J
K Rowling
Introduction
It is the most
commonly admitted fact that living in today’s world is tough and tenacious and
to survive in it is to know what you are doing at all times and thinking twice
before you take a decision; but 19 years before a gifted writer and a woman
with extraordinary talent in words created a whole new magical world and shaped
a belief in every reader’s mind that it existed.
Joanne Jo Rowling
is a British novelist, screenwriter and film producer best known for writing
the Fantasy Harry Potter series. Loved by fans around the world, the series has
sold over 8 million copies, translated into 77 languages and made into 8
blockbuster films. Her story is known as an ideal example of a ‘Rags to Riches’
life; she being the 12fth richest woman in the UK.
Childhood & Family :-
The Rowling Family :-
Joanne Jo
Rowling’s childhood is greatly reflected in her books which are considered, one
of the biggest literary sagas. Jo’s parents, Peter James Rowling and Anne
Volant met at the King’s Cross Station, at London and got married just a year
later, when they were 19.
This inspired Jo,
later, when “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” to make Kings Cross ,
the station were Harry first boarded his train to Hogwart’s School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry on Platform 9 ¾ .
Jo was born to them on 31st July 1965.
Born to be a writer :-
Growing up, Jo
was a voracious reader. She loved to read fantasy and non -fiction books. Her
favourite writers were Elizabeth Goudge, Paul Gallico etc. She wrote her first
book when she was just Six years old; it was about a rabbit named Rabbit. Jo
confessed later that she knew she was going to be a writer from the age of Six
itself.
When she was Nine
years old, the family moved to Tutshill, near Chepstow on the Welsh border. She
went to Wyeden comprehensive school and college with her sister Dianne Rowling.
She then joined Exeter university in 1983 and graduated with a BA in French and
Classics in 1986.
Platform 9 ¾ quarters and creating the world of Harry Potter.
Creating the Magic :-
Are you wondering
how such clear idea of an imaginary,
fictional world came about ? “It all
started in Platform 9 ¾ “ Joanne said in
an interview. On one summer day in 1990, Joanne was travelling on a crowded train back
to London when the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into her head. She stated
that if she did not have the shortage of a pen and paper, she would have
started writing right away.
Since the train
was delayed, she had plenty of time to figure out the basic details. Slowly,
the image of a scarred and spectacled 11 year old boy started emerging in her
head. She began to write “The Philosopher’s Stoner”, that very evening ;
although, she said that the first few scrapped sheets beared no resemblance to
the finished book.
It was also
during this time that Jo’s mother Anne Rowling passed away at the age of 45.
This brought a shadow of sadness to Jo’s life, which was greatly reflected in
her writing, as the Director for the 5th, 6th, 7th
and 8th movies said – “The feeling of loss runs like a stream
through Jo’s books”.
Jo described this
period as her rock bottom from which she rebounded. She took a job in the
Scottish Arts Council which gave her a generous ground of $8000 which allowed
her to take care of her eldest daughter, Jessica Rowling and at the same time
gave her enough time to search for a Publisher.
Finally, she
struck a deal with Scholastic and Harry Potter and the “Philosopher’s Stone”
was published on 26th June 1997. In the beginning the book was only
popular between children, but slowly it began to grow in to a huge adult fan
base.
The series
continues…
“Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets”. The second title in the
series was published on 2nd July 1998. It became No.1 on the adult
hardback bestseller charts a month later. The 3rd title “The
Prisoner of Azkaban” was published on 8th July 1999, much to the
fans outcry and to worldwide acclaim. It spent four weeks as No.1 as the adult
hardback bestseller charts in UK. The fourth instalment “Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire” released publicly exactly a year later on 8th July
2000. It was no exception proceeding the other three titles in the series – it
broke all records on the first day of publication in the UK.
She published two smaller books as comic relief in the name of
Harry’s school books – “Fantastic beasts and where to find them” and “Quidditch
through the ages” on March 2001, and believe it or not, but its sales raised
over £17 million!
Personal Life
Dr. Neil Murray
J K Rowling married Dr. Neil Murray on 26th December
2001 in a private ceremony in their country home in Scotland way from the
public eye; as she did not want to be put in the tight spot of answering any
questions regarding her first husband Jorge Arantes and their daughter Jessica
Rowling. Together Neil and Jo had Mackenzie Murray and David Murray.
Caste and Crew of Harry Potter
The Harry Potter series of books has sold over 450 million, making
it the most bestselling book series ever. The Harry Potter films have got 7.7
billion at the box office, making it the most successful film series ever.
Yes, that is a perfect match.
Daniel Ratcliffe once said at the Deathly Hallows Part II premier
– “I don’t think end of the story happens tonight, because each and every
person, not only in the square but also watching around the world who will see
this film and who have followed these films over the last 10 years, will carry
the story with them through the rest of their lives, and it will affect what
they do.”
And yet to this day, people watch and enjoy these films because of
its phenomenal cast and spectacular graphics.
After Jo wrote the fourth book – The Goblet of Fire, the movie of
the first book – The Philosopher’s Stone, released on 16th Nov 2001,
and resulted in a huge box office success.
Auditions:
Jo continued writing the books when the films were being shot, but
was actively involved in the casting and script writing. After several
auditions, the cast was set and introduced; the lead roles included : Daniel
Ratcliff as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron
Weasley, Matthew Lewis as Nevill Longbottom, Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley,
Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy and Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood.
All these actors developed strong
emotional bonding with each other as they grew up together on the set of Harry
Potter and lived the fantasy over the course of eight films and ten years of
magic, under the watchful eyes of three directors and most importantly Joanne
Jo Rowling.
Deathly
Hallows :
The Final
Instalment
We
have all heard the saying often enough – “A beautiful journey always leads to
an unbelievable ending. “ This was proven right by Jo on July 21st
2007 when she published the last and final instalment – “The Deathly Hallows”,
that made as basis for two movies, The Deathly Hallows Part I, that released on
November 11th 2010 and “The Deathly Hallows Part II”, that released
in July 7th 2011, after the movies of the “Order of the Phoenix” and
“The Half Blood Prince”.
Deathly
Hallows Part II
At
the box office, Part II claimed the world wide opening weekend record, earning $483.2
million, as one of the best reviewed films of 2011. As of 2016, the film is the
8th highest grossing film of all time. The worldwide premier, were
all the stars met to have a meet & greet with the fans and answer questions
from the press was a massive success. Over 4 million fans waited over three
days with rain pouring down the Trafalgar Square, where it was held to meet
their favourite stars.
Conclusion
Jo’s
master brain is still at work as she works on “The Fantastic Beasts and Where
to Find Them”, and “The Cursed Child”, both about the wizarding worlds, as the
sales Harry Potter movies and books have had consistent growth over the past
five years since the release of “Deathly Hallows Part II”. The reason is the fans still bear in mind
what Joanne said when she dropped the final book – “Whether you come back by
page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home”.
