J. K. Rowling Biography: Books, Family, Net worth, Awards

J.K. Rowling is one of the most successful and influential authors of our time. She is best known for creating the Harry Potter series, a fantasy saga that has captivated millions of readers and viewers around the world. But who is the woman behind the wizarding world? How did she go from being a struggling single mother to a billionaire philanthropist? What are her views on social issues and controversies? In this blog post, we will explore the life and work of J.K. Rowling, and try to understand what makes her tick.

Early Life and Education

J.K. Rowling, in full Joanne Kathleen Rowling, was born on July 31, 1965, in Yate, near Bristol, England. Her father, Peter, was an aircraft engineer at the Rolls Royce factory in Bristol, and her mother, Anne, was a science technician in the Chemistry department at Wyedean Comprehensive School. Rowling had a passion for reading and writing from an early age and wrote her first story at the age of six. She also loved fantasy and mythology and was influenced by authors such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens.

Rowling attended St Michael’s Primary School in Winterbourne, where she met her best friend and later Harry Potter inspiration, Sean Harris. She then moved to Chepstow, Gwent, in south-east Wales, where she attended Wyedean Comprehensive School. She was a bright student who excelled in languages, especially English and French. She also developed an interest in social justice and feminism and joined Amnesty International in her teens.

After graduating from Wyedean in 1983, Rowling studied French and Classics at the University of Exeter. She spent a year in Paris as part of her course, where she immersed herself in the culture and literature of France. She graduated from Exeter in 1986 with a BA degree and then moved to London to work as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International.

The Birth of Harry Potter

It was during her time in London that Rowling conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series. In 1990, while waiting for a delayed train from Manchester to London, she had a sudden vision of a young boy who discovers that he is a wizard and enrols in a school of magic. She immediately began to jot down notes on a napkin, and over the next few months, she fleshed out the characters, plot, and setting of her story.

However, Rowling’s life took a dark turn when her mother died of multiple sclerosis in December 1990. She was devastated by the loss of her mother, who had been unaware of her daughter’s plans to write a book about wizards. Rowling later said that her mother’s death influenced her writing, as she explored themes of death, loss, and grief in the Harry Potter series.

In 1991, Rowling decided to move to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. There she met Jorge Arantes, a Portuguese journalist, whom she married in October 1992. They had a daughter, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes, born in July 1993. However, their marriage was unhappy and abusive, and Rowling left Arantes with her daughter in November 1993.

Rowling returned to the United Kingdom with her daughter and settled in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was living on public assistance between stints as a French teacher and suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. She continued to write her first Harry Potter novel in cafes while her daughter slept in a pram beside her.

The Rise to Fame

Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) in 1995. She sent the manuscript to several publishers but faced many rejections before it was accepted by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in August 1996. The editor who discovered her book was Barry Cunningham,
who famously advised her to get a day job because children’s books did not make much money.

The book was published in June 1997 with an initial print run of only 500 copies for hardback editions. However, it soon became an unexpected hit among children and adults alike. It won several awards,
including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year, and
the Children’s Book Award. It also received glowing reviews from critics, who praised its
imagination, humour, and storytelling.

Rowling’s fame and fortune grew exponentially with the publication of the subsequent books in the series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). The books sold over 600 million copies worldwide, making Rowling one of the best-selling authors of all time. They were also translated into 84 languages, including Latin and Ancient Greek.

The books also spawned a global media franchise, including eight blockbuster films, video games, theme parks, merchandise, and a stage play. The films, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, grossed over $7.7 billion at the box office, making them the second highest-grossing film series of all time. The stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, co-written by Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, premiered in London in 2016 and won several awards, including six Tony Awards on Broadway.

The Harry Potter series follows the adventures of Harry Potter, a young orphan who discovers that he is a wizard on his eleventh birthday. He enrols in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he makes friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and learns to master his magical abilities. He also faces the evil Lord Voldemort, a powerful dark wizard who killed his parents and wants to destroy him and anyone who stands in his way. The series explores themes such as friendship, courage, loyalty, love, sacrifice, identity, morality, and free will.

Other Works and Projects

Rowling has also written other books outside the Harry Potter universe. In 2001, she published two companion books to the series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a textbook about magical creatures written by Newt Scamander, and Quidditch Through the Ages, a history of the wizarding sport written by Kennilworthy Whisp. She also wrote The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of fairy tales for young wizards that was mentioned in the seventh book. These books were written for charity purposes and raised millions of pounds for various causes.

In 2012, Rowling published her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy, a dark comedy about the politics and social issues of a small English town. The book received mixed reviews from critics,
who praised its realism and satire but criticized its bleakness and lack of likeable characters. It was adapted into a three-part miniseries by BBC One and HBO in 2015.

