JK is the artistic pseudonym Joanne Jo Rowling ( Gloucestershire , 31 of July of 1965 ), novelist British mainly known as the creator of the book series Harry Potter .
The Harry Potter books have attracted attention around the world, won multiple awards and sold more than 450 million copies.
In addition to writing these novels, Rowling is equally famous for her story of having gone from lowly status to being a multimillionaire in just five years. A 2008 edition of the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling’s fortune at 560 million pounds, making her the twelfth richest woman in Britain. Forbes ranked Rowling 40th on its list of the most powerful celebrities of 2007 , and Time magazine selected her as “Person of the Year” in the same year, highlighting the social, moral and political inspiration she has given to celebrities. Harry Potter characters. She has become a notable philanthropist, supporting charities such as “Comic Relief,” “One Parent Families,” and ” Multiple Sclerosis. Society of Great Britain ”.
Name
Although she writes under the pseudonym “JK Rowling”, her name at the time of the first Harry Potter book was simply “Joanne Rowling.” Before publishing the book, his publishing firm, Bloomsbury , feared that the audience of young boys would be reluctant to buy books written by a woman. Therefore, they required Rowling to use two initials instead of revealing her first name. Since she has no middle name, she chose the letter K for Kathleen as the second initial of her pseudonym, derived from her paternal grandmother’s name. The name Kathleen has never been part of her real name. After her marriage, she often uses the name Joanne Murray when conducting private affairs. She calls herself “Jo”, saying”Nobody called me ‘Joanne’ when I was a child, unless they were mad at me . “
Biography
Early years
Rowling was born on 31 of July of 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England , daughter of Peter James Rowling and Anne Rowling (whose maiden name was Volant). Her sister Dianne (Di) was born in their home on June 28 , 1967 when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby town of Winterbourne when Rowling was four years old. He attended St Michael’s Elementary School, an establishment founded approximately two hundred years ago by the famous abolitionist William Wilberforce and activist Hannah More. His first director at St. Michael’s, Alfred Dunn, is believed to have been the inspiration for the Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore.
As a child, Rowling enjoyed writing fantastic stories, which she often related to her sister. “I can still remember when I told her a story in which she fell into a hutch and was fed strawberries by the family of rabbits that lived there,” recalls Joanne. “The first story I ever wrote (when I was five or six years old) was about a rabbit named Rabbit. He had measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee named Miss Bee .
At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Tutshill, in Gloucestershire, near Chepstow, Wales . As a teenager, his great-aunt gave him an old copy of Jessica Mitford’s autobiography , Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling’s heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.
He completed his secondary studies at the Wyedean School. Rowling has said of her adolescence “Hermione is loosely based on me. It’s a caricature of myself when I was eleven years old, although I’m not particularly proud of it . ” Sean Harris, his best friend in the Upper Sixth, was the owner of a turquoise Ford Anglia, which served as the inspiration for a car featured in one of his books. “Ron Weasley is not a living portrait of Sean, but the truth is very similar . ” Of his musical tastes of the time, he has said “My favorite band in the world is The Smiths. And when I went through a more punk stage, it was The Clash ». Rowling applied for a degree in French and Classical Philology at the University of Exeter, which she describes as “a bit surprising” as she “expected to be among lots of the same people: to share her radical thoughts . ” Once he made friends in college, he says he started enjoying it. After a year of studies in Paris , Rowling moved to London to work as a bilingual researcher and secretary for Amnesty International .
Beginning of his career
In 1990, while traveling on a four-hour delayed train from Manchester to London, the idea of a school of wizards arose in his mind, fully formed. I don’t know where the idea came from. It started with Harry, and then all the characters and situations popped into my head. ”When he got to his apartment in Clapham Junction, he immediately started writing.
In December of the same year (1990), Rowling’s mother passed away, after a ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis . Rowling commented ‘I was writing Harry Potter at the time my mother died. I could never speak to him about Harry Potter. Rowling said this passing deeply affected her writing work, and that she included much more detail about the loss of Harry in the first book, because she knew how he felt.
Rowling then moved to Porto , Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. While there, the 16 as October as 1992 , married journalist Jorge Arantes Portuguese. Their daughter, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford), was born on July 27 , 1993 in Portugal. The couple separated in November of the same year. In December 1994 , Rowling and her daughter moved to be closer to her sister in Edinburgh ( Scotland). During this period, Rowling suffered from clinical depression, and contemplated suicide. It was the feeling of his illness that gave him the idea of Dementors, the soulless creatures that appear in Harry Potter .
