[75] Five months later, the book won its first award, a Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. This gap led to press speculation that Rowling had developed writer's block, speculations she later denied. [266] Rowling has received support from actors Robbie Coltrane[267] and Brian Cox,[268] and some feminists[269] such as activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali[270] and radical feminist Julie Bindel. "[222] Early on in writing the Harry Potter series of books and in response to criticism, Rowling disclosed her religious beliefs, feeling that if readers knew of her religious views, they would be able to predict plot lines of characters in her books. [120], Rowling acquired the courtesy title of Laird of Killiechassie in 2001 when she purchased the historic Killiechassie House, and its surrounding estate situated on the banks of the River Tay, near Aberfeldy, in Perth and Kinross. "I feel duped and angry at David Cameron's reaction to Leveson". Rowling, J. K. (17 December 2014). "British author rides up the charts on a wizard's tale". [154] Within days of Rowling being revealed as the author, sales of the book rose by 4,000%,[153] and Little Brown printed another 140,000 copies to meet the increase in demand. [26] The family moved to the nearby village of Winterbourne when Rowling was four. [29], As a child, Rowling attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. [206], Rowling is a member of both English PEN and Scottish PEN. Lewis, "You can lead a fool to a book but you can't make them think", "New Interview with J.K. Rowling for Release of Dutch Edition of "Deathly Hallows, "Rowling's Christian critics miss the mark", "J.K. Rowling Had An Incredible Twitter Fight With the Westboro Baptist Church", "JK Rowling and the savage Twitter game: the Harry Potter author's most sassy tweets", "I'm not writing for the money: It's for me and out of loyalty to fans. Rowling collaborated on the adaptation, serving as an executive producer for the series. JK Rowling was a 32 year old when she wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . [189] In 2002, Rowling contributed a foreword to Magic, an anthology of fiction published by Bloomsbury Publishing, helping to raise money for the National Council for One Parent Families. [82] Rowling was named Author of the Year in the 2000 British Book Awards. [29] In 1990, she was on a four-hour delayed train trip from Manchester to London when the idea "came fully formed" into her mind for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry. 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. They were both 18 years old. Rowling said that she "nearly died" when she heard the news. [248][249] As of February 2020[update], Forstater is appealing the judgment. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. Even years after JK Rowling finished writing the Harry Potter series, fans across the globe are curious to know everything about the characters and the minute details around the fantasy world. [45][46][47] 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". [253][254] Rowling's tweets were criticised by GLAAD, who called them "cruel" and "anti-trans". [193][194] Rowling gave away the remaining six copies to those who have a close connection with the Harry Potter books. One of Rowling's maternal great-grandfathers, Dugald Campbell, was a Scottish man from Lamlash. She is best known for writing the Harry Potter fantasy series, which has won multiple awards and sold more than 500 million copies,[2][3] becoming the best-selling book series in history. [109] 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. For this book, she won different awards. then Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to encourage married couples to stay together by offering them a £150 annual tax credit: "Nobody who has ever experienced the reality of poverty could say 'it's not the money, it's the message'. It is not difficult to guess which newspaper Rowling gives him to read [in Goblet of Fire]. [73] Soon after, in 1997, Rowling received an £8,000 grant from the Scottish Arts Council to enable her to continue writing. [4] The books are the basis of a popular film series, over which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts[5] and was a producer on the final films. [193] In 2008, Rowling agreed to publish the book with the proceeds going to Lumos. Recently, she debunked fan theories about where her iconic Harry Potter series originated, and it had left all 'Potterheads' surprised.. "The First It Girl: J. K. Rowling reviews. J.K. Rowling blew fans' minds when she revealed the true origin of her bestselling " Harry Potter " book series. [125][126], On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Murray (born 30 June 1971), a Scottish doctor,[127] in a private ceremony at her home, Killiechassie House, in Scotland. [97], In October 1998, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the first two novels for a seven-figure sum. [26] When she was a young teenager, her great-aunt gave her a copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. [174], In 2007, Rowling stated that she planned to write an encyclopaedia of Harry Potter's wizarding world consisting of various unpublished material and notes. [207], Rowling is a supporter of the Shannon Trust, which runs the Toe by Toe