JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series while living in poverty with her daughter. The first book was initially rejected by publishers but went on to become a huge success, making Rowling one of the most popular children’s authors ever. The series has become progressively darker, with the sixth book ending in the death of a beloved character. Rowling has been involved in the film adaptations but serious fans often find them lacking. She is currently writing the seventh and final book in the series.
JK Rowling is the beloved British author of the Harry Potter book series. His rise to fame has a touch of magic, as he composed much of his early work, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone in poverty, often planning his chapters in cafés near his tiny Edinburgh flat, where he lived with her daughter, Jessica.
Before Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books, her life was one of struggles and defeats. Her mother died in 1990 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Her first marriage, to Jorje Arrantes in 1992, ended just over a year later. She met Arrantes while she was teaching English in Portugal, but she moved back to Scotland after their divorce. Unable to find work, Rowling struggled to support herself and her daughter on state aid. Her financial condition would not change until the late 1990s, when the Harry Potter series exceeded all expectations for success.
Aided by a grant from the Scottish Arts Council, Rowling was able to complete her first novel, but initial encouragement from publishers was virtually non-existent. She was told to find a day job and the British publisher, Bloomsbury, only published the first 1,000 copies of the novel, titled in the UK as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Within a year and a half of its publication in 1997, the novel earned its first award, the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. A few months later, it received the British Book Award for best children’s book of the year. In 1998, Scholastic bought the publishing rights and Rowling, now in her third installment in the series, was enjoying great success.
The popularity of the series has made Rowling the most popular children’s author ever. Interest in adult and children’s books has created a resurgence of avid reading among younger children eager for the next installment of Harry’s adventures. Her estimated wealth from the publication of the six books so far, as well as her work on the four Harry Potter films, is around half a billion British pounds (GBP), or just over a billion US dollars (USD).
The novels have become progressively darker in tone as Harry has aged. The sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, ends with the death of a beloved character. Younger readers were quite devastated by the ending, which is both disturbing and tragic. Although the books are considered children’s fare, parents should probably read them first to determine their suitability for their children.
The film adaptations have been positively reviewed, but often leave Harry Potter fans unsatisfied as important details are omitted or changed. Rowling was significantly involved in all aspects of the filming, approving the adaptations, but serious fans often find the films a pale imitation of the novels. Movies tend to sacrifice the humorous elements of novels, instead focusing on the various mysteries that Harry, Ron, and Hermione have to solve. The fourth film, which scored PG-13 for violence, is considered the best film to date, because it deftly mixes humor and suspense.
Rowling was encouraged to use her initials rather than her first name Joanne, because it was thought her books would appeal primarily to young boys who might not read the book if it were known to be written by a woman. To her closest friends she is known as Jo. Her Her Life Her Life from the success of her novels has a fairytale quality to it, which she often says she finds hard to believe.
Queen Elizabeth II honored Rowling in 2000 by making her an Officer of the British Empire. She remarried in 2001, to Dr. Neil Murray, with whom she has two sons, David and Mackenzie. In her public life, she devotes time to causes dear to her, including alleviating world poverty, supporting Amnesty International, and funding research toward a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Rowling is currently hard at work writing the seventh and final Harry Potter book, although she may publish an encyclopedia of Harry Potter terms at a later date. Millions of fans eagerly await the culmination of this delightful series, even as some fans mourn the fact that the end of Harry’s story is in sight.
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