Out of a job and living off state benefits, Rowling completed her first novel by writing in various cafes, especially the Nicolson, each time she managed to make Jessica fall asleep. In an interview with the BBC in 2001 , Rowling denied the rumor that he wrote in local cafés to escape from her unheated flat, stating: “I’m not stupid enough to rent an unheated flat in Edinburgh in midwinter. My apartment had heating. Instead, she stated that one of the reasons she wrote in cafes was because taking her baby for a walk was the best way to put her to sleep.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter books
In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.on an old typewriter. Faced with the enthusiastic response from Bryony Evans, a reader who had been commissioned to review the first three chapters of the book, Christopher Little Literary Agents agreed to represent Rowling in her search for a publisher. The book was sent to twelve publishers, who rejected the manuscript. A year later, he finally received approval (and a £ 1,500 advance) from publisher Barry Cunningham for Bloomsbury, a small British publisher in London, England. The decision to publish Rowling’s book is apparently made by Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of the Bloomsbury president, who received the first chapter for review and immediately requested the second. Although while Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book,Cunningham says that she suggested Rowling get a job, as she believed she had little chance of making money from children’s books. Soon after, in 1997, Rowling received an £ 8000 grant from the Scottish Arts Council to enable her to continue writing. The following spring an auction was held in theUnited States for the rights to publish the novel, which was won by Scholastic Inc. for $ 105,000. Rowling said she “almost died” when she heard the news.
In June 1997, Bloomsbury published The Philosopher’s Stone in a thousand copies in print, five hundred of which were distributed in libraries. Following the worldwide success of the books, those copies went on to be worth between £ 16,000 and £ 25,000. Five months later, the book won its first award, the Nestlé Children’s Book Award. In February , the novel won the prestigious British Book Award, in the Children’s Book of the Year category, and later, the Best Children’s Book Award. Its sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998. In October 1998, Scholastic published The Philosopher’s Stone in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: A Change Rowling has regretted, as she stated that she would have fought more for keep the title if he had been in a better position.
In December 1999, the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , won the Best Children’s Book Award, making Rowling the first person to win the award three times. Later, he delayed the release of the fourth Harry Potter novel to allow the other books to be appreciated by the public. In January 2000, The Prisoner of Azkaban won the Whitbread Award for Children’s Book of the Year, although it lost the Book of the Year award to Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf .
The fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , was released simultaneously in the United Kingdom and the United States on July 8, 2000, and broke sales records in both countries. Approximately 372,775 copies of the book were sold on its first day in Britain, almost equaling the number of copies of The Prisoner of Azkaban sold during its first year on sale. In the United States, the book sold three million copies in its first 48 hours, shaking all records for book sales. Rowling admitted that she went through a moment of crisis while writing the novel;«When I was in the middle of the room, I realized that there was a serious flaw in the plot … I went through one of my darkest moments with this book … I rewrote a chapter thirteen times, although no one who has read it You can tell what the chapter was or how difficult it was to create it . ” Rowling was named Writer of the Year at the 2000 British Awards.
There was a three-year wait between the release of The Goblet of Fire and the fifth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . This gap led the press to speculate that Rowling had developed “writer’s block,” which she fervently denied. Rowling later admitted that writing the book had been like an annoying chore at home. I think The Order of the Phoenix could have been shorter. I knew that, and I ran out of time or energy when I got to the end .
The sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , was released on July 16, 2005. It also broke sales records, selling nine million copies in its first 24 hours on the market. As he wrote, he told a fan “the sixth book has been planned for years, but before I seriously started writing it I spent two months rechecking the sketches and fully making sure I knew what I was doing.”He posted on his website that the first chapter of the sixth book, which is based on a conversation between the Minister for Magic and the British Prime Minister, was originally going to be the first chapter of The Philosopher’s Stone, after The Chamber of Secrets. and later from The Prisoner of Azkaban. In 2006, The Half-Blood Prince received the Best Book of the Year award at the Best British Book Awards.