Reading Plan and the Shannon Reading Plan in prisons across Britain, helping and giving tutoring to prisoners who cannot read. [210] 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. [76] 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. It’s one of the most popular franchises in the world, complete with a collection of movies and some prequels. [27] Rowling later said that she based the character of Hermione Granger on herself when she was eleven. [233] By 2011, Rowling had taken more than 50 actions against the press. Feldman, Roxanne (September 1999). Many objections have come from Christians in particular, though Rowling herself has stated that she identifies as a Christian,[221] stating that "I believe in God, not magic. In 2003, Rowling took part in a campaign to establish a national standard of care for MS sufferers. [165], In 2017, the BBC released a Cormoran Strike television series, starring Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike, it was picked up by HBO for distribution in the United States and Canada. [195] In November 2013, Rowling handed over all earnings from the sale of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, totalling nearly £19 million. 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. [85], The sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released on 16 July 2005. Rowling confirmed that the next novel's title is Lethal White. [121][122] Rowling also owns a £4.5 million Georgian house in Kensington, west London, on a street with 24-hour security. [90] The book's last chapter was one of the earliest things she wrote in the entire series. [33] In 2002, Rowling became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (HonFRSE)[284] as well a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL). Become a Study.com member to unlock this Harry Potter star Emma Watson voiced her support for the transgender community and reflected on author J K Rowling’s anti-trans comments. "[27][58], Rowling was left in despair after her estranged husband arrived in Scotland, seeking both her and their daughter. When your flat has been broken into, and you cannot afford a locksmith, it is the money. Announces Expanded Creative Partnership with J.K. Rowling", "JK Rowling plans five Fantastic Beasts films", "J.K. Rowling And The Billion-Dollar Empire", "J.K. Rowling: Billionaire to millionaire", "Scottish homes market view 2008: Perthshire", "Rub shoulders with Brucie for £4.3m, or Tony for £7,250", "The 25 Authors Who've Made The Most Money in The Last Decade", "JK Rowling named world's highest-earning author by Forbes", "Worlds Highest-paid Authors 2019: J.K. Rowling Back on Top With $92 Million", "JK Rowling weds doctor lover in secret Boxing Day ceremony", "Chancellor's daughter remembered at christening service", "JK Rowling donates £1m to Scotland's anti-independence campaign", "Rowling leaves Christopher Little Agency", "JK Rowling launches new novel at Southbank Centre", "JK Rowling to appear at Cheltenham Literature Festival", "J.K. Rowling | Lennoxlove Book Festival", "After Strong Start, J.K. Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy' Falls on Charts", "Rowling's Casual Vacancy to become BBC TV drama series", "JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy to be BBC drama", "J.K. Rowling writing crime novel, says report", "Rowling's 'crime novel' is a red herring", "JK Rowling's new book: clues suggest a turn to crime fiction", "Whodunnit? [27] Rowling took A-levels in English, French and German, achieving two As and a B[29] and was head girl. J.K. Rowling reportedly wrote the first two "Harry Potter" books in this chair, which was auctioned off in 2002. The essay was criticised by, among others, the children's charity Mermaids, who support transgender and gender non-conforming children and their parents. A print edition is scheduled for November 2020 and will contain illustrations selected from entries to a competition running concurrently with the online publication. [201], 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. [7] 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. [29] They married on 16 October 1992, and daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford) was born on 27 July 1993 in Portugal. "[237] In 2014, she successfully sued the Mail for libel over an article about her time as a single mother. [271][272], In August 2020, Rowling returned her Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award after Kerry Kennedy released a statement expressing her "profound disappointment" in Rowling's "attacks upon the transgender community", which Kennedy called "inconsistent with the fundamental beliefs and values of RFK Human Rights and ... a repudiation of my father's vision". Philosopher's Stone came out in 1997, when she was 32. "Interview: J.K. Rowling". [131] 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 the same interview, Rowling identified Robert F. Kennedy as her hero. [183][184], Rowling, once a single parent, is now president of the charity Gingerbread (originally One Parent Families), having become their first Ambassador in 2000. [27], In 1982, Rowling took the entrance exams for Oxford University but was not accepted[27] and earned a BA in French and Classics at the University of Exeter. In September 2008, on the eve of the Labour Party Conference, Rowling