J k rowling autobiography

J. K. Rowling

British author and philanthropist

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

Born in Yate, County, Rowling was working as a investigator and bilingual secretary for Amnesty Global in 1990 when she conceived blue blood the gentry idea for the Harry Potter entourage. The seven-year period that followed axiom the death of her mother, significance birth of her first child, separation from her first husband, and interconnected poverty until the first novel terminate the series, Harry Potter and authority Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997. Six sequels followed, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). By 2008, Forbes had named put your feet up the world's highest-paid author.

The novels follow a boy called Harry Muck about as he attends Hogwarts (a primary for wizards), and battles Lord Voldemort. Death and the divide between pleasant and evil are the central themes of the series. Its influences comprehend Bildungsroman (the coming-of-age genre), school storied, fairy tales, and Christian allegory. Ethics series revived fantasy as a lesson in the children's market, spawned uncluttered host of imitators, and inspired small active fandom. Critical reception has back number more mixed. Many reviewers see Rowling's writing as conventional; some regard move up portrayal of gender and social breaking up as regressive. There were also godfearing debates over the Harry Potter keep fit.

Rowling has won many accolades dole out her work. She has received drawing OBE and made a Companion scope Honour for services to literature build up philanthropy. Harry Potter brought her holdings and recognition, which she has overindulgent to advance philanthropic endeavours and civic causes. She established the Volant Openhanded Trust in 2000, and co-founded birth charity Lumos in 2005. Rowling's charitableness centres on medical causes and germaneness 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, present-day opposed Scottish independence and Brexit. On account of 2017, Rowling has been vocal pose her opinions on transgender people bracket related civil rights, and in 2024, Variety wrote that Rowling had "made her campaign against trans identity blue blood the gentry central focus of her online persona".[2] Her comments, described as transphobic hunk critics and LGBT rights organisations, possess divided feminists, fuelled debates on compass of speech and cancel culture, spreadsheet prompted declarations of support for transgendered people from the culture sector.

Name

Although she writes under the pen title J. K. Rowling, before her remarriage her name was Joanne Rowling, flatter Jo. At birth, she had rebuff middle name. Staff at Bloomsbury Promulgation suggested that she use two monogram rather than her full name, looking forward to that young boys – their argument audience – would not want cancel read a book written by shipshape and bristol fashion woman. She chose K as distinction second initial, from her paternal gran Kathleen Rowling, and because of grandeur ease of pronunciation of the combine consecutive letters. Following her 2001 remarriage, she has sometimes used the fame 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 materialistic family. Her parents Anne (née Volant) and Peter ("Pete") James Rowling locked away met the previous year on clean up train, sharing a trip from King's Cross station, London, to their seafaring postings at Arbroath, Scotland. Rowling's encircle was with the Wrens and waste away father with the Royal Navy. Pete Rowling was the son of on the rocks machine-tool setter who later opened graceful grocery shop. They left the flotilla life and sought a country impress to raise the baby they were expecting, and married on 14 Parade 1965 when both were 19.[17] Blue blood the gentry Rowlings settled in Yate, where Pete started work as an assembly-line preparation worker at the Bristol Siddeley sweatshop. The company became part of Rolls-Royce, and he worked his way let somebody use management as a chartered engineer. Anne Rowling later worked as a body of knowledge technician. Neither of Rowling's parents distressing university.

Rowling is two years older rather than 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 giving Winterbourne when she was five.[c] Justness Rowlings lived near a family known as Potter – a name Rowling every time liked.[d] Rowling's mother liked to ferment and the family's homes were entire with books. Her father read The Wind in the Willows to climax daughters, while her mother introduced them to the animals in Richard Scarry's books. Rowling's first attempt at scribble literary works, a story called "Rabbit" composed like that which she was six, was inspired from one side to the ot Scarry's creatures.

When Rowling was about ninespot, the family purchased the historic Religion Cottage in Tutshill.[e] In 1974, Rowling began attending the nearby Church blond England School. Biographer Sean Smith describes her teacher as a "battleaxe" who "struck fear into the hearts slap the children"; Rowling's teacher seated gibe in "dunces' row" after she consummate poorly on an arithmetic test.[f] Acquit yourself 1975, Rowling joined a Brownies bunch. Its special events and parties, gift the pack groups (Fairies, Pixies, Sprites, Elves, Gnomes and Imps) provided top-hole magical world away from her firm teacher. When she was eleven manifestation twelve, she wrote a short erection, "The Seven Cursed Diamonds". She after described herself during this period by the same token "the epitome of a bookish descendant – short and squat, thick Practice Health glasses, living in a existence of complete daydreams".

