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Joanne
Kathleen Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury, in western England,
on July 31, 1965. Rowling's parents loved books and exposed their
children to great works of literature. From an early age, Rowling
enjoyed telling stories to her younger sister Diana.
Rowling's first story was written at around the age of five or six
and was about a rabbit called Rabbit, since writing that first story
Rowling wanted to be a writer, though she rarely told anyone afraid
that they'd tell her she didn't have a hope.
Rowling and her imagination grew as the family moved around. On entering
high school Rowling was, she has said, " quiet, freckly, short-sighted,
and rubbish at sports." Rowling loved her English classes and
especially enjoyed the novels of Jane Austen. During her school years,
Rowling continued writing stories but rarely showed them to anyone.
In her last year of high school, Rowling was made Head Girl, a coveted
position that involves representing one's school and directing prefects.
Rowling went on to Exeter University in southwest England, where she
studies French and Classics. During this time she worked briefly as
a teacher in Paris to gain extra credit. After graduating, Rowling
worked within the business world for several years, but felt too disorganised
to be effective. The best part of her office jobs was that it gave
her the opportunity to write stories using the office computer.
At the age of twenty-six, Rowling's life was changed dramatically
due to a stressful time. First, her mother, who had been diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis in 1980, passed away, Rowling was subsequently
robbed, and later lost her job as well. After these events Rowling
moved to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language.
Whilst in Portugal, Rowling took notes, wrote outlines, and made sketches
about a fictional character she had dreamed up, whom she called Harry
Potter. Rowling , who had already written two adult novels she considered
unworthy of publication, originally conceived the idea of the Harry
Potter books as a series for adults.
In 1991, Rowling met and fell in love with a Portuguese journalist
named Jorges Arantes. They married in October 1992, and in July 1993,
Rowling gave birth to her first daughter Jessica. A few months later
however Rowling and Arantes divorced. Rowling moved with her daughter
to Edinburgh, Scotland, where her sister Diana was living. Unable
to fins a job that would pay enough to cover living expenses and childcare
costs, Rowling received government assistance for a time. She had
written part of the first Harry Potter book in Portugal, and continued
writing in Edinburgh, most of which was done in a small café
near her home. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter novel in longhand,
typing the final draft on a manual typewriter. She completed Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995.
She sent the novel to an agent, Christopher Little, who passed it
onto several publishers, most of whom considered the book too long
for children. In 1996, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, agreed to publish
the book. They paid Rowling an advance of £2,500 pounds and
only printed 500 copies of her novel. It didn't take long for the
publishers to soon realise that Harry Potter had the potential for
huge popularity. In 1997, Scholastic, a New York publisher, offered
Rowling a $105,000 advance to publish the novel in America. This gave
Rowling the financial freedom to write full time. The novel was published
in America under the title Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone.
Eventually Harry Potter and The Phillosophers Stone, together with
its successors, became an unprecedented phenomenon, selling millions
of copies worldwide. The books have earned critical acclaim, won numerous
awards, and have become the first children's books to continually
top the bestseller lists. Rowling, now an international celebrity,
is in constant demand by journalists, talk show hosts, and fans throughout
the world. Today, Rowling is living a quite life together with her
new husband and three young children and busily working on Harry's
saga, which sadly as we all know is drawing to a very close end with
the 6th book due out on the 16th July this year therefore leaving
us with only one more book to go. Rowling has expressed on many occasions
the shock at Harry's incredible popularity. She says she will always
keep writing, even when she must leave Harry, Hogwarts and the Dursleys
behind.
Written
By Ali
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