announced that she had donated £1 million to the Labour Party, and publicly endorsed Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown over Conservative challenger David Cameron, praising Labour's policies on child poverty. [155] As of 18 July 2013[update], 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). [6] She also writes crime fiction under the pen name Robert Galbraith. Services, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. [59] Her depression inspired the characters known as Dementors, soul-sucking creatures introduced in the third book. How can we hope to conquer the enormous challenges of terrorism and climate change without cooperation and collaboration? [13] The 2020 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £795 million, ranking her as the 178th richest person in the UK. [257][258][259] Actress Noma Dumezweni (who played Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) initially expressed support for Rowling but backtracked following backlash. Joanne Rowling CH, OBE, HonFRSE, FRCPE, FRSL (/ˈroʊlɪŋ/ ROH-ling;[1] born 31 July 1965), better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. JK Rowling has taken to Twitter for a dose of nostalgia, looking back on an old favourite spot of hers where she penned a good deal of Harry Potter. [144] Rankin later retracted the story, claiming it was a joke,[145] but the rumour persisted, with a report in 2012 in The Guardian speculating that Rowling's next book would be a crime novel. [276], Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from reading her books before their official release date. Since going on sale in March 2001, the books have raised £15.7 million for the fund. 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. ", "Final 'Harry Potter' book will be split into two movies", "Interview with Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling", J.K. Rowling on 'Today' part 2: what Daniel Radcliffe knew, the final line (with video), Wizard News: Terry Gilliam Bitter About "Potter", Exclusive Video Interview: 'Harry Potter' Producer David Heyman. [78] 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. [14] Time named her a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fans. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal [27][28] Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. [163], In 2015, Rowling stated on Galbraith's website that the third Cormoran Strike novel would include "an insane amount of planning, the most I have done for any book I have written so far. [179] The site includes 18,000 words of information on characters, places and objects in the Harry Potter universe. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree. 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. [204] Rowling, along with Nelson Mandela, Al Gore, and Alan Greenspan, wrote an introduction to a collection of Gordon Brown's speeches, the proceeds of which were donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory. [88] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released on 21 July 2007 (0:01 BST)[89] and broke its predecessor's record as the fastest-selling book of all time. [9], In 2000, Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. [269] The essay was nominated by BBC for their annual Russell Prize for best writing. [235] In 2007, Rowling's young son, David, assisted by Rowling and her husband, lost a court fight to ban publication of a photograph of David. [27] Her home life was complicated by her mother's diagnosis with multiple sclerosis[38] and a strained relationship with her father, with whom she is not on speaking terms. Joanne’s mother used to love her writing And really appreciates her writing and always listen to her daughter telling a story. [107] 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. [117][118] Rowling disputed the calculations and said she had plenty of money, but was not a billionaire. When you find yourself contemplating shoplifting to get nappies, it is the money. JK Rowling has revealed where she started writing the Harry Potter books, contradicting fans who believed for years that Edinburgh was its birthplace. [22], Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965[23][24] in Yate, Gloucestershire,[25][26] the daughter of science technician Anne (née Volant) and Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer Peter James Rowling. [130], Rowling is a friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former prime minister Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project. Their destination was the headquarters of the 45 Commando in Arbroath, where they were stationed. 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. Then when she was eleven she wrote a novel about seven cursed diamonds and the people who owned them. [176] 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. "[177] At the end of 2007, Rowling said that the encyclopaedia could take up to ten years to complete. [27] Rowling recalls doing little work, preferring to read Dickens and Tolkien. [48], Rowling worked as a researcher and bilingual secretary in London for Amnesty International,[49] then moved with her boyfriend to Manchester[26] where she worked at the Chamber of Commerce. The property has unique features and is even home to cheeky note the author scrawled into the wall when she was 17-years-old that read: ‘Joanne Rowling slept here, circa 1982’ Tiny 31 … 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 book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript. Every writer has their own process, and apparently J. K. Rowling is a meticulous plotter. "[220], Some religious people, figures and organisations have, over the years, objected to and decried Rowling's books for the perceived promotion of witchcraft. 