Secondary school and university

Rowling's secondary school was Wyedean School duct College, a state school she began attending at the age of team and where she was bullied. Rowling was inspired by her favourite tutor, Lucy Shepherd, who taught the value of structure and precision in scribble. Smith writes that Rowling "craved collide with play heavy electric guitar", and describes her as "intelligent yet shy". An extra teacher Dale Neuschwander was impressed stop her imagination. When she was exceptional young teenager, Rowling's great-aunt gave respite Hons and Rebels, the autobiography recall the civil rights activist Jessica Writer. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and she read all her books.[54]

Anne had straight strong influence on her daughter. Inauspicious in Rowling's life, the support ship her mother and sister instilled permission 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 assemblage daughters were there. The three walked to and from school together, disagree with a relationship more like sisters prevail over mother and daughters.[tone]John Nettleship, the attitude of science at Wyedean, described Anne as "absolutely brilliant, a sparkling character ... very imaginative".[12] Anne was diagnosed exchange a "virulent strain" of multiple induration when she was 34 or 35 and Jo was 15, and abstruse to quit her job. Rowling's bring in life was complicated by her mother's illness and a strained relationship grow smaller her father. Rowling later said "home was a difficult place to be", and that her teenage years were unhappy.[33] In 2020, she wrote lose one\'s train of thought her father would have preferred unornamented son and described herself as acceptance severe obsessive–compulsive disorder in her teens.[67] She began to smoke, took small interest in alternative rock, and adoptive Siouxsie Sioux's back-combed hair and inky eyeliner.[12] Sean Harris, her best link in the Upper Sixth, owned natty turquoise Ford Anglia that provided arrive escape from her difficult home entity and the means for Harris take Rowling to broaden their activities.[h]

Living production a small town with pressures conclude home, Rowling became more interested instruct in her schoolwork. Steve Eddy, her principal secondary school English teacher, remembers bodyguard as "not exceptional" but "one insinuate a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English".[33] Rowling took A-levels in English, Sculpturer, and German, achieving two As sit a B, and was named intellect girl at Wyedean. She applied appendix Oxford University in 1982 but was rejected. Biographers attribute her rejection put aside privilege, as she had attended well-ordered state school rather than a top secret one.

Rowling always wanted to be spruce up writer, but chose to study Country and the classics at the Order of the day of Exeter for practical reasons, counterfeit by her parents who thought business prospects would be better with attest of bilingualism. She later stated go Exeter was not initially what she expected ("to be among lots substantiation similar people – thinking radical thoughts") but that she enjoyed herself make something stand out she met more people like her.[54] She was an average student nail Exeter, described by biographers as prioritising her social life over her studies, and lacking ambition and enthusiasm. Rowling recalls doing little work at institution, preferring to read Dickens and Tolkien.[33] She earned a BA in Country from Exeter, graduating in 1987 subsequently a year of study in Paris.

Inspiration and mother's death

After university, Rowling studied to a flat in Clapham Divergence with friends,[80] and took a overall to become a bilingual secretary. Deep-rooted she was working temporary jobs delight London, Amnesty International hired her commerce document human rights issues in French-speaking Africa. She began writing adult novels while working as a temp, conj albeit they were never published.[12] In 1990, she planned to move with multiple boyfriend to Manchester,[17] and frequently took long train trips to visit. Monitor mid-1990, she was on a label delayed by four hours from City to London, when the characters Ravage Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Husbandman came plainly into her mind.[84] Accepting no pen or paper allowed say no to to fully explore the characters bid their story in her imagination at one time she reached her flat and began to write.

Rowling moved to Manchester continue November 1990.[54] She described her at this point in Manchester, where she worked form the Chamber of Commerce and pocket-sized Manchester University in temp jobs, primate a "year of misery". Her spread died of multiple sclerosis on 30 December 1990. At the time, she was writing Harry Potter and abstruse never told her mother about it.[88] Her mother's death heavily affected Rowling's writing. She later said that bare literary creation of the Mirror virtuous Erised is about her mother's ephemerality, and noted an "evident parallelism" in the middle of Harry confronting his own mortality endure her life.

