- 53 years old.

We have collected 7 facts from the writer's life that influenced the plot and images of the novels and made the "Potterian" the way we know it.

loser

Joan did not listen to her parents, who wanted her to study something useful at the university, and took up classical literature. A more impractical choice could not have been imagined. Seven years after graduating from university, by the time she sat down to write a book, the twenty-seven-year-old Rowling was a complete failure - she had no job, she divorced her husband and remained a single mother. There was barely enough money to just pay the rent.

Nevertheless, as she believes, it was the hopeless situation that prompted her to take up the business that really lay her soul - to write. “If I had been successful in something else, I might not have had the courage to achieve the goal of what I truly love.” Well, knowledge of classical philology helped me come up with many new words for the fantasy world.

Depression
Warner Bros.

The first novel was written for five years, and another two years passed before the essay was published. So the sad financial situation of the author dragged on for a very long time. Not surprisingly, in the end, Rowling ended up in a specialized hospital with a diagnosis of "clinical depression". Subsequently, she admitted to reporters that it was precisely this state of longing and the feeling of absolute hopelessness that she experienced during her illness that inspired her to create the image of the Dementors.

Hermione Rowling
Warner Bros.

Rowling wrote Hermione Granger from herself. She considers this character a caricature of herself at the age of eleven: she studied just as eagerly, wanted to be in time everywhere and readily demonstrated her knowledge to everyone. Well, we think, if it was a satire, it was rather delicate in relation to itself.

By the way, Hermione's patronus is an otter, because that's Rowling's favorite animal.

Inspiration

The idea for the Harry Potter novels came to Joan while she was on the train from Manchester to London: “I was on my way back to London alone on a crowded train and the idea of ​​Harry Potter just popped into my head. I have been writing almost continuously since the age of six, but never before have I been so excited about an idea. To my great disappointment, I didn't have a pen and was too shy to ask anyone. And I think it must have been good. I just sat and thought while all the details bubbled up in my mind, and this skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me. Maybe if I slowed down my thoughts to get them on paper, I would suppress some of them (although sometimes I wonder how much of what I imagined then I forgot by the time I got a pen). I started writing The Philosopher's Stone that same evening, even though those first few pages have nothing to do with the finished book."

Mother's death
Warner Bros.

Rowling had just started writing the novel when, in December 1990, her mother died of multiple sclerosis. Joan never told her about the wizard boy. “The books are what they are because she died. Because I loved her and she died." That is why the theme of death, especially the death of parents, is so important in novels.

Biker Hagrid
Warner Bros.

Rowling told film actor Robbie Coltrane that the character was inspired by a biker she met at a bar. “When he came in, people ran away from him like ants. He took a mug of beer, sat down and said, "Petunias didn't come out this year." He was a gardener, but his fists were like two hammers. And he had a soft heart."

Ron's death
Warner Bros.

While working on one of the novels, Joan nearly killed Ron Weasley. At that moment was not best period in life, and the mood was the most suitable for someone to "kill". Now the writer says that if she had succumbed to the impulse, she would never have forgiven herself for this.

The real name of the famous British writer J. K. Rowling (J. K. Rowling) is Joanna Murray. Many people know the author of seven Harry Potter novels as Robert Galbraith. The writer uses the same pseudonym to write her no less popular detective stories.

Today, Joan Kate Rowling is a successful literary figure, an outstanding personality with a worldwide reputation, rich woman, screenwriter, film producer, happy wife, caring mother of three children.

newpackfon

Joanna Kate Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 in an ordinary family living in the city of Waite (UK). The girl's father (P.J. Rowling) worked at Rolls-Royce, and her mother (J.-Ann Rowling) was a housewife. When Joanna was two years old, her sister, Dianna, was born. In 1969 the family migrated to Winterbourne.

The childhood of the writer was truly carefree. Numerous photos of the little girl Joanna posted on the network confirm this fact. Yes, and Rowling herself remembers her childhood always with a smile, as it was filled with fun games with her sister, family comfort and warmth, the care of parents. It was they who instilled in the girl a love of literature.

Junktale

little known fact, which many researchers miss, concerns the beginning of the work of a modern star: Joan Kate Rowling composed her first story at the age of six, and from that moment the girl did not stop creating.

In 1974, the Rowling family moved to Tutshill, Wells. The change of residence was a real shock for a nine-year-old child, due to the fact that Joanne loved her school friends very much and cherished them.

After 6 years, a difficult event happened in the life of a young lady: her mother fell ill. The rapid development of the disease led to the fact that Rowling's mother soon died of multiple sclerosis. After burying a loved one, in 1990 Joanna decides to leave Tutshill and move to London.

Son Dakika Haberleri

Having defended a diploma in French linguistics, the young girl received a secretary position at Amnesty International. In the same period, Rowling falls in love for the first time, so a year later, together with her first boyfriend, she moves to live in Manchester.

Once, it was on a train from Manchester to London that the writer had the image of that same boy-sorcerer in round glasses, familiar to all fans - Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter"

The start of JK Rowling's career is considered to be the year of publication of the first part of the novel - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (1997). The circulation was 1000 copies. This book won the Nesyle Smarties Book Prize in November. In 1998, Rowling received her first international award, the British Book Award, for her work.

