The First Harry Potter Book
Before starting another full-time job, Rowling was determined to finish her Harry Potter manuscript. Once she had completed it, she typed it up and sent it to several literary agents.
After acquiring an agent, the agent shopped around for a publisher. After a year of searching and a number of publishers turning it down, the agent finally found a publisher willing to print the book. Bloomsbury made an offer for the book in August 1996.
Rowling’s first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone became hugely popular, attracting an audience of young boys and girls as well as adults. With the public demanding more, Rowling quickly got to work on the following six books, with the last one published in July 2007.
J K Rowling’s Childhood
J.K. Rowling was born at Yate General Hospital as Joanne Rowling on July 31, 1965, in Gloucestershire, England.
Rowling’s parents, Peter James Rowling and Anne Volant, met on a train on their way to join the British navy . They married a year later, at age 19. At age 20, the young couple became new parents when Joanne Rowling arrived, followed by Joanne’s sister, Diane “Di,” 23 months later.
When Rowling was young, the family moved twice. At age four, Rowling and her family moved to Winterbourne. It was here that she met a brother and sister who lived in her neighborhood with the last name Potter.
At age nine, Rowling moved to Tutshill. The timing of the second move was clouded by the death of Rowling’s favorite grandmother, Kathleen. Later, when Rowling was asked to use initials as a pseudonym for the Harry Potter books to attract more boy readers, Rowling chose “K” for Kathleen as her second initial to honor her grandmother.
At age eleven, Rowling began attending the Wyedean School, where she worked hard for her grades and was terrible at sports. Rowling says that the character Hermione Granger is loosely based on Rowling herself at this age.
At age 15, Rowling was devastated when given the news that her mother had become seriously ill with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease. Instead of ever entering remission, Rowling’s mother grew increasingly sick.
Rowling Was Heavily Involved With The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter At Universal Studios Orlando
In 2010, Universal Studios opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a theme park that recreated Hogsmeade, let attendants pick a magical wand, and ride a roller coaster through Hogwarts or on a Hippogriff. It’s so popular that attendance at Universal Studios increased by 66% at its first full year, and it’s now within striking distance of Disney, which ruled the theme park industry for decades.
Bloomberg reported that Rowling involved herself in every minutiae of the project, banning hamburgers, pizza, and Coca-Cola and instead ensuring that only British-style food would be served. Engineers proclaimed Rowling’s sketches for Hogsmeade’s wonky, surrealistic buildings as architecturally impossible, but eventually they figured it out anyway.
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Jk Rowling Reveals The Truth Around The Origins Of ‘harry Potter’ Stupefying Fans
- May 22, 2020
For years, fans of the beloved “Harry Potter” franchise have flocked to Edinburgh, Scotland, to visit the sites where author J.K. Rowling had reportedly started writing the series.
But now, Rowling has revealed Edinburgh is actually not where the writing of the boy who lived began.
See 35 ways Harry Potter changed the world in a gallery at the end of this story
“I was renting a room in a flat over what was then a sports shop,” Rowling said on Twitter, with an image of where she resided at the time of writing the first book. “The first bricks of Hogwarts were laid in a flat in Clapham Junction.”
And fans were — to borrow from the books — were essentially petrified.
J.K. Rowling took to Twitter to answer all of our questions about the origin of Harry Potter.
The news came after a fan posted a picture on Twitter of the Elephant House, a coffee shop in Edinburgh which on its website describes itself as the place “made famous as the place of inspiration to writers such as J.K. Rowling, who sat writing much of her early novels in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle.”
The fan asked Rowling to explain “the truth about this ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter.”
Rowling, who is known to drop various bombshells and unknown tidbits about the franchise on Twitter, explained that the real “pen to paper” birth of Harry Potter himself, happened in her flat.
However, she said, the moment where she had the idea for the series itself was while she was riding on a train.
Jk Rowling Became An Inspiration To Single Moms
The âHarry Potterâ authorâs rags-to-riches story has piqued the interest of single moms everywhere. From jotting down initial ideas about the book on a napkin to becoming the successful entrepreneur she is today, Rowlingâs story has inspired many a single mother.
Above:Harry Potter author JK Rowling after she was made a Companion of Honour by the Duke of Cambridge during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, in London, UK, on Tuesday December 12, 2017. Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Wire/ABACAPRESS.COM
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How The Cursed Child And Fantastic Beasts Changed Harry Potter
The year 2016 was a busy one for J.K. Rowling. It saw the release of a Harry Potter stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,and the first film in a new series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Both were met by fans with enthusiasm, but left audiences and critics with some important questions.
