After leaving school, Rowling tried to enter Oxford, but ended up becoming a philology student at the University of Exeter. In addition to French, Rowling studied ancient Greek and Roman literature at the university.

After graduating from university, Rowling moved to London, where she changed several jobs, including a position at Amnesty International, a human rights organization.

While traveling from Manchester to London on a crowded train, Rowling conceived the idea for a novel about a black-haired, bespectacled boy who was unaware of his magical powers. She started work in the evening of the same day, having reached home. After the death of her mother in December 1990, the main character of her future novel was an orphan boy grieving for his dead parents.

In the early 1990s, Rowling lived in Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. In 1993 she moved to Edinburgh.

In 1995, the writer sent the first chapters of the book to several literary agents. In 1997, the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published by Bloomsbury. The publisher suggested that the writer print her initials on the cover instead of her full name, citing the fact that boys would not want to buy a book written by a woman. Since Rowling did not have a middle name, she chose the letter "K" as her initial, in honor of her grandmother Kathleen - "J. K. Rowling". The book gained popularity among the public.

In 1999, the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was published.

The fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was published on July 8, 2000, with a UK record edition of one million copies.

The next Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was published in 2003, followed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005.

The last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published in 2007.

Interest in Harry Potter and income from book sales increased with each new novel. Rowling's works have been translated into 67 languages.

In December 2007, the collection “Tales of Beedle the Bard” was published, which was also mentioned in the last book about Harry Potter, and the text of one of the tales is given in full in the novel.

Rowling's first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy, was published in the UK in September 2012.

Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, the writer published two detective novels, The Cuckoo's Calling (2013) and The Silkworm (2014).

The writer also announced that she had already written half of her third crime novel and had begun work on the plot of the fourth. It is planned that books related common hero- Detective Cormoran Strike, it will be more than seven.

Rowling is the screenwriter of a number of films about Harry Potter - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (2001), "Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets"(2002), "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005), "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007), "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009).

In two parts of the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", released in 2010 and 2011, she is also a producer.

JK Rowling's various charities: Single Parents Foundation, Research Foundation multiple sclerosis and others. She is the founder charitable organization Lumos, which defends the rights of mentally retarded children in poor European countries.

In 2012, she gave a short speech at the opening ceremony of the XXX Summer Olympic Games in London.

Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 2001 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire, in 2009 - the Order of the Legion of Honor (France). Her awards include the Hugo Award (2001), the Prince of Asturias Award (Spain, 2003), Literary Prize U.G. Smith (2004), Edinburgh Prize (2008), Hans Christian Andersen Prize (Denmark, 2010), etc. Rowling was awarded the British Book Award several times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2008).

In 2001, JK Rowling married anesthesiologist Neil Murray. In 2003, the couple had a son, David, and a daughter, Mackenzie, in 2005. She also has a daughter from her first marriage, Jessica (born in 1993). The writer took her husband’s surname, but publishes books under her former name, which is more familiar to readers.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

A very rich lady: an estate in Scotland, a house in London

Joan Kathleen Rowling(Joanne Kathleen Rowling) is an English writer, born on July 31, 1965 in the town of Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol. Joanna Murray Rowling is the writer's real name. Of the two daughters in the family, Joan was the eldest. When Joan was four years old, her family settled in Winterbourne. And when Joan was 9, the family moved to Tatsheel, a small village in Gwent (Wales). John grew up as a dreamy child and read a lot as a child. She constantly came up with incredible fantasy stories. At the age of 6, she composed her first fairy tale.

After graduating high school Rowling attended the University of Exeter in Devon. There she studied literature and French. After graduating from university, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. Then Rowling moved to London. She had the opportunity to work both at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and at Amnesty International.

The birth of the image of Harry Potter

According to JK Rowling, the idea to write a story about a boy wizard came to her in a crowded train carriage when she was returning from a date. Suddenly she introduced her character - a thin, dark-haired boy with glasses, with a scar on his forehead. The boy has the talent of a wizard, but does not know about it. The writer didn’t even have a pen with her to write down her thoughts. Therefore, she spent the entire four hours spent on the trip coming up with more and more details, completing and complementing the image that arose in her head. Returning home, Rowling sat down to write “The Philosopher’s Stone.” These first pages were later completely transformed, but the beginning of the Potter story began precisely then, in the summer of 1990. In 1990, the writer moved to Manchester. In the same year, misfortune befell her family. From Rowling's mother dies of multiple sclerosis. Soon after this sad event, the woman leaves for Portugal. There Rowling gets a job in the city of Porto as a teacher. in English. And he begins to work closely on his book about the boy wizard Harry Potter.