After such success and recognition of the writer's work in the United States, an auction was held, the lot for which was the right to publish the Philosopher's Stone. The auction was won by the American publishing house Scholastic Incorporation, which paid $105,000.

Our Niva

In the summer of 1998, a sequel to the novel, The Chamber of Secrets, was published; in 2000, the world saw the third part of the novel - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." The fourth part called "The Goblet of Fire" was able to break all sales records: the volume amounted to 373 thousand books in 24 hours.

In 2003, Rowling writes, publishes the fifth part of the sensational saga - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." In 2005, the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was released, which broke all previous book sales records: the volume amounted to 9 million in 24 hours. In 2007, the seventh part of the novel about the wizard boy, The Deathly Hallows, was completed and published.

Slate Magazine

To date, all 7 parts of the fantastic saga have been translated into 70 languages. In addition, excellent films have been made based on the novels of JK Rowling, directed by:

• C. Columbus.
• A. Cuarón.
• D. Yates.

Other Rowling books

In addition to novels about the little wizard from Hogwarts, the writer became famous thanks to other works.

The only book published under the pseudonym "Newt Scamander". This literary masterpiece is a spin-off story about the main little wizard. It describes the events that took place 65 years before the appearance of the boy Harry.

Most of the money received from the sale of the book (about 13 million pounds), JK Rowling transferred to the account of the largest organizations involved in children's charities.

The fairy tale "Hare Hare and her stump-tooth rock" was written in the period 2007-2009. For this masterpiece of world literature for children, Prince Charles awarded the writer the Order of the British Empire.

Joanne Rowling - Commander of the Order | Mirror

The novel "The Casual Vacancy" ("Random Vacancy") is the first work of the "social drama" genre from J.K. Rowling for adults and teenagers.

Also, a lot of noise was made by the detective story "The Call (Cry) of the Cuckoo."

JK Rowling's personal life

Working in her youth at Amnesty International, Rowling was looking for a new job. So, after reading an advertisement in The Guardian about a teaching job, J.K. Rowling decided to leave for Portugal.

It was in the city of Porto that Rowling met her first husband, television journalist Jorge Arantes. Their wedding took place in the fall of 1992, and already in July 1993, the young family had a daughter, Jessica-Isabelle Rowling-Arantes.

Jessica, daughter of JK Rowling

Despite the complexity of relations with her husband, the writer tried her best to save the family. Biographers suggest that Rowling was often subjected to scenes of jealousy, domestic violence, and beatings. Confirmation of such rumors is the writer's confession about how her husband once beat her, and then simply put her out of the house with her daughter.

In December 1993, Rowling with Jessica in her arms (and already written 3 chapters of Harry Potter in her bag) was forced to leave for Edinburgh (Scotland) to her younger sister.

In 1993, Rowling returned to England. Becoming a single mother, she took out a state allowance (70 pounds), which became the only income of the writer. Despite the unfavorable financial condition She continued to work hard.

Because of the bitter personal experience the writer for a long period did not dare to create a family. She devoted all her time to her daughter and, of course, to creativity. Only 8 years later, Joan became a wife again. The writer's chosen one is the anesthesiologist Neil-Michael Murray (5 years younger than her).

In 2001, the couple legalized their relationship, and in 2003 their son David was born. In January 2005, married couple there was another baby, who was named Mackenzie. In her first interview after giving birth, J.K. Rowling stated that she was truly happy, and the reason for her boundless joy was her beloved children and a sincerely loving man.

• Before the first publication of Harry Potter, it was the American publisher Scholastic Incorporation who suggested that Rowling use a pseudonym. The author chose to supplement her name with the initials of her grandmother - Kathleen. So there was a pseudonym - J. K. Rowling. Even despite her official surname Murray, Joanna continues to write under the pseudonym that brought her worldwide popularity.

Shazoo

• Joan Kate Rowling admits that today (as well as when creating her first book) she is inspired by the lyric concerts of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The writer says that she writes her masterpieces, armed with a pen and paper. Only after creating a draft by hand, the author types the text on the computer, then gives it to the publisher.
• If there are no notebook sheets at hand, she writes down thoughts on any subjects. So, for example, the names of the faculties of the Hogwarts University of Magic were invented by J.K. Rowling on the plane and recorded on a paper disposable bag.

JK Rowling today

Today, J.K. Rowling is the highest paid author in the world. Rowling's entire literary heritage is estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars, and the Harry Potter trademark itself is estimated at about $15 billion.

In the summer of 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child took place in London. Contrary to numerous rumors, fans' assumptions, this work is not a full-fledged eighth part of the novel, but only a scenario for a theatrical production. The real authors of The Cursed Child are Jack Thorne, John Tiffany.

Cinema

The work is new history. It shows the events taking place 19 years after the events described in the Deathly Hallows.

In September 2016, new applications were launched on Rowling's Pottermore portal, which are collections of additions to the main 7 parts of the fantastic wizard saga. The plots of these stories tell about several minor characters, about the history of the emergence of the Azkaban prison, the Hogwarts school of magic.