The title of the seventh and final Harry Potter book was revealed on December 21, 2006: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . In February 2007 it was reported that Rowling wrote in her room at the Balmoral Hotel, in Edinburgh , that this was the place where she had finished writing the seventh book, on January 11of the same year. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released on July 21, 2007 and broke the record of its predecessor, becoming the fastest out of print book of all time. It sold 11 million copies on the first day of release in the UK and US alone. Joanne has said that the last chapter of the book was written “one day in 1990,” as part of her early writing for the series. During the one-year period in which Rowling completed the last book, she allowed it to be filmed for a documentary that aired in Britain on December 30.2007. It was titled “JK Rowling … A Year in the Life” and showed her returning to her old home in Edinburgh, where she completed the first Harry Potter book. Returning to her apartment after so many years made her cry, saying it was the place “where life changed me completely . “
Harry Potter became a global trademark valued at approximately £ 7 billion, and the last four Harry Potter books have set records as the fastest-selling books in history. The series, with a total of 4,195 pages, has been translated, totally or in part, into 65 languages.
In 2007, following the publication of the seventh and final book in the series, Bloomsbury organized a contest in which a thousand fans were able to witness Rowling reading the first pages of the book at the Natural History Museum in London.
Harry Potter books have also been recognized for sparking interest in reading among young people at a time when they prefer to use their time to watch television or surf the Internet rather than read, although the impact of books on reading habits of the children have been questioned.
Harry Potter Movies
- In October of 1998 , Warner Bros. bought the rights to make films of the first two novels.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ( November 16 , 2001 ) ( Chris Columbus )
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ( November 15 , 2002 (Chris Columbus)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ( June 4 , 2004 ) ( Alfonso Cuarón )
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ( November 18 , 2005 ) ( Mike Newell )
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ( July 11 , 2007 ) ( David Yates )
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ( July 15 , 2009 ) (David Yates)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (1) ( November 19 , 2010 ) (David Yates)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2) ( July 15 , 2011 ) (David Yates).
Warner Bros. took Rowling’s wishes and views very seriously when drafting the contract. One of the main stipulations was that films should be shot in Great Britain with British actors, which was strictly adhered to. In an unprecedented request, Rowling also demanded that Coca-Cola , the winner in the fight to supply products to the film series, donate $ 18 million to the Reading is Fundamental American foundation, in addition to various charitable programs.
The libretto for the first four films was made by Steve Kloves; Rowling assisted him in the writing process, ensuring that the scripts were not shown to be the opposite of what would happen in future books in the series. He has said that Kloves was the person who knew more details of the future plots, although he did not find out everything. He has also said that he revealed to Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) some secrets about his characters before they were revealed in the books. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) asked him if Harry would die at some point in the series; Rowling responded by saying “You have a death scene,” without explicitly answering the question.
Steven Spielberg was selected to direct the first film, but he turned it down. The press repeatedly stated that Rowling had something to do with her refusal, but she said she does not decide who directs the films and that, if she had a choice, she would not have ruled out Spielberg. Rowling’s first choice for director had been Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, as he is a fan of novels. Warner Bros. wanted to make a more family-friendly movie, so they ultimately selected Chris Columbus .
Personal life
Forbes has named Rowling the first person to earn $ 1 billion from writing books, the second-richest female artist, and the 1,062-wealthiest person in the world. When she first appeared on the Forbes billionaires list in 2004, Rowling did the math and said she had a lot of money, but she wasn’t a billionaire. Additionally, the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List ranked Rowling at 144th on its list of the richest people in Britain. In 2001, Rowling bought a luxurious 19th century estate near the River Tay in Scotland. Rowling also owns a home in Edinburgh, and a 4.5 million pound ($ 9 million) mansion in West London, on a street with twenty-four-hour private security.
On December 26, 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray (born June 30, 1971 ), an anesthesiologist, in a private ceremony at their Aberfeldy mansion. This was the second marriage for both Rowling and Murray, as Murray had been married to Dr. Fiona Duncan in 1996. Murray and Duncan separated in 1999 . Rowling and Murray’s son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on March 24 , 2003 . Shortly after Rowling began writing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she took a break and stopped working on the novel to raise her son. Rowling’s youngest daughter, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was dedicated, was born onAs January 23 as 2005 .
