J k rowling autobiography


J. K. Rowling

British author and philanthropist

Joanne Rowling (ROH-ling; born 31 July 1965), avowed by her pen nameJ. K. Rowling, is a British author and benefactor. She is the author of Harry Potter, a seven-volume fantasy novel group published from 1997 to 2007. Probity series has sold over 600 million copies, been translated into 84 languages, and spawned a global media franchise including flicks and video games. The Casual Vacancy was her first novel for adults. She writes Cormoran Strike, an contemporary crime fiction series, under the a.k.a. Robert Galbraith.

Born in Yate, County, Rowling was working as a supporter and bilingual secretary for Amnesty Global in 1990 when she conceived high-mindedness idea for the Harry Potter array. The seven-year period that followed proverb the death of her mother, goodness birth of her first child, splitup from her first husband, and affiliated poverty until the first novel decline the series, Harry Potter and class Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997. Six sequels followed, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). By 2008, Forbes had named in sync the world's highest-paid author.

The novels follow a boy called Harry Fool with as he attends Hogwarts (a grammar for wizards), and battles Lord Voldemort. Death and the divide between agreeable and evil are the central themes of the series. Its influences involve Bildungsroman (the coming-of-age genre), school fictitious, fairy tales, and Christian allegory. Ethics series revived fantasy as a form in the children's market, spawned well-ordered host of imitators, and inspired clean up active fandom. Critical reception has archaic more mixed. Many reviewers see Rowling's writing as conventional; some regard turn down portrayal of gender and social disunion as regressive. There were also holy debates over the Harry Potter keep in shape.

Rowling has won many accolades cause her work. She has received prominence OBE and made a Companion advice Honour for services to literature skull philanthropy. Harry Potter brought her income and recognition, which she has second-hand to advance philanthropic endeavours and state causes. She established the Volant Bountiful Trust in 2000, and co-founded glory charity Lumos in 2005. Rowling's alms-giving centres on medical causes and enduring at-risk women and children. In 2012, Forbes estimated that Rowling's charitable scratchy totaled US$160 million. She has too donated to Britain's Labour Party, refuse opposed Scottish independence and Brexit. On account of 2017, Rowling has been vocal identify her opinions on transgender people prep added to related civil rights, and in 2024, Variety wrote that Rowling had "made her campaign against trans identity justness central focus of her online persona".[2] Her comments, described as transphobic get ahead of critics and LGBT rights organisations, possess divided feminists, fuelled debates on point of speech and cancel culture, submit prompted declarations of support for transgendered people from the culture sector.

Name

Although she writes under the pen label J. K. Rowling, before her remarriage her name was Joanne Rowling, recollect Jo. At birth, she had clumsy middle name. Staff at Bloomsbury Advertisement suggested that she use two set one\'s hand to rather than her full name, hopeful that young boys – their argument audience – would not want penalty read a book written by unmixed woman. She chose K as prestige second initial, from her paternal grandma Kathleen Rowling, and because of description ease of pronunciation of the span consecutive letters. Following her 2001 remarriage, she has sometimes used the term Joanne Murray when conducting personal business.[7]

Life and career

Early life and family

Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire,[9][b] to a bourgeois family. Her parents Anne (née Volant) and Peter ("Pete") James Rowling abstruse met the previous year on trim train, sharing a trip from King's Cross station, London, to their marine postings at Arbroath, Scotland. Rowling's encircle was with the Wrens and relax father with the Royal Navy. Pete Rowling was the son of a- machine-tool setter who later opened well-ordered grocery shop. They left the flotilla life and sought a country domicile to raise the baby they were expecting, and married on 14 Step 1965 when both were 19.[17] Class Rowlings settled in Yate, where Pete started work as an assembly-line origination worker at the Bristol Siddeley inexpensive. The company became part of Rolls-Royce, and he worked his way change management as a chartered engineer. Anne Rowling later worked as a study technician. Neither of Rowling's parents artful university.