The Daily Dot

In an interview for The Guardian, J.K. Rowling admitted that she is currently working hard on two works. The new books will be published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

The writer noted that the "novelties" have nothing to do with the character of Newt Scamander from the story "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", which was filmed in America in the fall of 2016.

Bibliography

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter And The Chamber of secrets
• Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Tales of Beedle the Bard
• random vacancy
• call of the cuckoo
• Silkworm
• In the service of evil

The first book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), which marked the beginning of a series of novels about the Hogwarts school of magic and its wards, was released by Bloomsbury back in 1997. Its author was an unknown at that time Englishwoman Joanne Rowling Almost instantly, the book became a bestseller and gained unprecedented worldwide popularity: copies disappeared from store shelves faster than they could be put there.

Almost 20 years later, it's hard to imagine that neither Rowling herself, nor as many as twelve (!) Publishers that refused to publish the book, initially did not believe in the success of Harry Potter.

How did Harry Potter come about?

In 1990, the 25-year-old girl Joan had to travel on the Manchester-London route. However, the train was delayed by almost four hours, and Joan had no choice but to get bored while waiting for the trip. Trying to pass the time, the future writer began to fantasize: it was then that the fateful idea came to her mind to write a book about a wizard boy. At that moment, Joan did not even have a pen in order to write down the plot that arose in her imagination, and her natural shyness prevented her from asking someone else for it.

As soon as she got home, Joan began writing her first book about Harry. However, it took several more years to finally plan and write the seven Potter books, and several more to become "the greatest living British author", as the media refers to her.

JK Rowling biography: life before Harry Potter

Joan was born July 31, 1965 years in a small town of Yate in the English county of Gloucestershire. Some sources indicate another place of her birth - the village Chipping Sodbury, however, in reality, Rowling never lived there, and the rumor was launched at the suggestion of Joan herself because of her dislike for the gloomy and inhospitable city where she grew up. Since then, publishers and advertising agents have indicated in the author's biography the place of birth she invented.

The earliest childhood memories of the future writer are associated with the birth of her younger sister Diana, who was born 23 months after the birth of Joan herself. From an early age, Rowling loved to read, devoting a fair amount of her time to this hobby: "A real bookworm with freckles and glasses" - this is how the writer describes herself as a child.

At the age of six, Joan wrote her first fairy tale about a rabbit with measles, which she uncomplicatedly called "Rabbit", and her younger sister and parents became the first listeners of the young writer. After receiving praise for the story, Joan decided to immediately publish it, which she told her parents: "An unexpected decision for a six-year-old child" - recognized later by Rowling herself.

When Joan was 9 years old, the family moved to the small village of Tutshill, located near the town of Chepstow in South Wales. The desire to write with age did not weaken: at the age of 11, Joan wrote another story about the seven cursed diamonds and the people who owned them. In her autobiography, Rowling recalls with great warmth her childhood friend Sean, who believed that one day she would become a great writer: “He was the only one who believed that I would definitely succeed.” remembers Joan.

In 1983, after graduating secondary school Wyedean Comprehensive School, Joan entered the University of Exeter (University of Exeter) in the southwestern part of England, in the French department. Later in an interview, Joan admits that she regretted her decision: she wanted to study English literature, but her parents considered her daughter's choice unsuccessful and advised her to go to the French department. "I should have stood my ground" Joan is distressed. “The only good thing was that learning French meant a year of study in Paris.”

After graduating from university, Rowling moved to London, where she changed several jobs over the next few years. By her own admission, her favorite job was as a researcher for Amnesty International, a charity whose mission is to fight against human rights violations around the world.

In 1990, Joan began the first chapter of her future bestseller, but in December of that year, her mother, Anna Rowling, died of multiple sclerosis. It was an extremely difficult period in the life of the writer: it was difficult for her to survive the departure of her mother, with whom they were truly close. This loss was reflected in the subsequent work of Rowling: by her own admission as a writer, her favorite episode in the book she wrote was the moment when Harry sees his dead parents in the magical Mirror of Erised (Mirror of Erised).

Rowling soon received a job offer and moved to Portugal where she worked as an English teacher. It was there that Joan met her first husband. They married in 1992, and a year later the couple had a daughter, Jessica. However, this union was not destined to become lasting, and just four months after the birth of the child, Joan broke up with her husband and returned to the UK, settling next to her sister in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. The following years for Joan became difficult period poverty and real depression. She single-handedly earned a living and took care of her little daughter. Joan used her own experience of dealing with depression in her book to create the image of Dementors - creatures that "suck" a sense of happiness from their victims.

Rowling completed her first book in 1995. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on an old manual typewriter and sent it to several literary agents. Briony Evans of Christopher Little literary agents praised the book's potential and immediately agreed to submit the manuscript to twelve publishers.

However, a whole year passed before the long-awaited news came: the small publishing house Bloomsbury accepted the book for publication. There is a legend in the publishing house itself that the decision was made thanks to the 8-year-old daughter of the chairman, who liked the book about wizards. Rowling received an advance of £1,500 and in June 1997 the first Harry Potter book was published in a small print run of only a thousand copies, half of which went to libraries. This was truly a turning point in the life of the writer.

Joanne Rowling: world fame and recognition

Happy wife: JK Rowling with her husband
Neil Murray at the Harry Potter premiere
in 2009. Photo freelancewritingteam.com

Harry Potter changed JK Rowling's life dramatically, but this time all the changes were for the better. Shortly after the book's publication, she received a grant from the Scottish arts council, which allowed her to leave her day job and focus on composing the next volume.

After the incredible success of the first novel in the UK, the American company Scholastic offered the writer £100,000 in exchange for the right to publish her book in the United States.

A year after the release of The Philosopher's Stone, eager readers waited for him to continue: a second book called "Harry Potter And The Chamber of secrets"(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), which immediately became a bestseller. At the same time, Joan signed a 7-figure contract with the Warner Brothers film company and became a millionaire in an instant. The appearance of films on the cinema screen multiplied the success of the books and made Harry Potter one of the most recognizable media products. At Joan's insistence, all Harry films were made as close to the original plot as possible, with English actors in the roles, and filming locations were chosen exclusively in the UK.

When is the fourth book in the series "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"(Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) was published, it managed to beat all previous records: over 372,000 copies were sold on the first day in the UK, and over three million books were swept from store shelves in the US in the first 48 hours. Not surprisingly, in 2000 Rowling received the prestigious British Book Awards as Author of the Year.

Pleasant changes also followed in Joan's personal life: in December 2001, she married an anesthesiologist Neil Murray(Neil Michael Murray). In March 2003, they had a son named David Gordon Rowling Murray, and in January 2005 - youngest daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray. These happy events in Joan's personal life slowed down the release of new books, and the tabloids immediately suggested that Rowling was having a creative "crisis". In general, the creator of Harry Potter had a difficult relationship with the press. Journalists portrayed Joan as a recluse who does not make contact and hates to give interviews, which, according to Rowling herself, was completely untrue. Some believe that the difficulties in relations with the media led to the creation of the image of an overly meticulous journalist Rita Skeeter (Rita Skeeter) in the Harry Potter books.

On December 21, 2006, Joan completed work on the seventh and presumably final book in the series, titled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). The book was published in July 2007 and once again broke all records in terms of speed and sales, allowing Rowling in 2008 to take 144 place in the ranking richest people in uk according to the Sunday Times.

JK Rowling with actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint at the premiere of the Harry Potter film. Photo dailymail.co.uk

After the release of The Deathly Hallows, Rowling stated in an interview that she was not going to write an eighth book: "Maybe in the next 10 years I will want to write a sequel, but I think it's unlikely." However, the continuation of the story did follow, when in July 2016, the premiere of the play took place on the stage of the London Palace Theater "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"(Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). Currently, the performance is sold out, so hurry up to buy tickets and come to London, to the Covent Garden area, if you want to see the end of the epic grandiose with your own eyes.

In the photo: The Palace Theater, where the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is being played

According to the author's idea, the play tells about the fate of the children of the main characters 19 years after the events described in the seventh book. On July 31, 2016, exactly on Rowling's 51st birthday, sales of a new book started, after which the "mother" of the most famous wizard told the media that this creation finally completes the Harry Potter story and there will definitely not be a continuation.

11 interesting facts about the author and the Harry Potter books:

As a child, Rowling received the nickname "rolling pin" ("rolling pin" in English) due to her consonant surname.

Joan tried to enter the famous Oxford University, but failed the exams.

In addition to French, Joan studied Latin at the university, which helped her when writing magic spells for the book.

According to Rowling herself, she has a character and temperament suitable for a writer: "I am absolutely happy in solitude, doing writing."

Eight films based on the books have grossed more than $7 billion worldwide.

Fans at the premiere of the new Harry Potter book. Photo www.mnn.com

The Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone books from the first 1,000 copies are valued by collectors at £25,000 apiece.

After leaving last movie Joan created a dedicated site, pottermore.com, to keep track of Harry Potter news.

@jk_rowling is JK Rowling's official Twitter account, but new entries appear there infrequently. Her Official page on Facebook - www.facebook.com/JKRowling.

Harry Potter brand this moment estimated at $15 billion.

Poster for the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Photo collider.com

Rowling is the first billionaire in history to make her fortune solely as a writer.

At the same time, in August 2016, Joan dropped out of the Forbes list of billionaires, donating about 16% of her capital (more than $ 160 million) to charity.

In the footsteps of Harry Potter: iconic places for fans of the epic

In the photo: the same platform 9 ¾ at St. Pancras station.

By signing a contract to make films with Warner Brothers, J.K. Rowling insisted that all filming be done exclusively in the UK. Thanks to this, a lot of places appeared in England, in one way or another connected with the name of Harry Potter. We list the most convenient in terms of location and the most interesting of them:

1. Platform 9 ¾

The list should probably start from London and the world-famous platform 9 ¾ at St. Pancras station. It was from here that young Harry set off on the Magic Express to Hogwarts Castle, initiating all subsequent adventures.

How to get there: go to the King's Cross St. Pancras metro station and follow the signs. Finding this mythical platform is not difficult: it is located between platforms 4 and 5 and there is always a line of tourists crowding around it, eager to take a photo with a cart half disappearing into the wall.

