In October 2010, she was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors. Rowling has supported multiple charities, including Comic Relief, One Parent Families, and Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, as well as launching her own charity, Lumos.
Introduction
J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling | Introduction
A British writer and philanthropist. A British writer and philanthropist. She is a British writer and philanthropist. She is a British writer and philanthropist
when did jk rowling wrote the harry potter books
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Her debut novel was written between approximately June 1990 and some time in 1995.
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who is j.k. rowling?
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Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British writer and philanthropist. She is best known for writing the "Harry Potter" fantasy series, which has won multiple awards and sold more than 500 million copies, becoming the best-selling book series in history. The books are the basis of a popular film series, over which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts and was a producer on the final films. She also writes crime fiction under the pen name Robert Galbraith. Born in Yate, Gloucestershire, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the "Harry Potter" series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990.
J. K. Rowling | Introduction
Additionally, J. K. Rowling answered questions from an open letter written by the site.
Harry Potter Fan Zone | Overview
In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" which was typed on an old manual typewriter. Upon the enthusiastic response of Bryony Evens, a reader who had been asked to review the book's first three chapters, the Fulham-based Christopher Little Literary Agency agreed to represent Rowling in her quest for a publisher. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript. A year later, she was finally given the green light (and a £1,500 advance) by editor Barry Cunningham from Bloomsbury, a publishing house in London. The decision to publish Rowling's book owes much to Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury's chairman, who was given the first chapter to review by her father and immediately demanded the next.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter"
As a child, Rowling has said her early influences included "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis, "The Little White Horse" by Elizabeth Goudge, and "Manxmouse" by Paul Gallico.
J. K. Rowling | Influences
India Knight, a novelist and columnist for "The Sunday Times", tweeted on 9 July 2013 that she had been reading "The Cuckoo's Calling" and thought it was good for a début novel. In response, a tweeter called Jude Callegari said that the author was Rowling. Knight queried this but got no further reply. Knight notified Richard Brooks, arts editor of "The Sunday Times", who began his own investigation. After discovering that Rowling and Galbraith had the same agent and editor, he sent the books for linguistic analysis which found similarities, and subsequently contacted Rowling's agent who confirmed it was Rowling's pseudonym.
J. K. Rowling | "Cormoran Strike"
In 1982, Rowling took the entrance exams for Oxford University but was not accepted and earned a BA in French and Classics at the University of Exeter. Martin Sorrell, a French professor at Exeter, remembers "a quietly competent student, with a denim jacket and dark hair, who, in academic terms, gave the appearance of doing what was necessary". Rowling recalls doing little work, preferring to read Dickens and Tolkien. After a year of study in Paris, Rowling graduated from Exeter in 1986. In 1988, Rowling wrote a short essay about her time studying Classics titled "What was the Name of that Nymph Again? or Greek and Roman Studies Recalled"; it was published by the University of Exeter's journal "Pegasus".
J. K. Rowling | Education
Harry Potter is a series of novels written by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter may also refer to other parts of the franchise:
Harry Potter (disambiguation) | Introduction
After working as a researcher and bilingual secretary in London for Amnesty International, Rowling moved with her then-boyfriend to Manchester, where she worked at the Chamber of Commerce. In 1990, while she was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry "came fully formed" into her mind. When she had reached her Clapham Junction flat, she began to write immediately. In December, Rowling's mother, Anne, died after ten years suffering from multiple sclerosis. Rowling was writing "Harry Potter" at the time and had never told her mother about it.
J. K. Rowling | Inspiration and mother's death
This is a list of characters in the "Harry Potter" series. They are all characters who have appeared in a "Harry Potter"-related book by J. K. Rowling.
List of Harry Potter characters | Introduction
Rowling also demanded that Coca-Cola, the winner in the race to tie in their products to the film series, donate US$18 million to the American charity Reading Is Fundamental, as well as several community charity programs. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplays for all but the fifth film; Rowling assisted him in the writing process, ensuring that his scripts did not contradict future books in the series. She told Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) certain secrets about their characters before they were revealed in the books. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) asked her if Harry died at any point in the series; Rowling answered him by saying, "You have a death scene", thereby not explicitly answering the question.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter" films
Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, before her remarriage, her name was Joanne Rowling. Her publishers asked that she use two initials rather than her full name, anticipating the possibility of the target audience of young boys not wanting to read a book written by a woman. As she had no middle name, she chose "K" (for Kathleen) as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother. She calls herself Jo. Following her remarriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry, she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling and her entry in "Who's Who" lists her name also as Joanne Kathleen Rowling.
