
J.K. Rowling
fan-favorite novelist
Joanne Rowling dreamed up Harry Potter in a flash of genius. But it took her 7 years of hard work + heartache to be able to share the boy wizard's story.
She was struggling to make ends meet for herself and her daughter when the enthusiasm of a publishing exec's 8-year-old daughter convinced a small press to take a chance on her work. Bloomsbury put out a run of 1000 for the first Harry Potter novel. Today, the series has sold more than 400 million copies in 65 languages. And, given rise to an entertainment empire that brings Jo's literary magic to life.
Fans around the globe continue to identify with the exceptional orphan, who ~ like his creator ~ is committed to making the world a better place.
The Boy Wizard | the wildly popular Harry Potter series that inspired an international following for Jo's literary magic
breaking single-day book sales records | the last 4 books in the Harry Potter series each broke the existing record, with the last selling 11 million copies the day of its release
building a feel-good entertainment empire | not just Harry Potter books, but films, theme parks, video games + more
rags-to-riches bio | writing her way from barely scraping by to immense fame + success
philanthropy | generous support + leadership for organizations doing everything from pioneering medical research to support for single parents to destigmatizing depression
1990 | had the inspiration that gave birth to Harry Potter + his world while on a delayed train from Manchester to London and began mapping out the entire series immediately
1997 | published the first volume in her Harry Potter series, Philosopher's Stone, to instant success after London's Bloomsbury Press took a chance on her manuscript
2010 | 3 years after the last book in her Harry Potter series, named the National Magazine Company's "Most Influential Woman in Britain" ~ a positive influence at that!
from | to
struggling secretary + single mother | the U.K.'s best-selling living author
born on
July 31, 1965
born in
Yate, Glouchestershire, England
birth name
Joanne Rowling
nickname | also known as
Jo
J.K. Rowling
~ her original publisher encouraged her to publish under a gender-neutral name since it was thought that boys would not want to read a book by a lady Muggle {certainly that has not been the case} ~
~ the K is for Kathleen, the name of her grandma ~
Robert Galbraith
~ the penname for recent adult crime fiction, chosen in honor of childhood hero Robert Kennedy + childhood persona Ella Galbraith ~
citizen of
The United Kingdom
daughter of
Peter James Rowling
~ an aviation engineer ~
Anne Volant
~ a science teacher + technician ~
sister of
1 younger sister | Dianne
lives in
Scotland, UK
educated at
St. Michael's Primary School
~ Winterbourne, England ~
Wyedean School and College
~ Church Cottage, Tutshill ~
University of Exeter
~ Exeter, Devon, England | BA | 1986 ~
loved studying
French
Classics
Charles Dickens, J.R.R. Tolkien + Jane Austen
divorced from
Jorge Arantes
~ a television journalist she met while working in Portugal | married 1992 - 1995 ~
married to
Neil Michael Murray
~ an anesthetist | married 2001 - today ~
mother of
2 daughters | Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes + Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray
1 son | David Gordon Rowling Murray
advocate for
The UK Labor Party
support for single-parent households
anti-poverty and childhood welfare
~ founded her own organization, Lumos, to fight the institutionalization of disadvantaged children ~
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain
tweets
@jk_rowling
image credits
Debra Hurford Brown | J.K. Rowling
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | june 1997
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | june 1997
"Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain."
The Chamber of Secrets | july 1999
"Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | july 2000
"Poverty is a lot like childbirth—you know it is going to hurt before it happens, but you'll never know how much until you experience it."
Magic: A collection of short stories | june 2002
"Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | july 2007
"I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never. . . What's to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that."
Interview with J.K. Rowling {via Huffington Post} | march 2008
"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."
Harvard commencement address | june 2008
"Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts, that is indeed something on which to pride yourself, but poverty itself is romanticised only by fools."
Harvard University commencement address | june 2008
"We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."
Harvard University commencement address | june 2008
"There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you."
Harvard University commencement address | june 2008
"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default."
Harvard University commencement address | june 2008
"The stories we love best do live in us forever."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 | july 2011
"The mistake ninety-nine percent of humanity made . . . was being ashamed of what they were; lying about it, trying to be somebody else."
The Casual Vacancy | september 2012
"I am prouder of my years as a single mother than of any other part of my life."
from Gingerbread President J.K. Rowling | september 2013
"Writing is my incurable disease. It isn't a business to me, it's a condition."
twitter | january 2015
"The world is full of wonderful things you haven't seen yet. Don't ever give up on the chance of seeing them."
@JK_Rowling | may 2015
for further reading about J.K. Rowling:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson {october 2014}
Jo + Harry
Jo went from being the world's "worst secretary ever" to one of its most famous authors. In this interview with Meredith Viera, Jo gives the remarkable backstory behind her entertainment empire after the publishing of the last book in her wildly popular Harry Potter series.
methodshop.com
CC BY-SA
Easter Egg Roll
Jo was invited to the White House to read to a rapt audience of fans in the First Family's garden.
Daniel Ogren
CC BY
Pottermore Announcement
Joanne generously gives back to her fans and brings her beloved books into the digital age with Pottermore. Her innovative free website not only carries on the Harry Potter legacy but also allows readers to actively shape it.
Andersen M Studio
Diagon Alley
When the film series was completed, Warner Bros Studios in London opened up their Harry Potter set so that people could experience the magic first-hand. Fans can now walk the cobblestone street ~ previously hidden from us ordinary "Muggles" ~ that Jo imagined as the heart of London's wizarding scene.
Richard Perry
CC BY-ND
Lumos // We Are Lumos
Joanne founded the global NGO Lumos ~ named after a light-casting spell from her books ~ to address the institutionalization of underprivileged children. In this video, the author herself introduces the organization + its mission.
Giant Ant | Global Natives