Rowling is part of the Church of Scotland. On one occasion he said “I believe in God, I don’t believe in magic . ” Soon after, she realized that if readers knew she was a Christian, they would be able to guess what would happen in the books. Rowling has stated that she struggles with her own beliefs. In an interview in July 2007, he said “… until we got to the seventh book, visions of what happens after death and beyond… could show much of what was to come. So … yes, my beliefs and my struggle with religious beliefs are very evident in this book . “
Honorary titles
- Honorary degrees from the University of St. Andrews
- Honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh
- Napier University Honorary Degrees
- Honorary degrees from the University of Aberdeen
- Prince of Asturias Award for Concord
- Honorary degrees from Harvard University
- Legion of Honor Knight Insignia
Publications
Harry Potter series
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ( June 30 , 1997 )
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ( July 2 , 1998 )
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ( July 8 , 1999 )
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July 8, 2000 )
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ( June 21 , 2003 )
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ( July 16 , 2005 )
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ( July 21 , 2007 )
Other books
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (March 12, 2001)
- Quidditch Through Ages (March 12, 2001)
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard (December 4, 2008)
Articles
- “The First It Girl: JK Rowling reviews Decca: the Letters of Jessica Mitford ed by Peter Y Sussman”, in The Daily Telegraph July 26 , 2006 .
- Introduction of “Ending Child Poverty” in Moving Britain Forward. Selected Speeches 1997–2006 by Gordon Brown, Bloomsbury (2006).
- Foreword to the Magic anthology, edited by Gil McNeil and Sarah Brown, Bloomsbury ( 2002 ).
- The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination, in Harvard Magazine, June 5 , 2008 .
Philanthropy
Rowling founded the Volant Charitable Trust in 2000, a trust that uses its annual budget of £ 5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. It also donates to organizations that help children, single-parent families, and multiple sclerosis research. Rowling declared, “I believe we have a moral responsibility: when you have been given more than you need, you should act wisely and give wisely . “
Against poverty
Having been a single mother herself, Rowling is now the president of One Parent Families, a charity that helps single-parent families. Rowling was its first ambassador in 2000. She collaborated with Sarah Brown, the wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in the writing of a book of children’s stories in aid of this association.
In 2001, the anti-poverty charity Comic Relief asked three well-known British writers (Delia Smith, Helen Fielding and Rowling) to write three small books related to their most famous works for publication. Rowling’s two books, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages , are facsimiles of the Hogwarts library’s own books. Since they went on sale in
March 2001, the books have raised £ 15.7 million for the fund. The £ 10.8 million raised outside the UK went to the nascent International Fund for Children and Young People in Crisis.
In 2005, Rowling and MEP Emma Nicholson founded the Children’s High Level Group. In January of 2006 , Rowling went to Bucharest to proclaim himself against the use of caged beds in psychiatric hospitals children. Continuing to support the CHLG, Rowling auctioned one of seven handwritten and illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a series of fairy tales mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The online book store [1] bought the copy for £ 1.95 million on December 13, 2007, making it the most expensive modern book ever sold at auction. On this, Rowling commented:“This will mean a lot to children who desperately need help. It means that Christmas came earlier for me . Rowling distributed the remaining copies to those who have a close relationship with the Harry Potter books. In 2008 , Rowling agreed to publish the book, the proceeds of which go to the Children’s High Level Group.
Other charities
In May 2008, Waterstone’s Bookstore asked Rowling and a dozen other authors to write a short free-themed work on a single A5 card, which would be auctioned to charities Dyslexia Action and the International PEN writing community. Rowling contributed an 800-word “Harry Potter prequel” concerning Harry’s father, James Potter, and his godfather Sirius Black, which takes place three years before the protagonist’s birth.
Rowling contributed money and research support for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the disease her mother died of in 1990. In 2006, she contributed a substantial sum of money to the creation of the new Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Days 1 and 2 of August 2006, Rowling gave a reading at Radio City Music Hall in New York , along with Stephen King and John Irving . Proceeds from the event were donated to the Haven Foundation, a charity aimed at artists who do not have health insurance and cannot work, in addition to the NGO Doctors without Borders . In May 2007, Rowling donated $ 495,000 towards the reward that eventually reached more than $ 4.5 million for the rescue of a little British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal. Rowling, along with Nelson Mandela , Al Gore and Alan Greenspan, wrote the introduction to the collection of Gordon Brown’s speeches, the proceeds of which were donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory.