“Abra-Ka-Dabra“, the magic spell that you might have tried as a kid or try even now believing that something magical will happen. Haven’t you?
Upon hearing the words magic, wizards, magic spells, wizardry, etc. almost immediately one name pops up in everybody’s mind, Harry Potter. One of the most critically acclaimed and fan-favorite film series “Harry Potter” is the adaptation of the novel series with the same name.
J.K. Rowling, the British author, and philanthropist is the creator of the world-famous novel series Harry Potter. The idea of the majestic world of wizards came to Rowling’s mind when she was on a delayed train journey from Manchester to King’s Cross in London, in 1990. Initially, she started the story with three characters namely Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and later went on to write the story in the form of 7 books around these characters over the next 6 years.
The story is about a little boy, Harry Potter, who lives inside a cupboard under the stairs with his despiteful aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, in Privet Drive, Surrey, England. At the age of 11, the boy discovers that he is not a regular human but a wizard instead. A half-giant named Hagrid invites him to attend the famous school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts. And thereafter, the book series unfolds the life story of Harry Potter on his journey to becoming a great wizard.
In 1993, she went to Edinburgh, Scotland, with the three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone enclosed in her suitcase. After getting rejected by 12 major publishing houses, finally, a small publishing house “Bloomsbury” agreed to publish a thousand copies of the first book. Just in a few days of publication, the book became a bestseller in 1997 and went on to win many prestigious awards like Nestle Smarties Book Prize and the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year. With its multiple translations to other languages, the book became a rage among the fans and quickly spread like fire across the globe.
And since its first publication, the Harry Potter books have shattered many records over the years. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with its release in 2007, became the fastest-selling book ever, selling about 2.65 million copies within 24 hours of its release in the UK. The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies and has been published in as many as 80 languages till now. With the adaptation of the book series into films, it has become a billion-dollar franchise today and also has 4 theme parks at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Beijing.
As per Forbes, in 2011, J.K. Rowling became a billionaire author but soon after, she donated a large portion of her wealth to charities. Even today, despite her philanthropic activities, she remains on the Forbes list of the most powerful celebrities and top-earning authors, globally.
Amazingly enough, the world of wizardry and witchcraft created by J.K. Rowling transformed her real world magically.