Price: is free. On the spot, you will be given special props: a Hogwarts school scarf and a magic wand, and you can take a free photo next to the cart (so be sure to bring a partner with you). At the same time, all participants in the action are filmed by an attraction employee, and if you wish, you can print ready-made pictures for a fee.

2. Christ Church College

In the city of Oxford, located near London, there are several locations where the Harry Potter films were filmed. But perhaps the most popular of them is Christ Church College. We saw the college staircase in the first film: the first-year students climbed it to the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the prototype of which, by the way, was the local dining hall. Many scenes were also filmed in the college yard.

How to get there: From Oxford to London it is equally convenient to get both by bus and by train. The journey will take from 1 hour (by train) to 2-2.5 hours (by bus). The college is open to the public from Monday to Saturday from 9.00 to 17.00 and on Sunday from 14.00 to 17.00. It would be a good idea to know the opening hours for visiting the premises in advance, because the schedule on the College website changes weekly, so plan your visit in advance: http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/plan-your-visit/opening-times

In the photo: on top - the stairs of the Hogwarts school (frame from the film), below - the great hall of the Hogwarts school (college dining hall).

3.

Also in Oxford you can look into the building Bodleian Library, which appeared immediately in 3 films "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 2001), "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002) and "Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005).

Europe's oldest medieval library, now owned by Oxford University, is transformed into the Hogwarts library in the film.

How to get there: The library is located at Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BG. It is open from Monday to Sunday during school hours, but be sure to check before you go if you are during the holidays when the building is closed to the public:

Price: the price of entrance tickets (more precisely, reader's subscriptions) starts from £5.40. Flash photography is strictly prohibited.

In the photo: above - Hogwarts Library (frame from the film), below - the interior of the Bodleian Library.

4. Leadenhall Market

Leadenhall Market- one of the most beautiful covered markets of the Victorian era, located in the City of London. However, for fans of Harry Potter, this market is attractive because it was here that part of the magical Crooked Alley (Diagon Alley) was recreated, which could be reached through the Leaky Cauldron bar, also located here. So, be sure to check out 42 Bull’s Head Passage: the blue door of this real store served as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

How to get there: Address: Gracechurch St, London EC3V 1LT. The nearest metro stations are Monument Tube Station (4 minutes walk) and Bank Tube Station (5 minutes walk).

Price: is free. All local shops are closed on weekends.

In the photo: above - Leadenhall market, below - the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

5. Studio Warner Bros.

In the town of Watford, which is half an hour from London, are located studio pavilions Warner Bros., where all 8 parts of the Harry Potter movie were filmed for a decade. In 2012, the film studio turned into a museum accessible to all Potter fans. Here you can feel like a student of Hogwarts and feel the spirit of magic: walk around the Great Hall of the school, go into Dumbledore's office, meet magical creatures (it's a pity that in the form of sculptures and models), hone the skill of magic spells and even try the famous butter beer. By the way, in April 2013 the museum was visited by members royal family: Prince William with Kate Middleton, as well as Prince Harry.

How to get there: There are branded buses to the studio from the nearest railway station Watford Junction (round-trip ticket costs £2.50)

So, do not hesitate for a minute and go on a journey to the places of Harry Potter right now. After all, even if you turn up your nose from fairy tales, it is pleasant for each of us to return to childhood for a moment and feel like an almighty wizard.

The story of JK Rowling, whose books have been among the most popular in the world for many years, is similar to the fairy tale of Cinderella. From a practically impoverished inhabitant of foggy England, thanks to the tales of Harry Potter, she turned into a favorite writer of millions of children and adults. How did she manage to achieve all this and not get sick with such a contagious "star" disease?

Childhood years of the future writer

Joanne Rowling was born on the same day as her literary "child" Harry Potter - July 31, but in 1965. Her parents - Peter and Ann Rowling - were ordinary people who did not live well.

A little less than 2 years after Joan, her younger sister Dianne was born, with whom the novelist has always been very close.

The state of the Rowlings, even in the most best years was modest, so the sisters with young years I had to earn extra money cleaning in the local church, even in winter. They paid very little for this work, but it was the only opportunity for young Dianne and JK Rowling to get their own money.

The biography of the future writer formed the basis of many episodes of her books. Perhaps that is why they look so realistic, despite the fact that they are fairy tales. So, for example, the girl's parents met at King's Cross Station, and Joan received her education at St. Michael's Primary School, which became the prototype of Hogwarts. And its director was called Alfred Dunn, so it's easy to guess under what name he appeared in the epic. Sean Harris - Joan's childhood friend - became the prototype of Ron, and the writer in the role of know-it-all and nerd Hermione portrayed herself in her school years.It is worth noting that Sean had his own car brand Ford Anglia, which played a key role in the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Rowling's interest in the writing profession developed very early. While still a schoolgirl, she composed fairy tales and read them to her younger sister. Not surprisingly, after leaving school (in 1982), Joan went to study French and German philology at the University of Exeter.

Death of JK Rowling's mother

Despite the fact that the family of the novelist was not rich, Joan remembers her childhood years as one of the happiest in her life. Before her mother began to show symptoms of multiple sclerosis (from which the woman later died), Ann Rowling constantly arranged holidays for her daughters, on which she baked delicious cakes. However, when the fatal disease began to manifest itself, and the doctors sent the unfortunate woman to die home, the life of the family became a real hell.

