J.K. Rowling is the English novelist recognized worldwide as the creator of Harry Potter, the best selling series in history, “witch” created a huge cultural phenomena. It prompted torrents of young adults (and adults) to enjoy reading fiction, selling over 500 million copies. June, 2017, marked the 20th anniversary of the first book published, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” which sold over 120 million. Apparently she got the idea for the young wizard in 1990 while waiting on a stalled train between Manchester and London– how’s that for turning a travel delay into something productive?
The seven books were adapted into popular movies, with Rowling as principal screenwriter. She wrote the first book in 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone , followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), and it seemed, her last in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). Rowling dappled in writing non-Harry Potter novels, such as The Casual Vacancy (2012), but no work could come anywhere close to her zenith of literary triumph with the Harry Potter series.
Much to the delight of her fans, Rowling recently released what’s considered the eighth in her series, the script Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I and II (2016), which was the first Harry Potter to be adapted into a play by Jack Thorne.
We feature Rowling in our Feminist Literature – Study Guide. Though her work is not yet in the public domain, we encourage you to read some of our great adventure and fantasy stories in The Children’s Library.