Unsuccessful marriage

In Portugal, Joan marries student Jorge Arantes. She got married while already pregnant. Arantes' parents and Joan's sister Dianne and her husband came to their wedding. Jorge was soon called up for army training and was away from home for several months. During this time, Joan wrote the first three chapters of The Philosopher's Stone. Daughter Jessica was born on July 27, 1993. Scandals constantly occurred between the young spouses.

Soon they separated. After this, Joan went to Edinburgh to visit her sister. Life was difficult for her financially. There was only enough money for the bare necessities - cheap clothes and the same food. Joan could not afford toys for her child. Her main motivations in life were her daughter and her literary hero Harry Potter. Rowling went for a walk with her baby. When her daughter fell asleep, she took her to the Nicholson cafe, which belonged to her sister’s husband. In a cafe, she sat down at a distant table and began working on a novel. She tries to sell the novel with the help of her agent. But the writer is haunted by failures. She is refused. Finally, the agent managed to sell Joan's book to the Bloomsbury publishing house. Joan's work was appreciated by the Scottish Arts Council. She was given a grant so that the writer could leave her job as a teacher and take up literary creativity.

The novel created a sensation

The novel by the aspiring writer “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” which was published in 1997, created a real sensation. It was voted the best children's book of the year in the UK. This is a story about an eleven-year-old orphan boy who lives with his aunt's family and has no idea that he is a real wizard. Harry Potter's life changes forever when one day an owl delivers a letter for him.

The boy becomes a student at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns the truth about mysterious death your parents. He also manages to discover the secret of the philosopher's stone. The book was liked not only by children, but also became interesting to adult readers. The American publishing house of Arthur Levine acquired the rights to publish the work. The book was republished in 1998 in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Soon, other wonderful works about Harry Potter came out from John’s pen. In the USA and Great Britain, as well as in some other countries, the final, seventh novel in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows series went on sale in 2007. JK Rowling often said that the seventh novel would be the last in this series, but before its release she did not rule out that she would write a continuation of the adventures of the heroes in the future.

Neil Murray looks like a grown-up Harry Potter

Harry Potter takes over the screen

In 1998, the film studio Warner Bros bought the film rights to two of Rowling's novels.

In 2001, the film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was released. It was directed by American director Chris Columbus. He also filmed the book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Film adaptations of Rowling's third, fourth and fifth novels appeared in 2004 and 2006.

Books about Harry Potter have been translated into more than 60 languages, including Russian. More than 250 million copies of books have been sold in a short time. Books and films made Joan famous worldwide. Since 2004, Rowling has become the most rich woman Great Britain. Her fortune was estimated at $1 billion in 2008. The writer has won many prestigious literary awards.

From Cinderella to princess

Joan's fate is somewhat reminiscent of the fairy tale about Cinderella. From a poor teacher she turned into a rich woman. Queen Elizabeth II herself awarded Joan the Order in 2001 British Empire. The writer has several honorary academic degrees various universities. She proudly bears the title of the most popular writer in the country, which was awarded to her by her fellow countrymen. In December 2001, Joan married anesthesiologist Neil Scott Murray. They had two sons - David and Mackenzie. In Scotland, Jo purchased a luxurious 19th-century manor. She has luxury homes in Edinburgh and London.

Rowling's Wizarding World

In addition to the seven volumes about the adventures of Harry Potter, three more books about the wizarding world were published from the pen of the famous writer. In 2007, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published. The writer personally designed all seven copies of fairy tales with drawings. The copies were bound in leather and also decorated with silver and semi-precious stones. The writer gave six copies to her loved ones. And the seventh copy was put up for auction at Sotheby's. Rowling expected it to sell for $100,000, but in fact the book sold for $4 million! The writer donated the proceeds to charity.

U magical world Joan also had her detractors. The Church has repeatedly accused her of causing unhealthy interest in witchcraft, black magic, paranormal phenomena. An entire symposium of psychiatrists was convened in the United States, and Harry Potter was discussed at it. Psychiatrists eventually came to the conclusion that the novel has a beneficial effect on both the child and adult psyche. "Harry Potter" helps both children and adults cope with everyday problems. This book is a kind of psychotherapy that helps a person adapt to society.