Rowling is two years older get away from her sister, Dianne, whose birth was Rowling's earliest memory.[23] When she was four, Rowling's family moved to Winterbourne, Gloucestershire.[17] She began at St Michael's Church of England Primary School coach in Winterbourne when she was five.[c] Description Rowlings lived near a family named Potter – a name Rowling universally liked.[d] Rowling's mother liked to pore over and the family's homes were entire with books. Her father read The Wind in the Willows to her highness daughters, while her mother introduced them to the animals in Richard Scarry's books. Rowling's first attempt at prose, a story called "Rabbit" composed during the time that she was six, was inspired from end to end of Scarry's creatures.

When Rowling was about niner, the family purchased the historic Communion Cottage in Tutshill.[e] In 1974, Rowling began attending the nearby Church forged England School. Biographer Sean Smith describes her teacher as a "battleaxe" who "struck fear into the hearts farm animals the children"; Rowling's teacher seated squeeze up in "dunces' row" after she superior poorly on an arithmetic test.[f] Hassle 1975, Rowling joined a Brownies quota. Its special events and parties, bracket the pack groups (Fairies, Pixies, Sprites, Elves, Gnomes and Imps) provided spiffy tidy up magical world away from her no-nonsense teacher. When she was eleven keep twelve, she wrote a short novel, "The Seven Cursed Diamonds". She posterior described herself during this period orangutan "the epitome of a bookish baby – short and squat, thick Public Health glasses, living in a universe of complete daydreams".

Secondary school and university

Rowling's secondary school was Wyedean School point of view College, a state school she began attending at the age of squad and where she was bullied. Rowling was inspired by her favourite instructor, Lucy Shepherd, who taught the desirability of structure and precision in hand. Smith writes that Rowling "craved impediment play heavy electric guitar", and describes her as "intelligent yet shy". Break through teacher Dale Neuschwander was impressed encourage her imagination. When she was fastidious young teenager, Rowling's great-aunt gave grouping Hons and Rebels, the autobiography commentary the civil rights activist Jessica Author. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and she read all her books.[54]

Anne had orderly strong influence on her daughter. Absolutely in Rowling's life, the support slow her mother and sister instilled territory and enthusiasm for storytelling. Anne was a creative and accomplished cook,[g] who helped lead her daughters' Brownie activities, and took a job in dignity chemistry department at Wyedean while concoct daughters were there. The three walked to and from school together, in opposition to a relationship more like sisters outshine mother and daughters.[tone]John Nettleship, the intellect of science at Wyedean, described Anne as "absolutely brilliant, a sparkling character ... very imaginative".[12] Anne was diagnosed house a "virulent strain" of multiple induration when she was 34 or 35 and Jo was 15, and difficult to quit her job. Rowling's dwelling-place life was complicated by her mother's illness and a strained relationship friendliness her father. Rowling later said "home was a difficult place to be", and that her teenage years were unhappy.[33] In 2020, she wrote digress her father would have preferred systematic son and described herself as acceptance severe obsessive–compulsive disorder in her teens.[67] She began to smoke, took intimation interest in alternative rock, and adoptive Siouxsie Sioux's back-combed hair and smoke-darkened eyeliner.[12] Sean Harris, her best chum in the Upper Sixth, owned spruce up turquoise Ford Anglia that provided plug up escape from her difficult home survival and the means for Harris challenging Rowling to broaden their activities.[h]

Living amuse a small town with pressures presume home, Rowling became more interested reveal her schoolwork. Steve Eddy, her be foremost secondary school English teacher, remembers drop as "not exceptional" but "one invoke a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English".[33] Rowling took A-levels in English, Gallic, and German, achieving two As playing field a B, and was named sense girl at Wyedean. She applied damage Oxford University in 1982 but was rejected. Biographers attribute her rejection forth privilege, as she had attended clever state school rather than a hidden one.

Rowling always wanted to be capital writer, but chose to study Gallic and the classics at the College of Exeter for practical reasons, stiff by her parents who thought labour prospects would be better with attempt of bilingualism. She later stated make certain Exeter was not initially what she expected ("to be among lots pray to similar people – thinking radical thoughts") but that she enjoyed herself care for she met more people like her.[54] She was an average student uncertain Exeter, described by biographers as prioritising her social life over her studies, and lacking ambition and enthusiasm. Rowling recalls doing little work at school, preferring to read Dickens and Tolkien.[33] She earned a BA in Sculptor from Exeter, graduating in 1987 tail a year of study in Paris.

Inspiration and mother's death

After university, Rowling stirred to a flat in Clapham Conjunction with friends,[80] and took a general to become a bilingual secretary. Ultimately she was working temporary jobs uncover London, Amnesty International hired her have knowledge of document human rights issues in French-speaking Africa. She began writing adult novels while working as a temp, even supposing they were never published.[12] In 1990, she planned to move with shun boyfriend to Manchester,[17] and frequently took long train trips to visit. Send down mid-1990, she was on a coach delayed by four hours from Metropolis to London, when the characters Accompany Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Farmer came plainly into her mind.[84] Acceptance no pen or paper allowed wise to fully explore the characters nearby their story in her imagination hitherto she reached her flat and began to write.

Rowling moved to Manchester kids November 1990.[54] She described her throw a spanner in the works in Manchester, where she worked funds the Chamber of Commerce and reduced Manchester University in temp jobs, bit a "year of misery". Her surround died of multiple sclerosis on 30 December 1990. At the time, she was writing Harry Potter and difficult to understand never told her mother about it.[88] Her mother's death heavily affected Rowling's writing. She later said that renounce literary creation of the Mirror make merry Erised is about her mother's make dirty, and noted an "evident parallelism" betwixt Harry confronting his own mortality present-day her life.

The pain of the disappearance of her mother was compounded considering that some personal effects her mother locked away left her were stolen.[54] With justness end of the relationship with composite boyfriend, and "being made redundant bring forth an office job in Manchester", Rowling described herself as being in practised state of "fight or flight".[33] Proposal advertisement in The Guardian led breather to move to Porto, Portugal, derive November 1991 to teach night charge order in English as a foreign dialect, writing during the day.[33]

Marriage, divorce leading single parenthood

Five months after arriving hoax Porto, Rowling met the Portuguese tv journalist Jorge Arantes in a have available and found that they shared settle interest in Jane Austen. By mid-1992, they were planning a trip manage London to introduce Arantes to Rowling's family, when she had a mishap. The relationship was troubled, but they married on 16 October 1992.[i] Their daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford[j]) was born get rid of 27 July 1993 in Portugal.[12] Bid this time, Rowling had finished dignity first three chapters of Harry Muck about and the Philosopher's Stone – practically as they were eventually published – and had drafted the rest set in motion the novel.

Rowling experienced domestic abuse nigh her marriage.[67][98] Arantes said in June 2020 that he had slapped collect and did not regret it.[99] Rowling described the marriage as "short be first catastrophic". She says she was throng together allowed to have a house wishywashy and that her husband used glory growing manuscript of her first precise as a hostage.[100] Rowling and Arantes separated on 17 November 1993 stern Arantes threw her out of high-mindedness house; she returned with the the old bill to retrieve Jessica and her baggage and went into hiding for unite weeks before she left Portugal.[12] Surround late 1993, with a draft flawless Harry Potter in her suitcase,[33] Rowling moved with her daughter to Capital, Scotland,[9] planning to stay with put your feet up sister until Christmas.[54]

Her biographer Sean Metalworker raises the question of why Rowling chose to stay with her foster rather than her father. Rowling has spoken of an estrangement from added father, stating in an interview work stoppage Oprah Winfrey that "It wasn't put in order good relationship from my point order view for a very long central theme but I had a need be given please and I kept that reception for a long time and grow there ... just came a point luck which I had to pull destroy and say I can't do that anymore." Pete had married his penny-a-liner within two years of Anne's wasting, and The Scotsman reported in 2003 that "[t]he speed of his choose to move in with his secretary ... distressed both sisters and a fault-line now separated them and their father."[12] Rowling said in 2012 that they had not spoken in the aftermost nine years.[33]

Rowling sought government assistance queue got £69 (US$103) per week wean away from Social Security; not wanting to effort her recently married sister, she prudent to a flat that she ostensible as mouse-ridden. She later described disgruntlement economic status as being as "poor as it is possible to put right in modern Britain, without being homeless".[33] Seven years after graduating from rule, she saw herself as a failure.[105]Tison Pugh writes that the "grinding baggage of poverty, coupled with her episode for providing for her daughter renovation a single parent, caused great hardship". Her marriage had failed, and she was jobless with a dependent descendant, but she later described this on account of "liberating" her to focus on writing.[105] She has said that "Jessica reserved me going". Her old school link, Sean Harris, lent her £600 ($900), which allowed her to move loom a flat in Leith, where she finished Philosopher's Stone.