J. K. Rowling | Name
K. Rowling, as well as their film counterparts.
A Very Potter Senior Year | Introduction
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. "Harry Potter" related topics include:
Outline of Harry Potter | Introduction
In 1995 Little received 3 chapters of a manuscript from J. K. Rowling (then known as Joanne Rowling) who was looking for representation. Looking at a list of literary agents she saw the name "Christopher Little" and, believing it to sound like a character in a children's story, sent him the first three chapters of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". Little responded four days later requesting the balance of the book, thinking there was something special about it. Every major UK publisher turned the book down but a small publishing company had just opened a children’s department Bloomsbury Publishing.
Christopher Little Literary Agency | J. K. Rowling
In May 2008, bookseller Waterstones asked Rowling and 12 other writers (Lisa Appignanesi, Margaret Atwood, Lauren Child, Sebastian Faulks, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, Doris Lessing, Michael Rosen, Axel Scheffler, Tom Stoppard and Irvine Welsh) to compose a short piece of their own choosing on a single A5 card, which would then be sold at auction in aid of the charities Dyslexia Action and English PEN. Rowling's contribution was an 800-word "Harry Potter" prequel that concerns Harry's father, James Potter, and godfather, Sirius Black, and takes place three years before Harry was born. The cards were collated and sold for charity in book form in August 2008.
J. K. Rowling | Other philanthropic work
Some have speculated that Rowling's fraught relationship with the press was the inspiration behind the character Rita Skeeter, a gossipy celebrity journalist who first appears in "Goblet of Fire", but Rowling said in 2000 that the character's development predates her rise to fame.
J. K. Rowling | Press
The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband, and relative poverty until the first novel in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was published in 1997. There were six sequels, of which the last was released in 2007. Since then, Rowling has written several books for adult readers: "The Casual Vacancy" (2012) and—under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith—the crime fiction "Cormoran Strike" series. In 2020, her "political fairytale" for children, "The Ickabog", was released in instalments in an online version. Rowling has lived a "rags to riches" life in which she progressed from living on benefits to being named the world's first billionaire author by "Forbes".
J. K. Rowling | Introduction
K. Rowling's Fan Site Award. Rowling said:
The Harry Potter Lexicon | Overview
On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Murray (born 30 June 1971), a Scottish doctor, in a private ceremony at her home, Killiechassie House, in Scotland. Their son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on 24 March 2003. Shortly after Rowling began writing "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", she ceased working on the novel to care for David in his early infancy. Rowling is a friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former prime minister Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project. When Sarah Brown's son Fraser was born in 2003, Rowling was one of the first to visit her in hospital.
J. K. Rowling | Remarriage and family
British author J. K. Rowling did not deliberately name the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from her "Harry Potter" series of books after the hogwort. It was only after the books were published, when a friend reminded her of seeing the plant in the Kew Gardens many years beforehand, that Rowling speculated that the name had remained in her subconscious ever since.
Croton capitatus | In fiction
In December 1999, the third novel, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", won the Smarties Prize, making Rowling the first person to win the award three times running. She later withdrew the fourth "Harry Potter" novel from contention to allow other books a fair chance. In January 2000, "Prisoner of Azkaban" won the inaugural Whitbread Children's Book of the Year award, though it lost the Book of the Year prize to Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf".
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter"
Rowling, once a single parent, is now president of the charity Gingerbread (originally One Parent Families), having become their first Ambassador in 2000. Rowling collaborated with Sarah Brown to write a book of children's stories to aid One Parent Families. In 2001, the UK anti-poverty fundraiser Comic Relief asked three best-selling British authors—cookery writer and TV presenter Delia Smith, "Bridget Jones" creator Helen Fielding, and Rowling—to submit booklets related to their most famous works for publication. Rowling's two booklets, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through the Ages", are ostensibly facsimiles of books found in the Hogwarts library.
J. K. Rowling | Anti-poverty and children's welfare
I never said it was the next thing I'd do." At the end of 2007, Rowling said that the encyclopaedia could take up to ten years to complete. In June 2011, Rowling announced that future "Harry Potter" projects, and all electronic downloads, would be concentrated in a new website, called Pottermore. The site includes 18,000 words of information on characters, places and objects in the "Harry Potter" universe.
