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J.K Rowling Born
J.K. Rowling’s parents, Peter James Rowling and Anne Volant, met on a train that was travelling from King's Cross, London to Scotland. They were just 18. Her father had recently joined the Navy, her mother was a WREN; both were to be stationed at Arbroath. They married one year later, when her father left the Navy to join Rolls-Royce in Bristol as an apprentice engineer, and on 31 July 1965, Joanne Rowling was born… -
A Discovery
J.K. Rowling knew that she wanted to be a writer from an early age. She wrote her first book at just six years old, which she describes as being, “…a work of towering genius about a rabbit, called Rabbit. I gave it to my mother who said, ‘That’s lovely,’ as a mother would. ‘That’s very, very good.’ I stood there, thinking, ‘Well, get it published then.’ Bit of an odd thing for a child of six to think. I don’t know where it came from…” -
Wyedean Comprehensive
When J.K. Rowling was nine years old, the family moved to Tutshill, near Chepstow on the Welsh border. The girls went to Wyedean Comprehensive School and College where they both loved their schooldays. Much like Hermione Granger, J.K. Rowling had a thirst for knowledge. She says, "I hope I was neither as clever or as annoying as Hermione!", but it’s clear she applied herself to studies, leaving school with A levels in English, French and German. -
Amnesty International
Having graduated from Exeter University with a BA in French and the Classics in 1986, J.K. Rowling worked in London as a researcher for Amnesty International – an organisation that campaigns against human rights abuse. -
It All Started on Platform 9 3/4
“It was 1990. My then boyfriend and I had decided to move up to Manchester together. After a weekend's flat-hunting, I was travelling back to London on my own on a crowded train, and the idea for Harry Potter simply fell into my head.
I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. To my immense frustration, I didn't have a pen that worked, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one…" -
Anne Rowling
In December 1990, and after a decade-long battle with the debilitating condition, J.K. Rowling’s mother – Anne – succumbed to multiple sclerosis at the age of just 45. Anne’s death left a shadow of sadness that would greatly influence Jo's stories about a young wizard who loses his parents at an early age. One of Jo’s greatest regrets is that her mother never knew Harry Potter. -
Living in Portugal
Still devastated by her mother’s death, J.K. Rowling moved to Portugal in 1991, to work as an English teacher at a language institute. In her own words, this period was the start of a dark time in her life. -
Jessica Rowling
Jessica is J.K. Rowling’s eldest daughter. She was born in Portugal on 27 July 1993. -
Looking for an Agent
“I wrote nearly every evening, then typed the whole thing out myself on an old manual typewriter, covered the first three chapters in a nice plastic folder and sent them off to an agent. They were returned so fast, they must have been sent back the same day they arrived.
But at the second attempt, Christopher Little wrote back asking to see the rest of the manuscript. It was far and away the best letter I had ever received in my life – and it was only two sentences long.” -
Scottish Arts Council
After accepting J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone manuscript, Barry Cunningham advised her to ‘get a day job, because there’s very little chance of making money in children’s books’. She made an application to the Scottish Arts Council. With a generous grant of £8,000, she was able to not only look after Jessica, but also focus on the next book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. -
Bloomsbury Publishing
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was sent to a number of publishers initially, all of whom rejected the manuscript. It took a year before her agent, Christopher Little, could make the call that J.K. Rowling had been waiting for. -
Pen Name
to her family and friends, millions of Harry Potter fans know the best-selling children’s author as ‘J.K. Rowling’. The use of a pen name was suggested by her publisher, Barry Cunningham. He thought that young boys might be wary of a book written by a woman, so Joanne chose ‘K’, for ‘Kathleen’, the name of her paternal grandmother. -
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The three friends, Harry, Ron and Hermione, are soon immersed in the daily round of Potions, Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Quidditch. Then mysterious and scary things start happening. First Harry hears strange voices, and then Ron’s sister, Ginny, disappears… -
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can’t wait to get back to school after the summer holidays (who wouldn’t if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?). But when Harry arrives at Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There’s an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school… -
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, was published on 8 July 2000 with a record first print run of one million copies in the UK. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first day of publication in the UK. -
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Movie
Opening on 16 November 2001, in London, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was a huge box-office success. Harry Potter learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two wizards and possesses magical powers of his own. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he learns the high-flying sport Quidditch and plays a thrilling ‘live’ chess game en route to facing a Dark Wizard bent on destroying him. -
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Movie
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opened in the UK and US on 15 November 2002. The film’s success was assured thanks to the growing number of fans becoming aware of the stories. Cars fly, trees fight back and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened". -
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
On 21 June 2003, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia. This fifth instalment in the series broke all records that had been set by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as it became the fastest selling book in history. -
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Movie
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban opened in the UK on 31 May 2004. In their third year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione meet escaped prisoner Sirius Black and learn to handle a Hippogriff – half-horse, half-eagle; repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. Harry must also withstand soul-sucking Dementors, outsmart a dangerous werewolf and deal with the truth about Sirius and his relationship to Harry and his parents. -
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16 July 2005. This, the sixth book in the series, also achieved record sales. It is Harry Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Voldemort’s sinister forces amass and a spirit of gloom and fear sweeps the land, it becomes clear to Harry that he will soon have no choice but to confront his destiny. Can Harry succeed in the death-defying tasks ahead? -
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie
This is the fourth film in the Harry Potter series. It was released on 18 November 2005, in the UK. Harry Potter is mysteriously entered into the Triwizard Tournament, a gruelling contest among three wizarding schools in which he confronts a dragon, water demons and an enchanted maze only to find himself in Lord Voldemort’s grasp. All will change when Harry, Ron and Hermione leave childhood forever and face challenges beyond their imagination. -
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Movie
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opened on 12 July 2007. The rebellion begins! Lord Voldemort is back, but the Ministry of Magic tries to keep a lid on the truth – including appointing a new, power-hungry Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione convince Harry to secretly train students for the wizarding war ahead. A terrifying showdown between good and evil awaits… -
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Although Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a single novel, this seventh instalment in Harry’s adventures was subsequently the basis for two films. As the final book in the series, it was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21 July 2007. -
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Movie
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened on 15 July 2009. As Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing Harry for the battle fast approaching. Even as the showdown looms however, romance blossoms for Harry, Ron, Hermione and their classmates. Love is in the air, but danger lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again. -
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie – Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part I opened in the UK and US on 19 November 2010. Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s power – the Horcruxes. On their own and on the run, the three must rely on one another more than ever … but Dark Forces threaten to tear them apart. -
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 opened in the UK and US on 15 July 2011. It had the biggest opening weekend of all time, both domestically and internationally, and is currently the third highest ranking film worldwide. In this epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. -
The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling’s new novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy is published in English.