Books by JK Kathleen Rowling

• "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (1997)
• "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (1998)
• "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (1999)
• "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2000)
• "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2003)
• "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2005)
• "Harry Potter and the Fatal Powers" (2007)
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (2007)
• "Tales of Beedle the Bard" (2007)
• "Harry Potter: The Backstory" (2008)

Screen adaptation

• "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (2001)
• "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002)
• "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004)
• "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005)
• "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007)
• "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009)
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (2010)
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011)

Links

• New Year's film holidays women's magazine myJane

JK Rowling or a success story

The material was “taken away” from the site http://site/

There is hardly a person who has not heard this name at least once in his life. This British writer went down in history as the author of the most sensational children's series, about a boy wizard who lost his parents at an early age and grew up in his aunt's family. With the appearance of an owl in the house with a letter, the boy’s life changed dramatically, and his world was transformed.

A famous place of pilgrimage for Harry Potter fans is Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. Installed in honor of the writer who used it in her books as a gateway to the world of magic...

The famous “Potteriana” includes 7 books that have been awarded several prestigious awards and have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide. Thus, they became the most popular series of books, which laid the foundation for a number of films, which in turn became the highest-grossing books in the history of cinema. The film scripts were approved by the writer herself, she also controlled the entire creative process of filming and even acted as the producer of the last part.

In addition to books about a boy wizard, her pen, under the pseudonym Robert Galbert, also published books for adults “The Casual Vacancy” (2012) and a series of books about detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin – “The Cuckoo’s Calling” (2013). ), The Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil (2015).

Having learned the story of the creation of her first novel, I was shocked by the fortitude of this courageous woman, who managed to go from an unemployed person living on social benefits to a world-famous multimillionaire in five years.

The history of the creation of Harry Potter

Rowling began writing as a child. I read my fantastic stories to my sister. Her great-aunt instilled in her a thirst for knowledge and an interest in philology. V adolescence was difficult. The mother was sick, and the relationship with the father did not work out: they did not talk. The future writer studied at the Vaidin school, where her mother was an employee of the science department. According to Rowling herself, Hermione (the know-it-all girl from the Harry Potter books) is her own caricature - the one she was at age 11, and whom, by the way, she was not particularly proud of. Ron Weasley's image ( best friend Harry) is partly borrowed from Sean Harris, the future writer's best friend in sixth grade. By the way, he just had a Ford Anglia car. turquoise color, which was the inspiration for the magic machine in the books.

Rowling studied English, French and German languages. I passed my final exams with two excellent marks and one good mark. After failing her exams at Oxford University in 1982, she was accepted to the University of Exeter. After studying for a year in Paris, Joan graduated from Exter with a bachelor's degree in French and classical philology in 1986. Having moved to London, she received the position of secretary-translator at the research department of Amnesty International.

The idea for a novel about a boy wizard who ends up at Hogwarts School of Wizardry came to her suddenly during a train ride from Manchester to London in 1990. The train was delayed for four hours on its approach to King's Cross Station, which would later become a popular destination for tourists who read Harry Potter, where it is featured as a portal to the wizarding world. According to Joan, she herself doesn’t know where the idea of ​​creating a book came from, but it all started with the name Harry, and the rest of the characters and situations emerged by themselves. Never before had any idea captured her as much as she did that day. She didn’t have a pen at hand, and she was embarrassed to ask her fellow travelers, so she just sat and thought about the plot future book. Over the four hours that the train stood at the station, the thin, black-haired boy with glasses and a scar on his forehead became more and more real to her. The first few pages of The Philosopher's Stone were written that same evening, but they were still very far from the finished concept of the book.

All readers love adventure and heroic works. And their audience is wide, especially for teenage literature. Many people read it: for children it is a daily intellectual diet, and for adults it is a way to escape from the inevitable boredom of “adult” books. When the "boy who lived" was not yet so famous, many people probably wondered who wrote Harry Potter. The answer is below.