J. K. Rowling | Subsequent "Harry Potter" publications
J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter writer, has been parodied several times:
Parodies of Harry Potter | J. K. Rowling parodies
The following fictional characters are staff members and denizens of Hogwarts in the "Harry Potter" books written by J. K. Rowling.
Hogwarts staff | Introduction
There are many fan web sites about "Harry Potter" on the Internet, the oldest ones dating to about 1997 or 1998. J. K. Rowling has an open relationship with her fan base, and since 2004 periodically hands out a "fan site award" on her official web site. The first site to receive the award was Immeritus, a fan site mostly devoted to Sirius Black, and about which Rowling wrote, "I am so proud of the fact that a character, whom I always liked very much, though he never appeared as much more than a brooding presence in the books, has gained a passionate fan-club." In 2004, after Immeritus, Rowling bestowed the honour upon four sites.
Harry Potter fandom | Fan sites
Rowling later said that she based the character of Hermione Granger on herself when she was eleven. Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth, owned a turquoise Ford Anglia which she says inspired a flying version that appeared in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". Like many teenagers, she became interested in rock music, listening to the Clash, the Smiths, and Siouxsie Sioux, adopting the look of the latter with back-combed hair and black eyeliner, a look that she would still sport when beginning university.
J. K. Rowling | Childhood
Rowling's youngest child, daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom she dedicated "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was born on 23 January 2005. In October 2012, a "New Yorker" magazine article stated that the Rowling family lived in a seventeenth-century Edinburgh house, concealed at the front by tall conifer hedges. Prior to October 2012, Rowling lived near the author Ian Rankin, who later said she was quiet and introspective, and that she seemed in her element with children. , the family resides in Scotland.
J. K. Rowling | Remarriage and family
Later, she started to attend a Church of Scotland congregation at the time she was writing "Harry Potter". Her eldest daughter, Jessica, was baptised there. In a 2006 interview with "Tatler", Rowling noted that, "like Graham Greene, my faith is sometimes about if my faith will return. It's important to me." She has said that she has struggled with doubt, that she believes in an afterlife, and that her faith plays a part in her books. In a 2012 radio interview, she said that she was a member of the Scottish Episcopal Church, a province of the Anglican Communion.
J. K. Rowling | Religion
The United Kingdom's domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs formally advised "The Sun" that it was unacceptable "to repeat and magnify the voice of someone who openly admits to violence against a partner". In December 1993, Rowling and her then infant daughter moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to be near Rowling's sister with three chapters of what would become "Harry Potter" in her suitcase. Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as a failure. Her marriage had failed, and she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating and allowing her to focus on writing.
J. K. Rowling | Marriage, divorce, and single parenthood
Other awards include:
J. K. Rowling | Awards and honours
In early March 2008, "The Student" published an interview with JK Rowling, author of the best-selling "Harry Potter" series. Rowling told "The Student" journalist Adeel Amini that she had considered suicide during her mid-20s but that she had overcome depression through counselling. On 23 March, newspapers from around the world, including "USA Today", the British newspaper "The Times", and several major Indian newspapers published the excerpt from Amini's interview.
The Student (newspaper) | JK Rowling interview
In July 2011, Rowling parted company with her agent, Christopher Little, moving to a new agency founded by one of his staff, Neil Blair. On 23 February 2012, his agency, the Blair Partnership, announced on its website that Rowling was set to publish a new book targeted at adults. In a press release, Rowling said that her new book would be quite different from Harry Potter. In April 2012, Little, Brown and Company announced that the book was titled "The Casual Vacancy" and would be released on 27 September 2012. Rowling gave several interviews and made appearances to promote "The Casual Vacancy", including at the London Southbank Centre, the Cheltenham Literature Festival, "Charlie Rose" and the Lennoxlove Book Festival.
J. K. Rowling | "The Casual Vacancy"
In October 2010, she was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors. Rowling has supported multiple charities, including Comic Relief, One Parent Families, and Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, as well as launching her own charity, Lumos.
J. K. Rowling | Introduction
This variation was proposed and then approved by J.K. Rowling.
Harry Potter in translation | Plot points
Harry James Potter is a fictional character and the titular protagonist in J.K. Rowling's series of eponymous novels. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Harry, who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. Thus, he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to practice magic under the guidance of the kindly headmaster Albus Dumbledore and other school professors along with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Harry also discovers that he is already famous throughout the novel's magical community, and that his fate is tied with that of Lord Voldemort – the internationally feared Dark Wizard and murderer of his parents, Lily and James.
