J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter

The orphan from the cupboard under the stairs: he comes to Hogwarts at eleven.

💡 Did you know? The seven books have been translated into over 80 languages and sold more than 600 million copies.

on a train

With no pen in her bag she thought for hours and began writing that same evening.

💡 Did you know? On a delayed train from Manchester to London the idea came to Rowling, with no pen, she memorised it all.

Hogwarts

Four houses, a sorting hat, the Great Hall: reached from Platform 9¾ at King's Cross.

💡 Did you know? The houses Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw became pop-cultural common knowledge.

twelve

Bloomsbury took it: reportedly because the publisher's eight-year-old daughter devoured the sample chapter.

💡 Did you know? Only the small publisher Bloomsbury said yes: reportedly because the boss's eight-year-old daughter loved the chapter.

best-selling book series

Translated into some 80 languages: volume 1 started with a print run of 500.

💡 Did you know? „Harry Potter“ is the best-selling book series in history and made Rowling the first billionaire author.

in cafés

While her daughter slept in the pram: she was living on benefits at the time.

💡 Did you know? A single mother on a tight budget, Rowling wrote in Edinburgh cafés while her daughter slept.

so boys would not be put off

She borrowed the K from her grandmother Kathleen; she had no middle name of her own.

💡 Did you know? The „K“ stands for Kathleen, her grandmother's name: Joanne actually has no middle name.

Voldemort

Born Tom Riddle: his name is an anagram game that Rowling had adapted for many languages.

💡 Did you know? In the books he is mostly called „He Who Must Not Be Named“: out of the wizarding world's fear.

Robert Galbraith

The series around detective Cormoran Strike: the cover was blown after a few months.

💡 Did you know? The pen name was only exposed when a lawyer let it slip: the thriller promptly shot to the top of the charts.

Muggles

The word made it into the Oxford English Dictionary: Rowling's most famous coinage.

💡 Did you know? The word „Muggle“ was even added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003.

first book billionaire

She lost the status again: partly because of her large charitable donations.

💡 Did you know? Her charity Lumos campaigns for children in institutions worldwide.

her statements on transgender issues

Lead actors of the films publicly disagreed with her: the debate continues.

💡 Did you know? Rowling's remarks on sex and transgender issues sparked fierce, ongoing controversy worldwide.

J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling (b. 1965) is a British writer. Her „Harry Potter“ series became the best-selling book series in history and a global cultural phenomenon.

💡 Did you know? Rowling wrote the first book as a single mother living on benefits; a few years later she was richer than the Queen.