Ann tried to hold on to the last, but her health was deteriorating at a catastrophic rate. This period deeply traumatized Joan. Subsequently, it was because of this that JK Rowling made her books so gloomy and sad.

There are things that the novelist most regrets in her life, in particular, the fact that her mother never found out about her daughter's new novel, although at the time of her death (1990) Rowling had already fully thought out the plot of the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Relationship with father and work in Portugal

The death of Ann Rowling was taken very hard by the family. To help his daughters cope with all this, Peter Rowling did not allow the girls to see their mother dead, which Joan could not forgive him.

Because of this tragedy, each member of the family withdrew into himself, and the relationship between father and daughters became more and more cool. And then they completely went wrong, not resuming to this day.

After graduation (1986), Joan Rowlin worked as a secretary in London. But soon she left for Portugal to teach English at an evening school.

JK Rowling and the Scarred Teenage Wizard

It was here, during a break between classes at school, that JK Rowling wrote the first 3 chapters of the future novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The writer composed the plot of this work much earlier, when one day she was traveling from Manchester to London. That day the train was delayed for a long 4 hours. Suddenly, Ms. Rowling had the idea to write a fairy tale about a wizard boy. Taking advantage of the forced waiting, she managed to think over the plot of the whole novel, so when she got to the pen and paper, she wrote down her idea.

However, she was able to fully engage in a novel only in Portugal, when she at least slightly moved away from the experiences in connection with the death of her mother. But at that time it was not destined to finish his masterpiece JK Rowling. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" came out of the writer's pen later, because she got married and had a child, and in connection with these worries, she did not have time to write. But when she broke up with her husband, the writer did not have the opportunity to stay in Portugal with a four-month-old daughter in her arms. Therefore, she returned to her homeland.

It was just that he couldn't find a job. At that moment, Rowling began to feel depressed, because of which it seemed to her that her life was over, and there was no hope. More than once at these moments, the future writer had thoughts of suicide, but the woman managed to overcome them: she decided to finish writing her novel and try to publish it. For many months, living on unemployment benefits, constantly in fear that social services might take her daughter from her, Joan typed her novel on an old typewriter. When he was ready (1995), the woman managed to find a literary agency Christopher Little Literary Agents, which took up the representation of her interests. Manuscripts of the book were sent to many publishing houses, and 12 of them refused to publish it. In the end, Bloomsbury agreed to publish JK Rowling's debut novel (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) and paid her £1,500 as an advance.

However, before the book was published, a long 2 years passed, during which Rowling continued to live in poverty. Her philological education turned out to be useless in the UK, so she began to study at the Pedagogical School of the University of Edinburgh in order to have the right to teach in England.

After the release of her debut Harry Potter novel (1997), its creator instantly became famous in her homeland and received an eight thousandth grant to write a sequel to the novel, which was released the following year and confirmed that Harry Potter was not a one-time thing. Now, almost every year, Rowling wrote one book that children all over the world read with pleasure. Her fees grew exponentially. And when Warner Bros. bought the film rights, the former impoverished single mother turned into a millionaire.

Soon (2001) the first movie of the cycle was released, and now even those who have not read Rowling's books have become fans of the epic based on them. It is noteworthy that not only the books and characters themselves, but also their creator acquired the status of a cult. Children and teenagers all over the world were simply crazy about her, because she was the only one who knew the secret of the future of Harry Potter and his friends. For her autographs, fans from all over the world queued for hours.

However, with the advent of fame, her unpleasant companions also came. So, having become the most famous children's writer of our time, Rowling has become a frequent heroine of the yellow press. She was accused of all mortal sins, including a creative crisis. In addition, Joan and her family were harassed everywhere by reporters and fans, and sometimes it came to the fact that they were rummaging through the garbage near her house.

Fortunately, the novelist managed to adequately cope with all this, and when in 2007 she completed the 7th novel of the cycle - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the writer believed that she was putting an end to this topic.

New Harry Potter book

However, years passed and she changed her mind. So, in 2016, the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" was published as a separate book.

Joanne Rowling in this long-awaited work for many fans told how the fate of her characters developed.

In the same 2016, the play was staged in the UK, and for the first time in history, Hermione was played by a black actress.

Shortly after the release, the writer was offered to sell the film rights to the book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. JK Rowling refused this, citing the fact that the book was being written for a theater production. However, Warner Bros. just in case, they created the brand Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, if Joan, known for her changeable disposition, still allowed to make a movie based on this work.

Rowling Charity Books

In addition to novels that tell about the fate of Harry and his comrades, in 2001 the writer wrote 2 short stories: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch: From Antiquity to the Present Day. Both of these books are different time read by the young wizard Potter.

It is noteworthy that these stories were intended for a charitable foundation, which received almost 16 million pounds for their publication. And in 2016, Part I of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was filmed. Its sequel is due out in 2018.

New Literary Horizons: The Random Vacancy Novel

In addition to books about wizards, Rowling also wrote other successful works. The first of these was the social novel "Random Vacancy". JK Rowling created it for youth and adults. It tells about various social problems in a small provincial town with the fictitious name of Pagford.