While completing a successful theatre run,The Cursed Child presented audiences with plot holes and odd additions to the lore of the world Rowling had created. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them received even more backlash, with accusations of racism and homophobia.
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The film revealed that Nagini, Voldemorts snake, was actually an Asian-American witch who was cursed to become a snake permanently. It goes without saying that turning one of the few highlighted Asian characters in ones fictional world into an old white mans pet is incredibly creepy and offensive.
It was also announced that Dumbledores homosexuality wouldnt be explored or mentioned in the new films. This was an issue for many LGBTQ+ groups, considering that a young Dumbledore and his first love, Grindelwald, would both feature in the films. Rowling revealed that Dumbledore was gay offhandedly after the book series was completed, and LGBTQ+ groups were looking forward to some much-needed positive representation in film.
‘harry Potter’ Proved A Concept Can Go On Forever
J.K. Rowling didnât just stop when the âHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsâ movies were available for streaming and to watch on DVD. She moved on to the âFantastic Beastsâ film series, and the play âHarry Potter and the Cursed Childâ is a hit. Plus, mega-fans are still keeping up with all things Potter on the popular website Pottermore.com. Thereâs no telling whatâs next for the Harry Potter world!
Above:Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, Dan Fogler and Eddie Redmayne from the film “Fantastic Beasts 2,” photographed in the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con 2018, in San Diego, Calif., on July 21, 2018
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Is Another Major Year For Her: The Last Harry Potter Movie Is Released
The eighth and last “Harry Potter” movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” is released and breaks the record for the biggest opening weekend of all time. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint say goodbye to the roles that will define their careers for the rest of their lives. It’s the end of a major chapter for “Harry Potter” and for millions of fans.
The Increasingly Dark Tone Of The Series Was Inspired By Rowlings Life Experiences
The Harry Potter series becomes considerably more sophisticated as it progresses, grappling with serious issues like death and bigotry. Rowling has been open about the fact that much of the darkness is autobiographical. She told Oprah Winfrey that, though she did not realize it when she began writing the series, making Harry an orphan, along with his subsequent experiences with death, was her way of dealing with the death of her mother, who died of multiple sclerosis when Rowling was 20: If she hadn’t died, I don’t think it’s too strong to say that there wouldn’t be Harry Potter. The books are what they are because she died.
The Dementors, among the most frightening creatures in the franchise, were inspired by her struggles with depression during her 20s: It’s so difficult to describe to someone who’s never been there because it’s not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling that really hollowed-out feeling. That’s what Dementors are.”
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Jk Rowling Reveals Where She Came Up With Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses
Along with Butterbeer and Dementors, the Houses of Hogwarts are one of the most iconic parts of Harry Potter lore. Admit it, if you’re a Potterhead, the first thing you want to know about anyone is whether they’re a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff. In fact, sorting people into their Hogwarts Houses has become such a beloved past-time that we’ve started doing it to other fandoms, too. Gaten Matarazzo said in October that both he and Dustin identify as Hufflepuffs, while Lucas is a Gryffindor, Will is a Ravenclaw, and Mike is a Slytherin. And in November, Madelaine Petsch, who plays Cheryl Blossom, played the Sorting Hat to the characters of Riverdale.
But how did the Hogwarts Houses come to be? On Friday, J.K. Rowling revealed the long-awaited answer. In answer to another writer’s tweet about writing on napkins when there wasn’t access to pen and paper, she tweeted:
“The best thing I ever wrote on was an aeroplane sick bag. Came up with the Hogwarts houses on it.”
This implies that not only did Rowling come up with arguably the most fan-friendly part of Harry Potter on a plane, but she did it so spontaneously that she had to go for a barf bag. Kind of gross, but definitely brilliant.
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As Per Revelations Made By Jk Rowling It Turns Out The Boy Who Lived Was Born In A Flat In London’ Clapham Junction Not Edinburgh As Per Popular Belief
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. Recently, she debunked fan theories about where her iconic Harry Potter series originated, and it had left all ‘Potterheads’ surprised.
It started with a Potterhead inquiring about the birthplace of Harry Potter which has been long known to be Edinburgh until Rowling herself rejected the assumptions and made interesting revelations about where the character actually crossed her mind and when she started penning down the fictional idea. The story of the magical boy had first begun in a flat in London’s Clapham Junction. However, she clarified on Twitter that the idea had popped in her mind, it was while riding a Manchester-London train.