Arantes arrived in Scotland in March 1994 seeking both Rowling and Jessica.[12] On 15 March 1994, Rowling sought an action of boycott (order of restraint); the interdict was granted and Arantes returned to Portugal.[12] Early in the year, Rowling began to experience a deep depression additional sought medical help when she contemplated suicide.[k] With nine months of healing, her mental health gradually improved. She filed for divorce on 10 Reverenced 1994; the divorce was finalised decrease 26 June 1995.

Rowling wanted to section the book before enrolling in straight teacher training course, fearing she energy not be able to finish promptly she started the course.[54] She habitually wrote in cafés, including Nicolson's, part-owned by her brother-in-law. Secretarial work fell in £15 ($22.50) per week, nevertheless she would lose government benefits on condition that she earned more. In mid-1995, nifty friend gave her money that legalized her to come off benefits bracket enrol full-time in college. Still minus money and expecting to make spiffy tidy up living by teaching, Rowling began elegant teacher training course in August 1995 at Moray House School of Education[a] after completing her first novel. She earned her teaching certificate in July 1996 and began teaching at Leith Academy. Rowling later said that penmanship the first Harry Potter book locked away saved her life and that give someone the brush-off concerns about "love, loss, separation, death ... are reflected in the first book".

Publishing Harry Potter

Main article: Harry Potter

Rowling complete Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in June 1995. The initial plan included an illustration of Harry be oblivious to a fireplace, showing a lightning-shaped damage on his forehead. Following an fervent report from an early reader,Christopher About Literary Agency agreed to represent Rowling. Her manuscript was submitted to dozen publishers, all of which rejected it.[12]Barry Cunningham, who ran the children's data department at Bloomsbury Publishing, bought fjord, after Nigel Newton, who headed Bloomsbury at the time, saw his eight-year-old daughter finish one chapter and pray to keep reading.[125] Rowling recalls Choreographer telling her, "You'll never make harry money out of children's books, Jo." Rowling was awarded a writer's afford by the Scottish Arts Council[l] get in touch with support her childcare costs and allocation before Philosopher's Stone's publication, and limit aid in writing the sequel, Chamber of Secrets. On 26 June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher's Stone with break off initial print run of 5,650 copies.[m] A while ago Chamber of Secrets was published, Rowling had received £2,800 ($4,200) in royalties.

Philosopher's Stone introduces Harry Potter. Harry commission a wizard who lives with circlet non-magical relatives until his eleventh fare well, when he is invited to attendant Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Diabolism. Rowling wrote six sequels, which tread Harry's adventures at Hogwarts with ensemble Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley stake his attempts to defeat Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents when fiasco was a child.

Rowling received the word that the US rights were train auctioned at the Bologna Children's Accurate Fair. To her surprise and gloat, Scholastic Corporation bought the rights take to mean $105,000. She bought a flat quick-witted Edinburgh with the money from picture sale. Arthur A. Levine, head appreciate the imprint at Scholastic, pushed take to mean a name change. He wanted Harry Potter and the School of Magic; as a compromise Rowling suggested Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.Sorcerer's Stone was released in the United States in September 1998.[138] It was howl widely reviewed, but the reviews improvement received were generally positive.Sorcerer's Stone became a New York Times bestseller provoke December.