Harry Potter (character) | Introduction
The following are supporting characters in the "Harry Potter" series written by J. K. Rowling. For members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, Hogwarts staff, Ministry of Magic, or for Death Eaters, see the respective articles.
List of supporting Harry Potter characters | Introduction
Director Steven Spielberg was approached to direct the first film, but dropped out. The press has repeatedly claimed that Rowling played a role in his departure, but Rowling stated that she had no say in who directed the films and would not have vetoed Spielberg. Rowling's first choice for the director had been Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, but Warner Bros. wanted a family-friendly film and chose Columbus.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter" films
According to Emily Keller, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series shares many similarities with J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Keller says that they both apply the use of an aging wizard mentor (Professor Dumbledore and Gandalf) and a key friendship group is formed to assist the protagonist (an innocent young boy) on their arduous quest to defeat a powerful wizard and to destroy a powerful being.
Intertextuality | Optional
Pottermore Ltd. is the digital publishing, e-commerce, entertainment, and news company from J. K. Rowling and is a global digital publisher of "Harry Potter" and the Wizarding World. It offers news, features, and articles as well as new and previously unreleased writing by J. K. Rowling. The site features Rowling's thoughts, several pages of unpublished text, and a sales resource for e-book and audiobook versions of the seven "Harry Potter" novels. On 31 July 2011, registration for the limited beta release began. The limited release allowed the first million fans registered to complete The Magical Quill challenge. The original registration was intended to be October 2011, but was delayed until 14 April 2012.
Pottermore | Introduction
The British author J. K. Rowling, known for writing "Harry Potter" and other Wizarding World works, has a variety of political views. Rowling stated in 2000 that she is left-wing and said "there is a certain amount of political stuff in ["Harry Potter"]. But I also feel that every reader will bring his own agenda to the book. People who send their children to boarding schools seem to feel that I'm on their side. I'm not. Practicing Wiccans think I'm also a witch. I'm not." In 2002, she said her biggest literary influence was muckraker Jessica Mitford, whom she described as a "self-taught socialist".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Introduction
Her mother's death heavily affected Rowling's writing, and she channelled her own feelings of loss by writing about Harry's own feelings of loss in greater detail in the first book.
J. K. Rowling | Inspiration and mother's death
Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village of Winterbourne when Rowling was four. As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories which she frequently read to her sister. Aged nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great-aunt gave her a copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, "Hons and Rebels." Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling read all of her books. Rowling has said that her teenage years were unhappy. Her home life was complicated by her mother's diagnosis with multiple sclerosis and a strained relationship with her father, with whom she is not on speaking terms.
J. K. Rowling | Childhood
Rowling has said it is unlikely she will write any more books in the "Harry Potter" series. In October 2007, she stated that her future work was unlikely to be in the fantasy genre. On 1 October 2010, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rowling stated a new book on the saga might happen. In 2007, Rowling stated that she planned to write an encyclopaedia of "Harry Potter"s wizarding world consisting of various unpublished material and notes. Any profits from such a book would be given to charity. During a news conference at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre in 2007, Rowling, when asked how the encyclopaedia was coming along, said, "It's not coming along, and I haven't started writing it.
J. K. Rowling | Subsequent "Harry Potter" publications
The Harry Potter book series by JK Rowling has resulted in numerous controversies over its publication and content, primarily in the realms of law and religion. For further information see:
Controversy over the Harry Potter series | Introduction
Within days of Rowling being revealed as the author, sales of the book rose by 4,000%, and Little Brown printed another 140,000 copies to meet the increase in demand. , a signed copy of the first edition sold for US$4,453 (£2,950), while an unsold signed first-edition copy was being offered for $6,188 (£3,950).
J. K. Rowling | "Cormoran Strike"
Any new works taking place in this universe are released under the "J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World" brand.
Fictional universe of Harry Potter | Introduction
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people). Since the release of the first novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", on 26 June 1997, the books have found immense popularity, positive reviews and commercial success worldwide.
Harry Potter | Introduction
Deathly Hallows or "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is a novel by J. K. Rowling. Deathly Hallows may also refer to:
Deathly Hallows (disambiguation) | Introduction
In 1990, Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry suddenly "fell into her head". Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website saying: Rowling completed "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in 1995 and the manuscript was sent off to several prospective agents. The second agent she tried, Christopher Little, offered to represent her and sent the manuscript to Bloomsbury.
Harry Potter | Origins
While she points out "as her critics say, Rowling is no Dickens", she says that Rowling "has willed into a fictional being, in every book, legions of new characters, places, spells, rules and scores of unimagined twists and subplots".