The fans were shocked with the bombshell that Rowling dropped as the coffee shop in Edinburgh, Elephant House has been described as the birthplace of Harry Potter on its website itself. However, this was just the start of a series of divulgences that the 54-year-old made for the series of books she started apparently writing in 1990 and took five years to complete. Rowling said that even though she had written in the Edinburgh shop, it was, however, not the first place.
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Why Did Harry Name His Child After Severus Snape
In the Harry Potter fandom, jokes surrounding Harrys terrible taste in baby names are everywhere. Its almost as if Ginny had no say whatsoever in what they named their children. Okay, we get that Snape was redeemed by love and turned out to be a good person, but he still made Harrys life a nightmare while in school. Really, Harry: the bravest man you knew? What about Hagrid? What about Remus?
According to J.K. Rowling, theres more to this name choice than just at the surface level. It all comes down to Snape sacrificing his life. Snape died for Harry out of love for Lily, she said. Harry paid him tribute in forgiveness and gratitude. If Harry can let go of his grudge against Snape, then perhaps some of the more incredulous fans should, too.
How Far Ahead Did Jk Rowling Plan Harry Potter
I recently reread Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone after a long time away from the series. I noticed that within in the first five pages, Sirius Black is mentioned.
“Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir,” said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. “Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I’ve got him, sir.”
It came as a surprise to me, as I had previously thought J.K. Rowling had written the book without much thought to a larger series .
How far ahead did J.K. Rowling plan Harry Potter while she was writing it?
- 1Mar 4, 2017 at 19:09
- 4It may be hard to find a credible answer to this question, given JKR’s tendency to spout unreliable nonsense when asked about her books.Mar 4, 2017 at 19:18
- 1I can’t put my hands on a quote at the moment, but I recall reading that she said she’d come up with the rough arc of all seven books in the same train ride, and only hadn’t jotted it down because she was too shy to ask the person next to her for a pencil.Mar 4, 2017 at 20:50
- @LaurenIpsum do please find that quote 😀 GallifreyanMar 4, 2017 at 20:51
- @LaurenIpsum This is the closest I could find to that quote with a cursory Google search. I chose not to include it in my answer because I don’t know how clear it is from that quote that the idea referred to is the whole seven book series, or just the idea of a boy who doesn’t know he is a wizard: “and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didnt know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
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British Folklore And Mythology
Rowling has said, “I’ve taken horrible liberties with folklore and mythology, but I’m quite unashamed about that, because British folklore and British mythology is a totally bastard mythology. You know, we’ve been invaded by people, we’ve appropriated their gods, we’ve taken their mythical creatures, and we’ve soldered them all together to make, what I would say, is one of the richest folklores in the world, because it’s so varied. So I feel no compunction about borrowing from that freely, but adding a few things of my own.”
Jk Rowling Says She Received Loads Of Rejections Before Harry Potter Successs
JK Rowling has offered hope to aspiring authors everywhere, after revealing that the first literary agent she sent the manuscript of Harry Potter to responded with just a slip of paper rejecting it.
To add insult to injury, the agent also held onto the folder she submitted her work in, Rowling wrote on Twitter, in response to a question from a fan who asked if she would ever get nervous emailing agents when she first started out.
The first agent I ever queried sent back a slip saying My list is full. The folder you sent wouldnt fit in the envelope, replied Rowling. I really minded about the folder, because I had almost no money and had to buy another one.
Asked: How many folders do you have now JK? by one of her 4.38m followers, the novelist replied, tongue in cheek: I now have over a million folders, all made of costly silks, each one hand-gilded by artisans in Paris, adding the hashtag JK, for just kidding, or in her case, Joanne Kathleen as well.
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone had been written in Edinburgh cafes while Rowling and her daughter lived on benefits. It was accepted by Christopher Little, the next literary agent she submitted it to.
She told another fan on Twitter that she received loads of rejections before she finally got published Little sent the manuscript to 12 different publishers before it ended up with Bloomsbury.
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When Was Jk Rowling Stuck On The Train
This is an excerpt from the new book The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time by Allen Gannett. It was 1990. J. K. Rowling was stuck on the train from Manchester to London. The train was delayed, and it was looking less and less likely shed reach London on time. Her mind started to wander.
Places To Visit Where Jk Rowling Wrote Harry Potter In Edinburgh
Of course there are loads of other Harry Potter sites in Edinburgh, including a graveyard, a cobbled street, and a castle that may have served as inspiration for the novels. Harry Potter fans will want to be sure to visit those sites as well!
You can explore the Harry Potter sites on your own self-guided tour of Edinburgh or join a guided tour such as this one. If you are are traveling with younger kids, you might consider this private family tour.
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