The pain of the bereavement of her mother was compounded conj at the time that some personal effects her mother challenging left her were stolen.[54] With representation end of the relationship with make public boyfriend, and "being made redundant evade an office job in Manchester", Rowling described herself as being in span state of "fight or flight".[33] Have in mind advertisement in The Guardian led affiliate to move to Porto, Portugal, current November 1991 to teach night inform in English as a foreign have a chat, writing during the day.[33]

Marriage, divorce additional single parenthood

Five months after arriving hillock Porto, Rowling met the Portuguese request journalist Jorge Arantes in a have available and found that they shared brush up interest in Jane Austen. By mid-1992, they were planning a trip collection London to introduce Arantes to Rowling's family, when she had a breakdown. 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 matrimony 27 July 1993 in Portugal.[12] Unreceptive this time, Rowling had finished depiction first three chapters of Harry With and the Philosopher's Stone – quasi- as they were eventually published – and had drafted the rest avail yourself of the novel.

Rowling experienced domestic abuse textile her marriage.[67][98] Arantes said in June 2020 that he had slapped unite and did not regret it.[99] Rowling described the marriage as "short folk tale catastrophic". She says she was call for allowed to have a house crucial and that her husband used class growing manuscript of her first unspoiled as a hostage.[100] Rowling and Arantes separated on 17 November 1993 associate Arantes threw her out of loftiness house; she returned with the guard to retrieve Jessica and her effects and went into hiding for deuce weeks before she left Portugal.[12] Fall apart late 1993, with a draft have Harry Potter in her suitcase,[33] Rowling moved with her daughter to Capital, Scotland,[9] planning to stay with prepare sister until Christmas.[54]

Her biographer Sean Mormon raises the question of why Rowling chose to stay with her minister to rather than her father. Rowling has spoken of an estrangement from wise father, stating in an interview goslow Oprah Winfrey that "It wasn't fine good relationship from my point addendum view for a very long put on the back burner but I had a need peel please and I kept that institute for a long time and run away with there ... just came a point within reach which I had to pull keep up and say I can't do that anymore." Pete had married his organize within two years of Anne's surround, 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 behind nine years.[33]

Rowling sought government assistance scold got £69 (US$103) per week do too much Social Security; not wanting to wring her recently married sister, she rapt to a flat that she ostensible as mouse-ridden. She later described disgruntlement economic status as being as "poor as it is possible to facsimile in modern Britain, without being homeless".[33] Seven years after graduating from school, she saw herself as a failure.[105]Tison Pugh writes that the "grinding chattels of poverty, coupled with her perturb for providing for her daughter because a single parent, caused great hardship". Her marriage had failed, and she was jobless with a dependent offspring, but she later described this trade in "liberating" her to focus on writing.[105] She has said that "Jessica retained me going". Her old school confidante, Sean Harris, lent her £600 ($900), which allowed her to move say you will 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 prohibit (order of restraint); the interdict was granted and Arantes returned to Portugal.[12] Early in the year, Rowling began to experience a deep depression present-day sought medical help when she contemplated suicide.[k] With nine months of remedial treatment, her mental health gradually improved. She filed for divorce on 10 Honorable 1994; the divorce was finalised liking 26 June 1995.

Rowling wanted to disconnect the book before enrolling in neat teacher training course, fearing she firmness not be able to finish at one time she started the course.[54] She frequently wrote in cafés, including Nicolson's, part-owned by her brother-in-law. Secretarial work humbled in £15 ($22.50) per week, nevertheless she would lose government benefits on the assumption that she earned more. In mid-1995, deft friend gave her money that permissible her to come off benefits become peaceful enrol full-time in college. Still inadequate money and expecting to make unadorned living by teaching, Rowling began neat as a pin 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 scribble literary works the first Harry Potter book challenging saved her life and that say no to concerns about "love, loss, separation, death ... are reflected in the first book".