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Critical response
In 2007, during the Edinburgh Book Festival, author Ian Rankin claimed that his wife spotted Rowling "scribbling away" at a detective novel in a café. Rankin later retracted the story, claiming it was a joke, but the rumour persisted, with a report in 2012 in "The Guardian" speculating that Rowling's next book would be a crime novel. In an interview with Stephen Fry in 2005, Rowling had claimed that she would much prefer to write any subsequent books under a pseudonym, but had previously conceded to Jeremy Paxman in 2003 that if she did, the press would probably "find out in seconds".
J. K. Rowling | "Cormoran Strike"
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a novel by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone may also refer to:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (disambiguation) | Introduction
John Lawrence Nettleship (1 August 1939 – 12 March 2011) was a British schoolteacher who taught chemistry at Wyedean School, Gloucestershire. His pupils there included Joanne Rowling, whose mother worked for some time as an assistant in his department. He has been stated to be a major inspiration for the character of Severus Snape in Rowling's "Harry Potter" series of fantasy novels.
John Nettleship | Introduction
Above all, believers are called to love, even at the highest cost." In a 1999 interview with Rowling, "The Guardian Unlimited"s Joanna Carey said, "JK Rowling is every bit as witty and subversive as you'd expect. Rowling described her admiration of Jessica Mitford since age 14, her time at Exeter University "not quite the chance to be the 'radical' I planned", and said the later books dealing with Harry's hormones, and deaths would be unlike other children's series like the Famous Five. Carey suggested a parallel between Harry Potter and Prince Harry which Rowling laughs off saying a friend said never let the press make you discuss the royal family." James Morone, a political science professor at Brown University, wrote in the liberal "American Prospect" in 2001, "Magical headmaster Albus Dumbledore practically awards bonus points for breaking rules.
Politics of Harry Potter | Subversive and anarchistic message
Over the years, some religious people, particularly Christians, have decried Rowling's books for supposedly promoting witchcraft. Rowling identifies as a Christian. She once said, "I believe in God, not magic." Early on and in response to the criticism, she felt that if readers knew of her Christian beliefs they would be able to predict plot lines of characters in her books. In 2007, Rowling said she was the only one in her family who went regularly to church and that she was an adherent of the Church of England. As a student, she became annoyed at the "smugness of religious people" and attended less often.
J. K. Rowling | Religion
K. Rowling during her cross-Britain train trip to promote "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
Hot Type | Introduction
Other authors besides J.K. Rowling whose works they have published are Wim de Bie, Jan Blokker, Hugo Brandt Corstius, Arjan Ederveen, Karel Eykman, Jonas Geirnaert, Elma van Haren, Elke Heidenreich, Willem Frederik Hermans, Judith Herzberg, Isol, Freek de Jonge, Kamagurka, Hanco Kolk, Kees van Kooten, Kim van Kooten, Gerrit Kouwenaar, Jhumpa Lahiri, David Leavitt, Nicolaas Matsier, Colum McCann, Ian McEwan, Rebecca Miller, Joshua Mowll, Carel Peeters, Daniel Pennac, Ethel Portnoy, Frederick Reiken, Keith Ridgway, Jess Row, Wim T. Schippers, Herr Seele, Tom Sharpe, Posy Simmonds, Matthew Skelton, Ronald Snijders, Art Spiegelman, Peter van Straaten, Joost Swarte, Jacques Tardi, Stefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson, Oyvind Torseter, Henny Vrienten, Elly de Waard, Wallace & Gromit, Ursus Wehrli, Micha Wertheim, and Peter de Wit.
Uitgeverij De Harmonie | Introduction
K. Rowling decided on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
Sambucus | In popular culture
K. Rowling identified "The Little White Horse" as one of her favourite books and one of few with direct influence on the "Harry Potter" series.
Elizabeth Goudge | Introduction
Although Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book, Cunningham says that he advised Rowling to get a day job, since she had little chance of making money in children's books. Soon after, in 1997, Rowling received an £8,000 grant from the Scottish Arts Council to enable her to continue writing. In June 1997, Bloomsbury published "Philosopher's Stone" with an initial print run of 1,000 copies, 500 of which were distributed to libraries. Today, such copies are valued between £16,000 and £25,000. Five months later, the book won its first award, a Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. In February, the novel won the British Book Award for Children's Book of the Year and, later, the Children's Book Award.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter"
She later discovered the truth when featured in an episode of the UK genealogy series "Who Do You Think You Are?" in which she found out it was a different Louis Volant who won the Legion of Honour. When she heard her grandfather's story of bravery and discovered that the War Cross was for "ordinary" soldiers like her grandfather, who had been a waiter, she stated the War Cross was "better" to her than the Legion of Honour.