The difficult fate of Harry Potter

Harry Potter - "the boy who lived." The hero of all children from the very moment when the first book in the series about the little wizard and his life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was published in 1997. The magic of this character lies not only in his abilities, but also in his character. He overcame difficulties all his life, starting at the age of one. At first he was a "whipping boy" cousin Dudley and the tool for splashing everything out negative emotions their Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Then Harry became the object of attention hidden from ordinary people(Muggle) world in which flying is easier than inventing a radio, and a magic wand replaces almost all tools - from a shovel to a helicopter. His every action and statement was retold many times and caused a wave of reviews. One wrong step and everyone hates Harry Potter, shuns him and whispers behind his back. Victory or joy - and all the students of the Hogwarts school, together with their parents and other relatives, discuss it, pat the boy on the shoulder, and unknown girls make eyes. And all this against the backdrop of a personal tragedy: the death of his parents from the worst black wizard in the history of the magical world - Voldemort, whom other wizards feared so much that even his name became taboo, he was simply “He-who-cannot-be-remembered.” Moreover, this sorcerer was hunting for Harry too. So death could await the boy at any moment, around any turn and in the guise of anyone. And the most wonderful thing about this character is that he did not give up, did not withdraw into himself, but remained open, friendly, inquisitive, found friends for himself and only strengthened his abilities under the onslaught of all the troubles that befell him.

What kind of person do you have to be to create such a thing? literary hero, and such wonderful world, in other words, who wrote Harry Potter - modern version"Cinderella"? After all, whatever one may say, Harry eventually melted all his difficulties into a wonderful and memorable biography and became a real legend of the wizarding world.

JK Rowling is one of the most famous authors of our time

JK Rowling is a living symbol of modern English literature. In this capacity, she performed at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in London in 2012. This is a legendary woman, the only one in history who turned from a billionaire to a millionaire thanks to active charity work. But before reaching the pinnacle of fame, she experienced something that you wouldn’t wish on your enemy. And she embodied every test, every drop of emotion into the heroes of the Harry Potter series of books. Of course, it is now difficult to answer the question of who wrote Harry Potter wrong. Nevertheless, in the biography of the “sorceress” there is still a lot of interesting things to talk about.

The difficult fate of J. Rowling herself

Joan's parents (Peter James and Anne) met at King's Cross station in London. The writer was traveling there when the idea of ​​a boy who does not know that he is actually a wizard came to her mind. Therefore, one of the inanimate but important heroes of the wizarding world is King's Cross Station. Precisely the heroes, because the places and settings imply staticity, immobility, as if a frame for action, and this station is not like that. He's like a mystery Living being To unlock its secrets, you need to have a certain code. After all, as everyone who has ever read a book or seen a movie knows, to get to platform nine and three-quarters, you need to go straight through the brick column supporting the vaults of the station between platforms 9 and 10. And do this in such a way that no one from the Muggles noticed. In the first book, eleven-year-old Harry was never able to see the immediate moment of transition of any of the Weasley family members and did not understand what to do until he asked. In the second book, the beginning would not have been so exciting if the passage to the platform had not been closed to him and his friend Ron. These are the secrets hidden in an ordinary, at first glance, teenage book and biography of the one who wrote Harry Potter.

Heroes and their real prototypes

By the way, about Ron and the flying Ford Anglia. According to Joan herself, they have quite real prototypes: while the writer was in the sixth grade, her friend had a turquoise car of this brand. And the friend himself began to create the character and appearance of Ron. And his name was Sean. It looks like it, doesn't it?

And eleven-year-old Joan herself put herself in this book. Hermione Granger: an ugly and annoying know-it-all nerd. Rowling copied it from herself. Fans of the series know that few people liked Hermione. Apparently, little Joan or Jo, as everyone called her, did not like herself (as she perceived herself). The creator of "Harry Potter" has repeatedly said in interviews that she was not happy at that period of her life. Joan's father did not understand and did not seek with her common language, the mother was sick. Rowling then devoted all the passion of her soul to literature; this did not at all make her popular among her peers. A dramatic story from the biography of the one who wrote the book “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” isn’t it?

Rowling's relationship with her mother had a huge impact on the development of the plot of the Harry Potter books. While Joan was writing her first book about a boy wizard, her mother died after a long and painful illness. All the pain of experiencing this tragic event, she conveyed all the feelings associated with him to her hero; as you know, the boy’s parents also died. That's why the reader believes Harry's loss so much.