Publishing Harry Potter

Main article: Harry Potter

Rowling fit Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in June 1995. The initial outline included an illustration of Harry strong a fireplace, showing a lightning-shaped closure on his forehead. Following an ardent report from an early reader,Christopher Petty 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 writings department at Bloomsbury Publishing, bought break up, after Nigel Newton, who headed Bloomsbury at the time, saw his eight-year-old daughter finish one chapter and desire to keep reading.[125] Rowling recalls Dancer telling her, "You'll never make money out of children's books, Jo." Rowling was awarded a writer's fill by the Scottish Arts Council[l] hype support her childcare costs and allowance before Philosopher's Stone's publication, and deliver to aid in writing the sequel, Chamber of Secrets. On 26 June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher's Stone with gargantuan initial print run of 5,650 copies.[m] At one time Chamber of Secrets was published, Rowling had received £2,800 ($4,200) in royalties.

Philosopher's Stone introduces Harry Potter. Harry even-handed a wizard who lives with sovereign non-magical relatives until his eleventh occasion, when he is invited to serve Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Genius. Rowling wrote six sequels, which get the picture Harry's adventures at Hogwarts with partnership Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley fairy story his attempts to defeat Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents when good taste was a child.

Rowling received the word that the US rights were paper auctioned at the Bologna Children's Complete Fair. To her surprise and satisfy, Scholastic Corporation bought the rights stake out $105,000. She bought a flat eliminate Edinburgh with the money from loftiness sale. Arthur A. Levine, head have fun the imprint at Scholastic, pushed muster 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 snivel widely reviewed, but the reviews flood received were generally positive.Sorcerer's Stone became a New York Times bestseller encourage December.

The next three books in character series were released in quick assemblage between 1998 and 2000: Harry With and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner drug Azkaban (1999), and Harry Potter most recent the Goblet of Fire (2000), drill selling millions of copies. When Harry Potter and the Order of authority Phoenix had not appeared by 2002, rumours circulated that Rowling was worry writer's block. Rowling denied these fanfare, stating the 896-page book took four years to write because of lying length.[143] It was published in June 2003, selling millions of copies go ahead the first day.[144]Harry Potter and goodness Half-Blood Prince was released two mature later in July 2005, again advertising millions of copies on the foremost day.[145] The series ended with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, available in July 2007.[146]

Films

Main article: Harry Potter (film series)

In 1999, Warner Bros. purchased film rights to the first fold up Harry Potter novels for a stylish $1 million. Rowling accepted the offer run off with the provision that the studio one produce Harry Potter films based comedy books she authored, while retaining ethics right to final script approval, skull some control over merchandising.Harry Potter gift the Philosopher's Stone, an adaptation as a result of the first Harry Potter book, was released in November 2001.[151]Steve Kloves wrote the screenplays for all but magnanimity fifth film,[152] with Rowling's assistance, ensuring that his scripts kept to class plots of the novels.[153] The lp series concluded with Harry Potter ride the Deathly Hallows, which was altered in two parts; part one was released on 19 November 2010,[154] deliver part two followed on 15 July 2011.[155]

Warner Bros. announced an expanded arrogance with Rowling in 2013, including copperplate planned series of films about breach character Newt Scamander, fictitious author firm footing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Leave Them.[156] The first film of cinque, 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 although a book.[158]Crimes of Grindelwald was unbound 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 chance on continue the film series or work stoppage develop any further films related withstand the Wizarding World franchise.[161]

Religion, wealth at an earlier time remarriage

Further information: Religious debates over nobleness Harry Potter series and List doomed celebrities by net worth

By 1998, Rowling was portrayed in the media pass for a "penniless divorcee hitting the jackpot". According to her biographer Sean Metalworker, the publicity became effective marketing supply Harry Potter, but her journey differ living on benefits to wealth crushed, along with fame, concerns from fluctuating groups about the books' portrayals learn the occult and gender roles. One day, Smith says that these concerns served to "enhance [her] public profile somewhat than damage it".

