The biography of J.K Rowling is one of the best-selling authors today. She is the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, one of the most popular books and film franchises in the world.
Joanne Rowling was born on July 31, 1965, in Yate, Gloucestershire, England to Peter James Rowling and Anne Rowling. Jo wanted to be a writer from an early age. She wrote her first book at the age of six. It was a story about a rabbit called a rabbit. At the age of eleven, she wrote her first novel about seven cursed diamonds and their owners.
She pursued her studies at the University of Exeter and graduated with a B.A in French and classics. Her first job was at Amnesty International as a researcher.
The idea for Harry Potter come to her in 1990 on a train ride to London. Soon, she began to plan out in seven books of the series. It took Rowling five years to plan out everything before she started writing Philosopher’s Stone, the first book of the series. In 1991, Rowling moved to Portugal and worked as an English teacher. In her free time, she would work on her book.
In 1993, Rowling moved to Scotland with her daughter and finished the first three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Soon, she completes her first draft for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. To support her family, she continued to work as a teacher in a city school.
In 1995, in hope of publishing her book, she met Christopher Little Literary Agents. Rowling’s work was rejected by twelve publishing companies, in 1996, one of the publishers wrote back to her asked to see the rest of the story. Finally, Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997.
She used the name “J.K Rowling” for her book. The same year, Harry Potter and the philosopher’s Stone was auctioned to scholastic Inc. in 1998; Rowling’s book won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize for Children’s Book of the year.
Her book sequel, titled Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets come out in 1998. It became an instant success and very well received by the readers. Warner Brothers purchased the rights of the first two books to turn the series into movies. The first movie was released in 2001 by Warner Bros.
In 1999, the third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban was released. This book also won the Smarties Prize. Rowling is known as the first author to win the prize three times in a row. In 2001, Rowling published two small companion books, Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages. Queen Elizabeth II f England made Rowling an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. The University of Exeter made her an honorary Doctor of Letters in 2000.
Rowling is humanitarian and donates money to various charities. She supports the intuitions, Comic Relief, and One Parent Families. In the year 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of her international children’s charity.
In 2002, the next film of the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets was also released. Another book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out the following year, followed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005.
In 2006, she was named as the most significant living British writer by The Book Magazine and the second richest female entertainer in the world by Forbes. In 2007, Rowling finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book in the hotel room in Scotland.
The book became the fastest-selling book of all time as soon as it released. For her exceptional work, Rowling was awarded the British Book Lifetime Achievement Award, Edinburgh Award, and the South Bank Show outstanding in the Arts Award. In 2012, we launched the digital company, ‘Pottermore’ for her fans. The website includes news, features, and articles as well as content by J.K Rowling herself.
Apart from the Potter series, her other works also gained popularity. In 2012, The Casual Vacancy was released. It was translated into more than forty languages and even made into a TV show. Her other work of adult fiction are The Silkworm (2014) and Career Of Evil (2015). Rowling writings were also successful because of her target audience. She wrote two types of novels, one aimed at children and others for adults. Soon, everyone in the world recognized her for her writing.
In 2002, Rowling married Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes. However, the couple separate in 1993. She is a mother of three children.
Honours & Awards
J.K. Rowling has received many honors and awards, including:
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