Biography
Joanne Rowling was born July 31st 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire in England, and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent. She went to Wyedan comprehensive, and described her youth as “a dreadful time of life”[1]. Her mother was ill, and she had a difficult relationship with her father. Throughout her childhood Rowling enjoyed writing, and often wrote short fantasy stories that she read to her sister. After High School Rowling took the entrance test to Oxford University, but was not accepted. She then left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree. Rowling returned to her school years in memory to gather inspiration for many of her Harry Potter characters, and admitted that the character Hermione, the bookish know-it-all, was loosely based on her eleven-year-old self.[2]
As a post-graduate, Rowling moved to London and worked as a researcher for Amnesty International. During a delayed train-trip from Manchester to London, the story of the young wizard came to her, and during the next five years she would be outlining the plot of each book and started the Harry Potter series. Rowling then moved to Portugal to teach English, where she met and married Jorge Arantes. The marriage was short lived, but produced a daughter, Jessica. In 1993 Rowling returned to the United Kingdom, Scotland this time, with Jessica and three chapters of the first Harry Potter book.
Rowling suffered extreme hardship living as a single mother without a job. When applying for welfare she described her situation as being as “poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless”[3]. She also experienced depression and suicidal thoughts, and later used this experience to create the dementors in the Prizoner of Azkaban. In 1995 Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in 1997. The initial K., for her paternal grandmother’s name Kathleen, was added to her pen name on demand from the publisher, as they thought the intended audience of young boys would not be appealed to read a book written by a woman[4]. Shortly after the publication of the Philosopher's Stone, Rowling recieved a grant from the Scottish Arts Council that enabled her to write full-time.
The rest, as they say, is history. Rowling went from rags to riches as the Harry Potter series flew off the shelves. The Chamber of Secrets was published in 1998, followed by the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), and the Goblet of Fire (2000). The Order of the Phoenix was published in 2003, the Half Blood Prince in 2005, and the Series was completed in 2007 by the publication of the Deathly Hallows. Rowling also published supplementary works to the series, like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages (both 2001), and the Tales of Beedle the Bard (2008).
For her success with the Harry Potter series Rowling has received many honorary degrees and awards, including an OBE for services to children’s literature, the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, and Prince of Austurias Award for Concord. Rowling’s latest book (and first book for adults), the Casual Vacancy, was published in September 2012. Rowling lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband, Neil Michael Murray, and three children.
[1] Parker, Ian. Mugglemarch.
[2] Feldman, Roxanne. The Truth about Harry.
[3] Parker, Ian. Mugglemarch.
[4] http://jkrowling.com
Picture credits to the New Yorker.
Works Cited is found in the Endnote.
As a post-graduate, Rowling moved to London and worked as a researcher for Amnesty International. During a delayed train-trip from Manchester to London, the story of the young wizard came to her, and during the next five years she would be outlining the plot of each book and started the Harry Potter series. Rowling then moved to Portugal to teach English, where she met and married Jorge Arantes. The marriage was short lived, but produced a daughter, Jessica. In 1993 Rowling returned to the United Kingdom, Scotland this time, with Jessica and three chapters of the first Harry Potter book.
Rowling suffered extreme hardship living as a single mother without a job. When applying for welfare she described her situation as being as “poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless”[3]. She also experienced depression and suicidal thoughts, and later used this experience to create the dementors in the Prizoner of Azkaban. In 1995 Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in 1997. The initial K., for her paternal grandmother’s name Kathleen, was added to her pen name on demand from the publisher, as they thought the intended audience of young boys would not be appealed to read a book written by a woman[4]. Shortly after the publication of the Philosopher's Stone, Rowling recieved a grant from the Scottish Arts Council that enabled her to write full-time.
The rest, as they say, is history. Rowling went from rags to riches as the Harry Potter series flew off the shelves. The Chamber of Secrets was published in 1998, followed by the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), and the Goblet of Fire (2000). The Order of the Phoenix was published in 2003, the Half Blood Prince in 2005, and the Series was completed in 2007 by the publication of the Deathly Hallows. Rowling also published supplementary works to the series, like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages (both 2001), and the Tales of Beedle the Bard (2008).
For her success with the Harry Potter series Rowling has received many honorary degrees and awards, including an OBE for services to children’s literature, the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, and Prince of Austurias Award for Concord. Rowling’s latest book (and first book for adults), the Casual Vacancy, was published in September 2012. Rowling lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband, Neil Michael Murray, and three children.
[1] Parker, Ian. Mugglemarch.
[2] Feldman, Roxanne. The Truth about Harry.
[3] Parker, Ian. Mugglemarch.
[4] http://jkrowling.com
Picture credits to the New Yorker.
Works Cited is found in the Endnote.