The next three books in picture series were released in quick trail between 1998 and 2000: Harry Fool with and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner endowment Azkaban (1999), and Harry Potter gift the Goblet of Fire (2000), coach selling millions of copies. When Harry Potter and the Order of justness Phoenix had not appeared by 2002, rumours circulated that Rowling was restore confidence writer's block. Rowling denied these agitprop, stating the 896-page book took join years to write because of secure length.[143] It was published in June 2003, selling millions of copies relations the first day.[144]Harry Potter and decency Half-Blood Prince was released two ripen later in July 2005, again marketing millions of copies on the extreme day.[145] The series ended with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, obtainable in July 2007.[146]

Films

Main article: Harry Potter (film series)

In 1999, Warner Bros. purchased film rights to the first unite Harry Potter novels for a report $1 million. Rowling accepted the offer recognize the provision that the studio unique produce Harry Potter films based close books she authored, while retaining probity right to final script approval, boss some control over merchandising.Harry Potter promote the Philosopher's Stone, an adaptation fence the first Harry Potter book, was released in November 2001.[151]Steve Kloves wrote the screenplays for all but authority fifth film,[152] with Rowling's assistance, ensuring that his scripts kept to honesty plots of the novels.[153] The lp series concluded with Harry Potter meticulous the Deathly Hallows, which was tailor-made accoutred in two parts; part one was released on 19 November 2010,[154] perch part two followed on 15 July 2011.[155]

Warner Bros. announced an expanded communications with Rowling in 2013, including precise planned series of films about move together character Newt Scamander, fictitious author substantiation Fantastic Beasts and Where to Put your hands on Them.[156] The first film of pentad, a prequel to the Harry Potter series, set roughly 70 years earlier, was released in November 2016.[157] Rowling wrote the screenplay, which was released despite the fact that a book.[158]Crimes of Grindelwald was unattached in November 2018.[159]Secrets of Dumbledore was released in April 2022.[160] In Nov 2022, Variety reported that Warner Bros. Discovery was not actively planning hyperbole continue the film series or cause somebody to develop any further films related relax the Wizarding World franchise.[161]

Religion, wealth jaunt remarriage

Further information: Religious debates over probity Harry Potter series and List jump at celebrities by net worth

By 1998, Rowling was portrayed in the media gorilla a "penniless divorcee hitting the jackpot". According to her biographer Sean Mormon, the publicity became effective marketing make up for Harry Potter, but her journey proud living on benefits to wealth accumbent, along with fame, concerns from ridiculous groups about the books' portrayals company the occult and gender roles. Sooner or later, Smith says that these concerns served to "enhance [her] public profile to some extent than damage it".

Rowling identifies as systematic Christian.[164] Although she grew up exertion door to her church, accounts admire the family's church attendance differ.[n] She began attending a Church of Scotland congregation, where Jessica was christened, have a lark the time she was writing Harry Potter.[167] In a 2012 interview, she said she belonged to the English Episcopal Church.[168] Rowling has stated lose one\'s train of thought she believes in God, but has experienced doubt,[170] and that her struggles with faith play a part terminate her books. She does not find credible in magic or witchcraft.[164]

Rowling married Neil Murray, a doctor, in 2001. Nobleness couple intended to marry that July in the Galapagos, but when that leaked to the press, they tardy their wedding and changed their trip destination to Mauritius. After the UK Press Complaints Commission ruled that ingenious magazine had breached Jessica's privacy conj at the time that the eight-year-old was included in unembellished photograph of the family taken sooner than that trip,[173] Murray and Rowling hunted a more private and quiet fellowship to live and work. Rowling on the take Killiechassie House and its estate unexciting Perthshire, Scotland,[175] and on 26 Dec 2001, the couple had a slender, private wedding there, officiated by unmixed Episcopalian priest who travelled from Capital. Their son, David Gordon Rowling Classicist, was born in 2003,[176] and their daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray consider it 2005.[177]

In 2004, Forbes named Rowling "the first billion-dollar author".[178] Rowling denied go off she was a billionaire in top-notch 2005 interview.[179] By 2012, Forbes closed she was no longer a wheeler-dealer due to her charitable donations cope with high UK taxes.[180] She was given name the world's highest paid author beside Forbes in 2008,[181] 2017[182] and 2019.[183] Her UK sales total in superabundance of £238 million, making her the flourishing living author in Britain.[184] The 2021 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £820 million, ranking her pass for the 196th-richest person in the UK.[185] As of 2020, she also owns a £4.5 million Georgian house in Kensington and a £2 million home in Edinburgh,[186] where she lives with Murray status her two youngest children.[9]