As Nietzsche said: “I love only those books that are written with the blood of the heart.” And these words, surprisingly, fit well with the works of the one who wrote the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”

Also, the writer’s mother was half Scottish. She went to Scotland and Native sister Joan - Diana. Rowling lived with her when she created the world of wizards and sorcerers. This is probably why Hogwarts is located in the mountains of Scotland. Anyone who has read the Potter books is amazed at how realistically the landscapes and weather anomalies are depicted. If on the pages of a novel snowing, then even in summer you want to cover yourself with a blanket. If it rains during Quidditch, you really feel for the players and fans. All this is due to the fact that the writer herself experienced snowfalls, thunderstorms, and rains for several years and put this into the pages of her books. Very interesting story reveals to us an analysis of the biography and works of the one who wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but this is not the end.

"The Woman Who Could"

With a small child in her arms, receiving unemployment benefits (at the time of writing the first book, she belonged to the poorest segment of the country's population, without being a homeless beggar), Rowling soulfully describes the condition of Harry, forced to wear his brother's cast-offs and eat leftovers from the table, and the life of the family Weasley - poor, but loving friend people's friend. And all because she knows well the sorrows of life in poverty.

When Rowling was depressed (she even had thoughts of suicide), she came up with dementors (Azkaban guards who suck the souls out of prisoners). When I wanted to hide from all the people and the world - animagi who can turn into animals. When she felt bad, she thought of ways out of the most terrible and dangerous situations for your little hero. And she survived thanks to this.

Now, it seems, the reader can easily answer the question, who wrote Harry Potter? Author J. K. Rowling is “the woman who could.” Yes, before success and fame, she experienced despair, hunger, fear, loneliness, and the loss of loved ones. But if all this horror did not exist, would the reader believe its heroes?

— 53 years old.

We have collected 7 facts from the writer’s life that influenced the plot and images of the novels and made “Potter” as we know it.

Loser

Joan disobeyed her parents, who wanted her to study something useful at university, and took up classical literature. It was impossible to imagine a more impractical choice. Seven years after graduating from university, by the time she sat down to write the book, twenty-seven-year-old Rowling was a complete failure - she had no job, she was separated from her husband and remained a single mother. There was barely enough money just to pay the rent.

Nevertheless, as she believes, it was precisely the hopeless situation that pushed her to take up the matter that she really had her heart in - writing. “If I had been successful in something else, I might never have had the courage to pursue a goal in what I truly love.” Well, knowledge of classical philology helped to come up with many new words for the fantasy world.

Depression
Warner Bros.

The first novel took five years to write, and another two years passed before the work was published. So the sad financial situation of the author lasted for a very long time. It is not surprising that Rowling eventually ended up in a specialized hospital with a diagnosis of clinical depression. Subsequently, she admitted to journalists that she was inspired to create the image of dementors by precisely this state of melancholy and the feeling of absolute hopelessness that she experienced during her illness.

Hermione Rowling
Warner Bros.

Rowling wrote Hermione Granger from herself. She considers this character a caricature of her eleven-year-old self: she studied just as greedily, wanted to be on time everywhere, and readily demonstrated her knowledge to everyone. Well, we think that if this was satire, it was quite delicate towards itself.

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

Inspiration

The idea for the Harry Potter novels came to Joan while she was traveling on a train from Manchester to London: “I was returning to London alone on a crowded train and the idea of ​​Harry Potter just popped into my head. I've been writing almost continuously since I was six years old, but I've never been so excited about an idea before. Much to my disappointment, I didn't have a pen and was too shy to ask anyone. And I think that was probably a good thing. I just sat and thought while all the details bubbled up in my brain and this skinny black-haired boy with glasses who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me. Maybe if I had slowed down to get them down on paper, I would have suppressed some of them (though sometimes I wonder how much of what I imagined then I had forgotten by the time I found myself with a pen). I started writing The Philosopher's Stone that evening, although those first few pages have nothing in common with the finished book."

Mother's death
Warner Bros.

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

Biker Hagrid
Warner Bros.

Rowling told actor Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the films, that the character was inspired by a biker she met in a bar. “When he walked in, people ran away from him like ants. He took a mug of beer, sat down and said: “The petunias didn’t grow 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 almost killed Ron Weasley. At that moment there was no best period in life, and the mood was just right for “killing” someone. Now the writer says that if she had given in to an impulse, she would never have forgiven herself for it.