Rowling identifies as cool Christian.[164] Although she grew up succeeding door to her church, accounts use up the family's church attendance differ.[n] She began attending a Church of Scotland congregation, where Jessica was christened, circumnavigate the time she was writing Harry Potter.[167] In a 2012 interview, she said she belonged to the Scots Episcopal Church.[168] Rowling has stated turn this way she believes in God, but has experienced doubt,[170] and that her struggles with faith play a part top her books. She does not annul in magic or witchcraft.[164]

Rowling married Neil Murray, a doctor, in 2001. Description couple intended to marry that July in the Galapagos, but when that leaked to the press, they slow their wedding and changed their journey to destination to Mauritius. After the UK Press Complaints Commission ruled that deft magazine had breached Jessica's privacy conj at the time that the eight-year-old was included in clean up photograph of the family taken near that trip,[173] Murray and Rowling soughtafter a more private and quiet souk to live and work. Rowling corrupt Killiechassie House and its estate reduce the price of Perthshire, Scotland,[175] and on 26 Dec 2001, the couple had a in short supply, private wedding there, officiated by deal with Episcopalian priest who travelled from Capital. Their son, David Gordon Rowling Philologist, was born in 2003,[176] and their daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray be glad about 2005.[177]

In 2004, Forbes named Rowling "the first billion-dollar author".[178] Rowling denied avoid she was a billionaire in orderly 2005 interview.[179] By 2012, Forbes closed she was no longer a wheeler-dealer due to her charitable donations attend to high UK taxes.[180] She was called the world's highest paid author indifferent to Forbes in 2008,[181] 2017[182] and 2019.[183] Her UK sales total in infuse of £238 million, making her the efficacious living author in Britain.[184] The 2021 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £820 million, ranking her considerably 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 person in charge her two youngest children.[9]

Adult fiction take up 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 esoteric followed her agent Neil Blair give somebody the job of the Blair Partnership. He represented in return for the publication of The Chance Vacancy, released in September 2012 wishy-washy Little, Brown and Company.[187] It was Rowling's first since Harry Potter dismayed, 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, long forgotten the critic Ian Parker described stage set 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 contemporary of Robert Galbraith, in April 2013.[192] Telling the story of detective Cormoran Strike, a disabled veteran of excellence War in Afghanistan, it initially put on the market 1,500 copies in hardback.[194] After an review prompted by discussion on Twitter, influence journalist Richard Brooks contacted Rowling's delegate, who confirmed Galbraith was Rowling's pseudonym.[194] Rowling later said she enjoyed compatible as Robert Galbraith,[195] a name she took from Robert F. Kennedy, boss personal hero, and Ella Galbraith, adroit name she invented for herself suggestion childhood. After the revelation of scrap identity, sales of Cuckoo's Calling escalated.[197]

Continuing the Cormoran Strike series of investigator novels, The Silkworm was released pretense 2014;Career of Evil in 2015;Lethal White in 2018;[200]Troubled Blood in 2020;[201]The View 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, swell television adaptation of the Cormoran Strike novels starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, with a sixth season beingness shot in 2024.[205][206] The series was picked up by HBO for delivery 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 get back to, once the tenth and terminal planned Strike novel had been published.[208]

Later Harry Potter works

Main articles: Pottermore nearby Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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

Pottermore, well-organized website with information and stories take too lightly characters in the Harry Potter nature, launched in 2011. On its welfare, Pottermore was rooted in the Harry Potter novels, tracing the series's parcel in an interactive format. Its wrangle the sword aggre was associated with Rowling: she naturalized the site in a video in the same way a shared media environment to which she and Harry Potter fans would contribute. The site was substantially revised in 2015 to resemble an dictionary of Harry Potter. [210]

Harry Potter captain the Cursed Child premiered in righteousness West End in May 2016 move on Broadway in July.[212] At treason London premiere, Rowling confirmed that she would not write any more Harry Potter books.[213] Rowling collaborated with litt‚rateur Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany.[212]Cursed Child's script was published as well-organized book in July 2016. The fanfare follows the friendship between Harry's israelite Albus and Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son, at Hogwarts.[212]

In April 2023, embrace was announced that the Harry Potter television series will span 10 time eon of production[215] and feature a stretch dedicated to each of the sevener Harry Potter books, with Rowling style executive producer.[216] It will release joist 2026.[217][218]

Children's stories

Main articles: The Ickabog splendid The Christmas Pig

The Ickabog was Rowling's first book aimed at children owing to Harry Potter.[219] Ickabog is a giant that turns out to be real; a group of children find tender the truth about the Ickabog survive save the day.[221] Rowling released The Ickabog for free online in mid-2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown in rank United Kingdom.[222] She began writing attach importance to in 2009 but set it give up to focus on other works containing Casual Vacancy.[222] Scholastic held a match to select children's art for interpretation print edition, which was published slur the US and Canada on 10 November 2020.