In 2013, Rowling surprised her fans by revealing that she had written a crime novel under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The novel, titled The Cuckoo’s Calling, was the first in a series featuring Cormoran Strike, a private detective and war veteran who solves various mysteries with his assistant Robin Ellacott. The series has four more novels so far: The Silkworm (2014), Career of Evil (2015), Lethal White (2018), and Troubled Blood (2020). The novels have been praised for their plot twists,
character development, and social commentary. They have also been adapted into a TV series by BBC One and Cinemax, starring Tom Burke as Strike and Holliday Grainger as Robin.

Rowling has also written other works related to the Harry Potter universe. In 2016, she co-produced
and co-wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a film based on her book of the same name,
starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who travels to New York in 1926
and gets involved in a conflict between wizards and muggles (non-magical people). The film was
the first in a planned series of five films that explore the history and lore of the wizarding world.
The second film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was released in 2018,
and introduced Jude Law as a young Albus Dumbledore, Harry’s future mentor.

In 2020, Rowling published two more books for children. The first was The Ickabog, a fairy tale
about a mythical monster that terrorizes a kingdom. The book was originally written by Rowling
for her children and later decided to publish it online for free during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book was illustrated by children who submitted their drawings to a competition. The second book was The Christmas Pig, a story about a boy who loses his beloved toy pig on Christmas Eve and embarks on a magical journey to find him.

Personal Life and Philanthropy

Rowling has been married twice. Her first marriage to Jorge Arantes ended in divorce in 1995. Her second marriage to Neil Murray, a Scottish doctor, took place in 2001. They have two children together: David Gordon Rowling Murray, born in 2003, and Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, born in 2005. Rowling also has a daughter, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes, from her first marriage, born in 1993.

Rowling is one of the richest and most influential women in the world. According to Forbes, she has a net worth of $1 billion as of 2021. However, she is also known for her generosity and philanthropy. She has donated millions of pounds to various charities and causes, especially those related to children, education, health, human rights, and social justice. She is the founder and president of Lumos, an organization that works to end the institutionalization of children around the world. She is also the co-founder and chair of Volant, a charitable trust that supports projects that alleviate social deprivation and combat multiple sclerosis. She is also a patron of several other charities, such as Comic Relief, Book Aid International, and Gingerbread.

Rowling has also been vocal about her political and social views. She is a supporter of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom and has criticized the Conservative Party for its policies on welfare, immigration, and Brexit. She is also a staunch defender of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), which she credits for saving her life when she was a single mother. She is also an advocate for women’s rights and gender equality and has spoken out against domestic violence, sexual harassment, and misogyny. She has also expressed her support for LGBTQ+ rights and diversity and has faced backlash from some fans and critics for her comments on transgender issues.

Awards and Honours

JK Rowling has won numerous awards for her writing and humanitarian work. Some of the most notable awards include:

• Companion of Honour, for services to literature and philanthropy, 2017
• PEN America Literary Service Award, 2016
• Freedom of the City of London, 2012
• Hans Christian Andersen Award, Denmark, 2010
• Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur: France, 2009
• Lifetime Achievement Award, British Book Awards, 2008
• South Bank Show Award for Outstanding Achievement, 2008
• James Joyce Award, University College Dublin, 2008
• The Edinburgh Award, 2008
• Commencement Day Speaker, Harvard University, USA, 2008
• Blue Peter Gold Badge, 2007
• WH Smith Fiction Award, 2004
• Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, Spain, 2003
• Order of the British Empire (OBE), 2001
• Children’s Book of the Year, British Book Awards, 1998 and 1999
• Booksellers Association Author of the Year, 1998 and 1999

FAQs

How did J.K. Rowling become famous?

JK Rowling became famous after publishing her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in 1997. The book was an instant hit among children and adults alike and won several awards and rave reviews. The book was followed by six more novels in the series, which sold over 600 million copies worldwide and became one of the best-selling book series of all time. The books also spawned a global media franchise, including films, games, theme parks, merchandise, and a stage play. Rowling’s fame and fortune grew exponentially with the success of the Harry Potter series,
and she became one of the most successful and influential authors of our time.

What is JK Rowling’s writing style?

JK Rowling’s writing style is characterized by her imagination, humour, storytelling, and attention to detail. She creates vivid and complex characters, settings, and plots that draw readers into her fictional worlds. She uses a third-person limited point of view, focusing on Harry Potter’s perspective throughout the series. She also uses various literary devices, such as foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, allusion, and intertextuality, to enrich her narrative and themes. She writes in clear and engaging language that appeals to both children and adults.