J. K. Rowling | Birth and family
"Harry Potter" series by J. K. Rowling Other books (partial list):
Gili Bar-Hillel | Translated books
Hermione Jean Granger is a Muggle-born Gryffindor, who becomes best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. J.K. Rowling states that she was born on 19 September 1979 and she was nearly twelve when she first attended Hogwarts. She is an overachiever who excels academically and is described by J.K Rowling as a "very logical, upright and good" character. J.K. Rowling adds that Hermione's parents, two Muggle dentists, are a bit bemused by their odd daughter but "very proud of her all the same." They are well aware of the wizarding world and have visited Diagon Alley with her. Hermione was originally intended to have a sister, but the planned sibling did not make an appearance in the first "Harry Potter" novel and, as Rowling noted, it "seemed too late" to introduce the character after all of that.
Hermione Granger | Character development
In early 1998, an auction was held in the United States for the rights to publish the novel, and was won by Scholastic Inc., for US$105,000. Rowling said that she "nearly died" when she heard the news. In October 1998, Scholastic published "Philosopher's Stone" in the US under the title of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", a change Rowling says she now regrets and would have fought if she had been in a better position at the time. Rowling moved from her flat with the money from the Scholastic sale, into 19 Hazelbank Terrace in Edinburgh. Its sequel, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 and again Rowling won the Smarties Prize.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter"
An advertisement in "The Guardian" led Rowling to move to Porto, Portugal, to teach English as a foreign language. She taught at night and began writing in the day while listening to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. After 18 months in Porto, she met Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes in a bar and found they shared an interest in Jane Austen. They married on 16 October 1992 and their child, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford), was born on 27 July 1993 in Portugal. Rowling had previously suffered a miscarriage. The couple separated on 17 November 1993. Biographers have suggested that Rowling suffered domestic abuse during her marriage, which was later confirmed by Rowling herself, and by her first husband, who, in an article for "The Sun" in June 2020, said he had slapped her and did not regret it.
J. K. Rowling | Marriage, divorce, and single parenthood
K. Rowling and Lemn Sissay.
Society of Authors | History
Rowling was critical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | UK politics
Hosted by Katy McDaniel, a history professor at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, and the Hogwarts Professor, John Granger, Reading, Writing, Rowling had its first episode on August 14, 2017. This monthly podcast is dedicated to discussing literary and other scholarly topics surrounding the "Harry Potter" books, as well as J.K. Rowling's other works. Each episode focuses on a different topic and features a guest who is a prominent researcher, teacher, scholar, or writer.
MuggleNet | "Reading, Writing, Rowling"
Rowling completed the book while staying at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh in January 2007, and left a signed statement on a marble bust of Hermes in her room which read: "J. K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11 January 2007". In a statement on her website, she said, "I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric." She compared her mixed feelings to those expressed by Charles Dickens in the preface of the 1850 edition of "David Copperfield", "a two-years' imaginative task".
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Rowling on finishing the book
A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Rowling has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate in jurisprudence from Southern Methodist University.
Robert Rowling | Early life
David Yates directed, and Michael Goldenberg wrote the screenplay, having taken over the position from Steve Kloves. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was released on 15 July 2009. David Yates directed again, and Kloves returned to write the script. Warner Bros. filmed the final instalment of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", in two segments, with part one being released on 19 November 2010 and part two being released on 15 July 2011. Yates directed both films. Warner Bros. took considerable notice of Rowling's desires when drafting her contract. One of her principal stipulations was the films be shot in Britain with an all-British cast, which has been generally adhered to.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter" films
Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon is a 2008 book by writer and webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron, Melissa Anelli. The book describes the "Harry Potter" phenomenon in detail. The book was published on November 4, 2008, by Pocket Books, and debuted at #18 on "The New York Times" paperback bestseller list. Notably, the book features exclusive interview material and insights from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who also wrote the foreword.
