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Early Life:Joanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965 in Yate, England.
Rowling has said that her teenage years were unhappy.Her home life was complicated by her mother's illness and a strained relationship with her father. Rowling later said that she based the character of Hermione Granger on herself when she was eleven. Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English". Name:Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers asked that she use two initials rather than her full name,She adopted her pen name, J.K. As she had no middle name, she chose K (for Kathleen) as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother. |
Education:
She studied French at the University of Exeter, graduating in 1986. According to her official biography, she "read so widely outside her French and Classics syllabus that she clocked up a fine of £50 for overdue books at the University library." Her Classics knowledge was later used when she came up with the names for spells in the "Harry Potter" series.
Struggles:
After graduating, Rowling worked at the research desk for Amnesty International, doing translation work. She found the work important but it didn't suit her.
Rowling moved to Portugal, and taught English to students. There, she met and married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes and had a child, Jessica in July 1993. (Rowling previously had a miscarriage, in 1992, according to The Scotsman.) By November of 1993, the couple had separated.
When she moved back to Britain, at the end of 1993, she had "half a suitcase was full of papers covered with stories about Harry Potter."
Without a job, Rowling visited different Edinburgh cafés and hunkered down to write her first novel on a typewriter. She often brought along Jessica, who slept in a pram next to her.
During that period, Rowling lived off government welfare.
In 1995, Rowling finished the first "Harry Potter" book and sent it to publishers, and Like many other authors, Rowling received a lot of rejection letters. Her book was accepted by Christopher Little, an "obscure London literary agent," according to the New Yorker. Twelve publishers rejected it.
Rowling moved to Portugal, and taught English to students. There, she met and married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes and had a child, Jessica in July 1993. (Rowling previously had a miscarriage, in 1992, according to The Scotsman.) By November of 1993, the couple had separated.
When she moved back to Britain, at the end of 1993, she had "half a suitcase was full of papers covered with stories about Harry Potter."
Without a job, Rowling visited different Edinburgh cafés and hunkered down to write her first novel on a typewriter. She often brought along Jessica, who slept in a pram next to her.
During that period, Rowling lived off government welfare.
In 1995, Rowling finished the first "Harry Potter" book and sent it to publishers, and Like many other authors, Rowling received a lot of rejection letters. Her book was accepted by Christopher Little, an "obscure London literary agent," according to the New Yorker. Twelve publishers rejected it.
Harry Potter's Era:
In June 1997, Bloomsbury published "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" with an initial print run of 1,000 copies.
By March of 1999, 300,000 copies were sold in the UK. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" won numerous awards, including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, which is voted by both adults and children.
In the United States, Rowling sold the book to Scholastic, which distributes it under the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," for more than $100,000, an unprecedented amount at the time. Then she bought her own apartment.
The Harry Potter books have also gained recognition for sparking an interest in reading among the young at a time when children were thought to be abandoning books for computers and television.
By March of 1999, 300,000 copies were sold in the UK. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" won numerous awards, including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, which is voted by both adults and children.
In the United States, Rowling sold the book to Scholastic, which distributes it under the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," for more than $100,000, an unprecedented amount at the time. Then she bought her own apartment.
The Harry Potter books have also gained recognition for sparking an interest in reading among the young at a time when children were thought to be abandoning books for computers and television.
Harry Potter The Movie:
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the second book in the series, was sold in the UK in July of 1998, also to huge acclaim and sales. (It took another year for Scholastic to publish it in the United States.)
In October, Rowling announced that she signed a seven-figure deal with Warner Bros. to adapt the books into movies.
By the time the movie series finished its run with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" in 2011, it was the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. But it was still a risk for the movie studio: No one knew when or how the series would end, and Rowling made significant demands over details like licensing toys with fast food companies.
In October, Rowling announced that she signed a seven-figure deal with Warner Bros. to adapt the books into movies.
By the time the movie series finished its run with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" in 2011, it was the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. But it was still a risk for the movie studio: No one knew when or how the series would end, and Rowling made significant demands over details like licensing toys with fast food companies.
Some of Her Publications:
Harry Potter series
In 2016, J.K. Rowling collaborated with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany on an original new story for the stage. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two is now running at The Palace Theatre in London’s West End. The script book was published (Little, Brown) to mark the play’s opening in July 2016, and instantly topped the bestseller lists.
Adults:
The Casual Vacancy
Cormoran Strike series:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (26 June 1997)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 July 1998)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (8 July 1999)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (8 July 2000)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21 June 2003)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (16 July 2005)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (21 July 2007)
In 2016, J.K. Rowling collaborated with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany on an original new story for the stage. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two is now running at The Palace Theatre in London’s West End. The script book was published (Little, Brown) to mark the play’s opening in July 2016, and instantly topped the bestseller lists.
Adults:
The Casual Vacancy
Cormoran Strike series:
- The Cuckoo's Calling (as Robert Galbraith) (18 April 2013)
- The Silkworm (as Robert Galbraith) (19 June 2014)
- Career of Evil (as Robert Galbraith) (20 October 2015)
- Lethal White (as Robert Galbraith) (forthcoming)
A billionaire ? No.
In 2004, Forbes reported that Rowling was the first person to become a billionaire (in US dollars) by writing books. Later, she dropped off the list because she gave so much money to charity.