. Somehow - and I can't explain this - I got the impression he had died last year, and each time another of his puzzles came out, I wondered when they would run out.
Well, let's hope he stays with us for some time to come.

[maimai]

Every Sat OH and I have coffee (he works nights so its our first proper time together in the week).
He takes the Review and passes me the main paper folded over to the crossword. He knows if its A it means a smile on my face and then he's on cooking and washing up duty for the weekend while I tend to more important business of trying to meet the needs of the other man in my life.
This man is a legend and I am hopeing he is reading all of the comments on this and the Guardian site showign how much joy he brings.
Had to actually stop the croszzie on tube this morning as though I would slobber.

[sunny-dave]

Sad news indeed.

The best of the daily cryptic setters and a part of my crosswording life for decades ... I hope that there are still a few more miles in the tank.

[maurice]

The French media are now catching up with this story (Figaro, France Inter this morning). I notice the French have one word for the setters (verbicrucistes) & one for the solvers (cruciverbistes). Isn't it time Chambers & so on took over an anglicized version of the first?After all, the cryptic crossword mania has always flourished principally (if not exclusively) in Anglo-Saxon cultures! Here in France there is hardly a cryptic worth its name, & in Germany the situation is only a little better, as far as I can see! We shouldn't then let them overtake us on the vocabulary front!

[LochNessMonster]

Sad news, however was just wondering, will he be buried 6 down 3 across ?