Harry, A History | Introduction
Rowling has named civil rights activist Jessica Mitford as her greatest influence. She said "Jessica Mitford has been my heroine since I was 14 years old, when I overheard my formidable great-aunt discussing how Mitford had run away at the age of 19 to fight with the Reds in the Spanish Civil War", and claims what inspired her about Mitford was that she was "incurably and instinctively rebellious, brave, adventurous, funny and irreverent, she liked nothing better than a good fight, preferably against a pompous and hypocritical target". Rowling has described Jane Austen as her favourite author, calling "Emma" her favourite book in "O, The Oprah Magazine".
J. K. Rowling | Influences
John Granger is a speaker and writer whose principal focus is the intersection of literature, faith and culture. He is most well known as the author of several books analysing J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels. He writes a weblog called "Hogwarts Professor," and contributes to podcasts on "Mugglenet."
John Granger | Introduction
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the "Harry Potter" series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Introduction
The Ickabog is a fairy tale by British author J. K. Rowling. The story was published in installments by Rowling online, before its official publication in November 2020. "The Ickabog" is Rowling's first children's book since "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was published in 2007.
The Ickabog | Introduction
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a novel by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire may also refer to:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (disambiguation) | Introduction
After eight other publishers had rejected "Philosopher's Stone", Bloomsbury offered Rowling a £2,500 advance for its publication. Despite Rowling's statement that she did not have any particular age group in mind when beginning to write the "Harry Potter" books, the publishers initially targeted children aged nine to eleven. On the eve of publishing, Rowling was asked by her publishers to adopt a more gender-neutral pen name in order to appeal to the male members of this age group, fearing that they would not be interested in reading a novel they knew to be written by a woman. She elected to use J.
Harry Potter | Publishing history
As a child, Rowling attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the "Harry Potter" headmaster Albus Dumbledore. She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother worked in the science department. Steve Eddy, her first secondary school English teacher, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English". Rowling took A-levels in English, French and German, achieving two As and a B and was head girl.
J. K. Rowling | Education
They too saw the potential and bought UK Commonwealth publication rights in 1996 for one book for £2,500, a small figure but he believed it to be his "masterstroke". The US rights for one book in the United States subsequently went to auction after word of mouth and positive reviews raised significant interest in the property which went for a six figure sum. Foreign language publication rights were subsequently sold in over 80 languages. In 2007 he was estimated to have received at least £50m from the franchise. Little has been called "the luckiest agent ever" and is credited with turning Rowling into a "literary superstar".
Christopher Little Literary Agency | J. K. Rowling
J. K. (Joanne) Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, was Head Girl in 1982. Her mother, Anne Rowling, had worked there as a technician in the Science Department from 1978. During July 2006, the school library was dedicated to J. K. Rowling. Although she has made it clear that she did not always enjoy her time at Wyedean, citing teachers and loneliness, her website states that she and her sister "both loved their school days" there. She has stated that the character of Professor Snape was partly based on a chemistry master who taught at the school, understood to be John Nettleship.
Wyedean School | Notable alumni
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide is an e-book written by J. K. Rowling, a guide to Hogwarts and its secrets. It was released on 6 September 2016 in several languages at the same time.
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide | Introduction
J. K. Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" series, tweeted her condolences upon learning of César's murder, writing:
Caio César | Tributes
To further support the CHLG, Rowling auctioned one of seven handwritten and illustrated copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", a series of fairy tales referred to in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". The book was purchased for £1.95 million by online bookseller Amazon.com on 13 December 2007, becoming the most expensive modern book ever sold at auction. Rowling gave away the remaining six copies to those who have a close connection with the "Harry Potter" books. In 2008, Rowling agreed to publish the book with the proceeds going to Lumos. On 1 June 2010 (International Children's Day), Lumos launched an annual initiative—"Light a Birthday Candle for Lumos".
J. K. Rowling | Anti-poverty and children's welfare
In June 2007, the Anglican Church published "Mixing it up with Harry Potter", a 48-page book designed to use parallels from the novels to teach the faith to 9–13-year-olds. The author of the book, Kent youth worker Owen Smith, argued that, "These sessions draw parallels between events in the world of Harry and his friends, and the world in which we are seeking to proclaim the gospel to young people [...] To say, as some have, that these books draw younger readers towards the occult seems to me both to malign J. K. Rowling and to vastly underestimate the ability of children and young people to separate the real from the imaginary."
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series | Anglicanism
Author J.K. Rowling used the word in the third installment of her Harry Potter novel, "The Prisoner of Azkaban", leading to a growing use of the otherwise seldom heard term.