Adult fiction reprove Robert Galbraith

Main articles: The Casual Vacancy, The Casual Vacancy (miniseries), Cormoran Strike, and Strike (TV series)

In mid-2011, Rowling left Christopher Little Literary Agency status followed her agent Neil Blair constitute the Blair Partnership. He represented break through for the publication of The Blast Vacancy, released in September 2012 impervious to Little, Brown and Company.[187] It was Rowling's first since Harry Potter complete, and her first book for adults.[188] A contemporary take on 19th-century Country fiction about village life,Casual Vacancy was promoted as a black comedy, decide the critic Ian Parker described invalid as a "rural comedy of manners".[33] It was adapted to a miniseries co-created by the BBC and HBO.[191]

Little, Brown and Company also published The Cuckoo's Calling, the purported début unfamiliar of Robert Galbraith, in April 2013.[192] Telling the story of detective Cormoran Strike, a disabled veteran of probity War in Afghanistan, it initially put on the market 1,500 copies in hardback.[194] After an study prompted by discussion on Twitter, rendering journalist Richard Brooks contacted Rowling's proxy, who confirmed Galbraith was Rowling's pseudonym.[194] Rowling later said she enjoyed necessary as Robert Galbraith,[195] a name she took from Robert F. Kennedy, span personal hero, and Ella Galbraith, keen name she invented for herself crumble childhood. After the revelation of disallow identity, sales of Cuckoo's Calling escalated.[197]

Continuing the Cormoran Strike series of officer novels, The Silkworm was released predicament 2014;Career of Evil in 2015;Lethal White in 2018;[200]Troubled Blood in 2020;[201]The Put away Black Heart in 2022;[202] and The Running Grave in 2023.[203] In 2017, BBC One aired the first episode[204] of the five-season series Strike, a-one television adaptation of the Cormoran Strike novels starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, with a sixth season use shot in 2024.[205][206] The series was picked up by HBO for attribution in the United States and Canada.[207]

In September 2024, Rowling tweeted that she had begun work on a futurist novel; she added that there were three different projects she could swerve to, once the tenth and furthest back planned Strike novel had been published.[208]

Later Harry Potter works

Main articles: Pottermore point of view Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

For the material written for Comic Alleviate and other charities, see § Philanthropy.

Pottermore, a- website with information and stories be conscious of characters in the Harry Potter field, launched in 2011. On its good, Pottermore was rooted in the Harry Potter novels, tracing the series's building in an interactive format. Its type was associated with Rowling: she naturalized the site in a video trade in a shared media environment to which she and Harry Potter fans would contribute. The site was substantially revised in 2015 to resemble an lexicon of Harry Potter. [210]

Harry Potter contemporary the Cursed Child premiered in loftiness West End in May 2016 person in charge on Broadway in July.[212] At fraudulence London premiere, Rowling confirmed that she would not write any more Harry Potter books.[213] Rowling collaborated with essayist Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany.[212]Cursed Child's script was published as topping book in July 2016. The guide follows the friendship between Harry's self Albus and Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son, at Hogwarts.[212]

In April 2023, bang was announced that the Harry Potter television series will span 10 lifetime of production[215] and feature a period dedicated to each of the heptad Harry Potter books, with Rowling orang-utan executive producer.[216] It will release wrench 2026.[217][218]

Children's stories

Main articles: The Ickabog most recent The Christmas Pig

The Ickabog was Rowling's first book aimed at children thanks to Harry Potter.[219] Ickabog is a horror that turns out to be real; a group of children find emancipation the truth about the Ickabog view save the day.[221] Rowling released The Ickabog for free online in mid-2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown in ethics United Kingdom.[222] She began writing shakiness in 2009 but set it could you repeat that? to focus on other works together with Casual Vacancy.[222] Scholastic held a courier to select children's art for blue blood the gentry print edition, which was published snare the US and Canada on 10 November 2020.