Of course, the book could not reach the level of popularity of the Potter novels, but it also turned out to be very profitable. And in 2015, based on her motives, the television series of the same name "Random Vacancy" was filmed. JK Rowling, by the way, actively participated in writing his script, as, indeed, in all other cases of film adaptations of her books.

Detective Story with Robert Galbraith

The story about the investigation into the murder of supermodel Lula Landry by veteran Kormoran Strike liked readers, but they were not particularly impressed - 449 copies were sold in 3 months. But after one of the reputable literary publications (The Sunday Times) noted that The Call of the Cuckoo was too good for a debutant writer, critics suspected that a more experienced writer was hiding under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Comparing the name of the publisher and editor, as well as conducting a linguistic analysis of the novel, Richard Brooks (editor of The Sunday Times) suggested that the real author of the detective story is JK Rowling. Later, these suspicions were confirmed, and sales of the novel increased fantastically.

The writer herself was dissatisfied that her deceit was revealed so soon. However, she did not leave the detective genre and a year later she published a sequel - the book "Silkworm".

JK Rowling: personal life and children

For the first time, the writer went down the aisle with a TV reporter from Portugal, Jorge Arantes. Pretty soon after they met, the lovers began to meet. And in October 1992, they officially formalized the relationship after it turned out that the future author of the Harry Potter series of novels was pregnant.

Jessica Isabell Rowling-Arantes, who was born 9 months after that, was a real joy for her mother. However, the baby did not even have time to turn 4 months old, as her parents divorced. According to biographers and Arantes himself, he beat his wife, and this was the reason for the separation, although Rowling herself never confirmed this fact.

Despite the catastrophe with her first marriage, the writer nevertheless risked remarrying. Her new chosen one was a divorced anesthesiologist Neil Michael Murray. Despite the fact that both spouses had bitter experience behind them family life, Neil and Joan were able to find a common language and build a strong family.

In addition to the eldest daughter from his first marriage, Rowling has two more children: David Gordon Rowling-Murray and Mackenzie Jean Rowling-Murray.

Charity JK Rowling

Having experienced what poverty is, the writer, having become rich, began to use part of her funds to help others - she organized her own charitable organization Volant Charitable Trust.

This institution focuses on helping single mothers and low-income families. In addition, Rowling actively sponsors research on the treatment and prevention of multiple sclerosis.

The amount of funds donated by the writer is measured in tens of millions a year, which is probably why Rowling's real fortune is less than that attributed to her by journalists.

Word Magic: The JK Rowling Story

The biography of this storyteller interests her fans no less than her works. Therefore, the famous storyteller is constantly interviewed and invited to various events. Also, several documentaries and films were shot about her fate. The most detailed is the 2011 tape - Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story.

Unlike other projects (for example, JK Rowling: a Year in the life), this one is a full-fledged movie in which actress Poppy Montgomery played an adult JK Rowling. The biography of the writer in this tape is presented not in chronological order, but through the prism of various flashbacks.

Despite numerous shortcomings, Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a worthy attempt to tell the audience about the backstory of the appearance of "Harry Potter".

Interesting facts

• Joan is a quarter French and a quarter Scottish on her mother's side.
• The writer's parents really wanted their first child to be a boy. When a girl was born, they wanted to give her male name, but later changed their minds and named the girl Joanne Rowling.
• The biography of the writer is full of paradoxes. Yes, some religious figures they call her books satanic, although this is strange for Joan herself, because she sincerely believes in God, even if she does not agree with official church doctrines in everything.
• Initially, Rowling dreamed of studying at Oxford, but she was not accepted there, and had to be content with Exeter.
• Separate print media periodically announced the owner of an impressive fortune - 500 million pounds to a billion. However, Rowling denies that she is so rich. According to her, talking about your money is a bad form. At the same time, she admits that she has long been a millionaire.
• Every week the writer receives 1000-1500 letters. Interestingly, only half of them are from fans, because more often they write to her charitable foundations with requests for donations.
• As for wealth and charity. Joan believes that the possession of a large fortune imposes certain obligations on its owner, in particular, the need to take care of those who are less fortunate.
• The popularity of the writer contributed to the appearance of JK Rowling in films and even in animated series. So, in The Simpsons, its main characters once went on an excursion to the UK, where they met with the "mother" of Harry Potter. By the way, in this episode (season 15, episode 4), the novelist voiced herself.

Today, JK Rowling, despite wealth and fame, does not stop writing. According to her, she does this because she gets real pleasure from the process of creating a new work. Therefore, the fans of the writer have a real hope that she will write more than one novel about the fate of Harry Potter.

(J. K. Rowling), - British writer.

Aliases: J.K. Rowling, Newt Scamander, Kennyworthy Wisp, Robert Galbraith.