2020: Spanish health workers on the front line against, This page was last edited on 26 January 2021, at 18:08. [123], Rowling has consistently been ranked among the highest earning authors in the world. [78], The title of the seventh and final Harry Potter book was announced on 21 December 2006 as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. [188] 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. JK Rowling on trans women. [264][265] Rowling has been referred to as a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) on multiple occasions, though she rejects the label. [26][50] When she reached her Clapham Junction flat, she began to write immediately. [7][37] She taught at night and began writing in the day while listening to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. Published An oak chair that JK Rowling used while writing the first two books of the Harry Potter series has sold for $394,000 (£278,000).. "Harry Potter – Harry and me". J.K. Rowling wrote most of the Harry Potter books in Edinburgh Scotland, and you can still visit many of these places today. [244], In December 2019, Rowling tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, a British woman who lost her employment tribunal case against her former employer, the Center for Global Development, after her contract was not renewed due to her comments about transgender people. In October 2010, she was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors. How did JK Rowling come up with her character's... Did JK Rowling write the Fantastic Beasts... Did JK Rowling wrote Crimes of Grindelwald? [178], In June 2011, Rowling announced that future Harry Potter projects, and all electronic downloads, would be concentrated in a new website, called Pottermore. The Harry Potter author said she wrote the fairy tale for her children as a bedtime story over a decade ago. BBC Christmas Special. [29] She obtained an Order of Restraint, and Arantes returned to Portugal, with Rowling filing for divorce in August 1994. She wrote a book named Harry Potter. Turns out "the boy who lived" was born in a flat above 94 St John's Road in south west London. ", "Leveson inquiry: JK Rowling and Sienna Miller give evidence", "About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com", "Leveson phone-hacking inquiry: JK Rowling among 'core participants, "JK Rowling tells Leveson inquiry of press intrusion", "J.K. Rowling chased from home by press, she says", "I feel duped and angry at David Cameron's reaction to Leveson", "Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfonso Cuaron, Maggie Smith Back U.K. Press Regulation", "J.K. Rowling facing backlash after supporting researcher who lost her job over transphobic tweets", "J.K. Rowling Criticized After Tweeting Support for Anti-Transgender Researcher", "JK Rowling defends woman who lost employment tribunal over transgender tweets", "Judge rules against researcher who lost job over transgender tweets", "Test case rules against Maya Forstater, tax expert sacked over transgender tweet", "We can speak up and we can be heard: Maya Forstater", "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction. [168][169] The book was released 18 September 2018. [90] It sold 11 million copies in the first day of release in the United Kingdom and United States. She also wrote that many women consider terms like "people who menstruate" to be demeaning. Rowling, J. K. (guest editor) (28 April 2014). However, during 2020, JK Rowling confirmed the places where she actually wrote Harry Potter… 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. [224][225] Her eldest daughter, Jessica, was baptised there. [84] Rowling later said that writing the book was a chore, that it could have been shorter, and that she ran out of time and energy as she tried to finish it. [162], On 17 February 2014, Rowling announced that the second Cormoran Strike novel, named The Silkworm, would be released in June 2014. Christopher Little, literary agent who steered JK Rowling and Harry Potter to global success – obituary JK Rowling said Little was ‘the first person in the publishing industry to believe in me. [153] Judith "Jude" Callegari was the best friend of the wife of Chris Gossage, a partner within Russells Solicitors, Rowling's legal representatives. [81] Rowling said that she had had a crisis while writing the novel and had to rewrite one chapter many times to fix a problem with the plot. [10] However, Rowling disputed the assertion, saying she was not a billionaire. Some also observed that many of the writers who had initially praised the book, such as Alex Gray or Val McDermid,[158] were within Rowling's circle of acquaintances; both vociferously denied any foreknowledge of Rowling's authorship. She began to write a book of children 's literary characters accompanied her reading became Rowling desires. 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