J.K. Rowling turns 61 today.
Born on July 31, 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, UK, she grew up in a family of a librarian and an engineering technician and has shown an interest in storytelling since childhood. After graduating in French and Classics from the University of Exeter, she spent several years in Portugal as an English teacher, where she wrote the first chapters of “Harry Potter“.
During a train journey between Manchester and London in 1990, the image of the boy wizard was born in her head, and her first manuscript was rejected by 12 publishers before Malka, Brown and Company bought the rights to “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone“ in 1996. Published in 1997, the novel quickly became a bestseller and returned the investment many times over – It has sold over 120 million copies and has been translated into more than 80 languages.
A curious fact is that the author shares a birthday with her most popular character - Harry Potter was also born on July 31.
The success of the “Harry Potter“ series made Rowling the first writer to reach the “Forbes“ billionaires list thanks to literature, but her list of honors is far from exhausted. In 2001, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for "services to children's literature", and in 2017, France awarded her the Knight's Cross of the National Order of Merit.
A few years after putting the final touches on the Harry Potter saga, Rowling debuted in the crime genre under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith with "Postcard for Murder" (2013). The series about private detective Cormoran Strike has so far included four novels adapted for the BBC, and has received praise for its multi-layered plot and psychological depth.
The writer is a screenwriter and producer of the "Fantastic Beasts" film series and the stage play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", which won six "Laurence Olivier" awards. in 2017 “We don't need magic to change the world. We already have all the power within us“ – Rowling said in a speech to graduates of the University of Edinburgh in 2008. In another interview, she shared: “I felt liberated because my greatest fear had come true, and I still had a daughter I loved, an old typewriter and a big idea.“
Rowling is also known for her charitable work: In 2005, she founded the “Lumos“ foundation, which fights for the rights of children raised in institutions, and its annual donations reach millions of British pounds. Her advocates in the causes are actors from the film adaptations of “Harry Potter“, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
Despite the public controversy surrounding her statements on issues of gender and identity, Rowling remains one of the most influential authors of our time.
At 61, she continues to develop already established series and consider new projects, proving that the magic of her words will not fade. Thousands of fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the new “Harry Potter” series, which is preparing to expand the wizarding world even further.