Joanne Rowling was born in the town of Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire, near Bristol, became the eldest of two daughters in the family. When the future writer was nine years old, the Rowlings moved to the city of Chepstow in the county of Gwent (Wales). After finishing there high school in 1983, Rowling entered the University of Exeter, where she studied French. This gave her the opportunity to spend a year in Paris.
After graduating from the university, having received a Bachelor of Arts degree, Rowling moved to London, where she changed several jobs. She spent most of her time in the international human rights organization Amnesty International. In 1990, the future writer moved to Manchester, and at the same time she first came up with the idea of ​​a children's book about a wizard boy. In the same 1990, Rowling's mother died of multiple sclerosis. A few months later, Joan got a job as a teacher. of English language in Porto, the second largest city in Portugal.
In Porto, Rowling met her future husband, television journalist Jorge Arantes. They got married in 1992, from this marriage they had a daughter, Jessica (Jessica). Pretty soon, Rowling and Arantesh broke up: her husband, according to the writer, literally put her and her daughter out of the house. By Christmas 1994, Rowling was back in the UK. Together with her daughter, she moved to Edinburgh, where her younger sister Dee lived at that time. By this time, a significant part of the first novel - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" - had already been written. In an effort to complete the book, Rowling did not take a permanent job and completed the novel in cafes, including the popular Nicolson's, owned by her relative.

In 1995, Rowling sent a white version of the novel to two literary agents, and the first returned the text almost immediately, not considering it promising, and the second - Christopher Little (Christopher Little) - nevertheless undertook to attach the manuscript. He succeeded a year later: "Harry Potter" was interested in a small London publishing house Bloomsbury. His employee Barry Cunningham (Barry Cunningham) in August 1996 offered the writer a modest advance (1500 pounds), which Rowling readily accepted.
The first printing of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" came out in 1997 and amounted to only a thousand copies, of which half went to children's libraries. The book did not make a big impression, but it was still noticed by critics. The Scottish Art Council has given Rowling a grant to help her start writing the second volume of Potter.
In the same year, at a professional fair for children's literature publishers in Bologna, Barry Cunningham managed to sell the rights to the American edition of Harry Potter to Scholastiс, which offered the writer an unusually large advance for a debutante - 105 thousand dollars. The writer had, however, to change the title of the book to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" ("Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone"). Subsequently, she never adapted the titles of the novels for an American audience.
The second book about Harry Potter ("Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets") appeared in 1998. That same year, Warner Bros. bought the film rights to two of Rowling's novels. They were released in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Both were directed by Chris Columbus. Rowling herself wanted to see British director Terry Gilliam as director, but the choice was up to the studio.

The third and fourth novels ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" respectively "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") were published in 1999 and 2000 years.
Immediately after Christmas 2001 (December 26), JK Rowling remarried. This time her chosen one was the Edinburgh anesthetist Neil Scott Murray. The birth of two children (in March 2003, the couple had a son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, and in January 2005, a daughter, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray) slowed down work on new continuations of the Potter series. The fifth book ("Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") was published in 2003, and the sixth ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince") - in 2005
The seventh and final novel in the series - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - went on sale in the UK and the US, as well as in several other countries at midnight July 21, 2007 local time. The premiere of Rowling's book was preceded by a series of leaks: several hackers and pirates posted a synopsis, and then digital photos of the American edition of the book on the Internet. An investigation by publisher Scholastic identified the source of the leaked photos: Levy Home Entertainment (LHE) and DeepDiscount.com, which delivered approximately 1,200 copies of the novel to American readers despite the embargo. One of the buyers posted the re-shot pages of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" to file-sharing networks. In addition, two days before the release of the novel, the newspaper The New The York Times published a review of the novel, written by the publication's lead critic Michiko Kakutani. The author admitted that she bought the book from a New York store that also violated the embargo. Rowling and Bloomsbury and Scholastic have asked those who already have copies of the novel "not to spoil the fun for other readers."
Film adaptations of Rowling's third, fourth, and fifth novels appeared in 2004, 2006, and 2007, respectively. The sixth film ("Half-Blood Prince") was released in 2009, the seventh ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows") is expected to be released in two parts. The first part of "The Deathly Hallows" was released in 2010, and the second - in 2011.

Rowling repeatedly assured that the seventh novel would be the last in the series, but on the eve of its release, she did not rule out that she would write a continuation of the adventures of her heroes in the future. Her agent also announced that the writer plans to publish an encyclopedia of characters and realities from her novels.
The total world circulation of the first six Harry Potter novels amounted to 325 million copies. In March 2007, the fortune of 41-year-old Rowling was estimated by Forbes magazine at one billion dollars.

The Harry Potter novels brought the writer many awards, including the Nestle Smarties Gold Award (three times), British Book Awards, Children's Book Award (twice), The Booksellers Association / The Bookseller Author of the Year Award (twice), Scottish Arts Council Children's Book Award (twice), the Spanish Prince of Asturias Award. Rowling was made an MBE in 2000.
Rowling does a lot of charity work. In particular, she supports the Single Parents Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Research Foundation, the disease from which her mother died.
Rowling is named among the close friends of Sarah Brown, the wife of the current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

October 20, 2010 Lenta.ru JK Rowling is the first recipient of the Andersen Prize
First Laureate literary prize Hans Christian Andersen is named after JK Rowling, a British writer. This newly established award is given to children's writers for their closeness to Andersen's ideas.
The award ceremony took place on October 19 in Andersen's homeland, in the Danish city of Odense. The prize money for the laureate is 500,000 crowns (about $100,000).