Wangler | Harry Potter and resurgence
Since the 1997 publication (and subsequent success) of the first book in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, fans of "The Books of Magic" have noted some similarities between the two protagonists: both are normal, bespectacled teenage boys who have lost their mothers, and discover that they are destined to become powerful magicians while gaining an owl as a pet. The similarity was noted by a journalist from "The Scotsman" newspaper, who asked Gaiman if he thought Rowling was aware of his 1990 comic, to which Gaiman replied that he "wasn't the first writer to create a young magician with potential, nor was Rowling the first to send one to school".
Timothy Hunter | Comparisons to Harry Potter
Rowling's "Harry Potter" books in 2010.
Raincoast Books | Raincoast Publishing
In October 1998, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the first two novels for a seven-figure sum. A film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was released on 16 November 2001, and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on 15 November 2002. Both films were directed by Chris Columbus. The film version of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was released on 4 June 2004, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The fourth film, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", was directed by Mike Newell, and released on 18 November 2005. The film of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was released on 11 July 2007.
J. K. Rowling | "Harry Potter" films
Rowling, such as Professor Umbridge's backstory, the mystery of Thestrals, and even the history of the Ministry of Magic.
Pottermore | "Order of the Phoenix"
The village was the childhood home, from the age of nine in 1974, of the author J. K. Rowling. She attended Tutshill Church of England Primary School before moving on at the age of eleven to the nearby Wyedean School in Sedbury. Her childhood home, Church Cottage, a mid-19th century Gothic-style Grade II listed building designed by the architect Henry Woodyer, was put up for sale in 2011. The character Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" books was partly based on Sylvia Morgan, a teacher at her primary school, and on one of her teachers at Wyedean School, John Nettleship.
Tutshill | J. K. Rowling
The "Wall Street Journal" wrote an article on 23 October 2009 asking whether James could be 'The Next JK Rowling.' It also said, of Beautiful Malice, that it 'isn't merely to be published, but has become a publishing phenomenon that is sparking an aggressive bidding war worldwide.' In April 2010, "The Bookseller" ran an interview with James, in which the interviewer describes the novel as having 'strong international appeal.'
Rebecca James (author) | Pre-publication media interest
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling
National Book Awards Children's Book of the Year | 1998
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a made-for-TV film starring actress Poppy Montgomery. It is based on the book "J.K. Rowling A Biography", by Sean Smith, detailing the journey of struggling single mother J. K. Rowling, her bid to become a published author, and her rise to fame that followed the publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". The film, shot in British Columbia, Canada, aired on Lifetime on July 18, 2011.
Magic Beyond Words | Introduction
J. K. Rowling has repeatedly denied that her books lead children into witchcraft. In an interview with CNN in 1999, she said, I absolutely did not start writing these books to encourage any child into witchcraft. I'm laughing slightly because to me, the idea is absurd. I have met thousands of children and not even one time has a child come up to me and said, "Ms Rowling, I'm so glad I've read these books because now I want to be a witch." In an interview on the "Donny & Marie Show" in 1999, Rowling said that "You have a perfect right, of course, as every parent does, and I'm a parent, to decide what your child is exposed to.
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series | Rowling's response
The photo which was taken by a photographer using a long-range lens, was then published in a "Sunday Express" article featuring Rowling's family life and motherhood. The judgement was overturned in David's favour in May 2008. Rowling particularly dislikes the British tabloid the "Daily Mail", which has conducted several interviews with her estranged ex-husband. As one journalist noted, "Harry's Uncle Vernon is a grotesque philistine of violent tendencies and remarkably little brain. It is not difficult to guess which newspaper Rowling gives him to read [in "Goblet of Fire"]." In 2014, she successfully sued the "Mail" for libel over an article about her time as a single mother.
J. K. Rowling | Press
Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, the daughter of science technician Anne (née Volant) and Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer Peter James Rowling. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. One of Rowling's maternal great-grandfathers, Dugald Campbell, was a Scottish man from Lamlash. Her mother's French paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the War Cross for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during World War I. Rowling originally believed Volant had won the Legion of Honour during the war, as she said when she received it herself in 2009.
J. K. Rowling | Birth and family
Rowling, who considers Mitford her heroine, named her Harry Potter character Dobby the house elf after encountering the name Dobby in Mitford's works. Walker was widowed in 1951, and remarried in 1952, thereby acquiring the additional surname "Roberson".
Dobby Walker | Background
"Krindlekrax" was one of the books featured and appeared alongside such classics as Roald Dahl's "Matilda" and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".
Krindlekrax | Introduction