- Wikipedia

{"parse":{"title":"J. K. Rowling","pageid":16027,"text":{"*":"

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J. K. Rowling CH OBE FRSL
$\"Rowling$ Rowling at the White House in 2010
Born	Joanne Rowling (1965-07-31) 31 July 1965 (age 59) Yate, Gloucestershire, England
Pen name	J. K. Rowling Robert Galbraith
Occupation	Author philanthropist
Education	University of Exeter (BA) Moray House^[a]
Period	Contemporary
Genres	Fantasy drama young adult fiction crime fiction
Years active	1997\u2013present
Notable awards	Full list
Spouse	\n Jorge Arantes \n (m. 1992; div. 1995) \n Neil Murray (m. 2001)
Children	3
Signature

Website
jkrowling.com

Joanne Rowling (/\u02c8ro\u028al\u026a\u014b/ ^\u24d8 ROH-ling;^[1] born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of Harry Potter, a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has sold over 600 million copies, been translated into 84 languages, and spawned a global media franchise including films and video games. The Casual Vacancy was her first novel for adults. She writes Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, under the alias Robert Galbraith. \n

Born in Yate, Gloucestershire, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International in 1990 when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series. The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, the birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband, and relative poverty until the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997. Six sequels followed, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). By 2008, Forbes had named her the world's highest-paid author.\n

The novels follow a boy called Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts (a school for wizards), and battles Lord Voldemort. Death and the divide between good and evil are the central themes of the series. Its influences include Bildungsroman (the coming-of-age genre), school stories, fairy tales, and Christian allegory. The series revived fantasy as a genre in the children's market, spawned a host of imitators, and inspired an active fandom. Critical reception has been more mixed. Many reviewers see Rowling's writing as conventional; some regard her portrayal of gender and social division as regressive. There were also religious debates over the Harry Potter series.\n

Rowling has won many accolades for her work. She has been appointed an OBE and a Member of the Companions of Honour for services to literature and philanthropy. Harry Potter brought her wealth and recognition, which she has used to advance philanthropic endeavours and political causes. She established the Volant Charitable Trust in 2000, and co-founded the charity Lumos in 2005. Rowling's philanthropy centres on medical causes and supporting at-risk women and children. In 2012, Forbes estimated that Rowling's charitable giving totalled US$160 million. She has also donated to Britain's Labour Party, and opposed Scottish independence and Brexit. Since 2017, Rowling has been vocal about her opinions on transgender people and related civil rights. Her comments, described as transphobic by critics and LGBT rights organisations, have divided feminists, fuelled debates on freedom of speech and cancel culture, and prompted declarations of support for transgender people from the culture sector.\n

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Target/ Type\n	Series/ Description\n	Title\n	Date\n	Ref.\n
Young adult fiction\n	Harry Potter series\n	1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone\n	26 Jun 1997\n	^[479]^[480]\n
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets\n	2 Jul 1998\n	^[479]^[481]\n
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban\n	8 Jul 1999\n	^[479]^[482]\n
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire\n	8 Jul 2000\n	^[479]^[483]\n
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix\n	21 Jun 2003\n	^[479]^[484]\n
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince\n	16 Jul 2005\n	^[479]^[485]\n
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows\n	21 Jul 2007\n	^[486]^[487]\n
Harry Potter\u2013 related books\n	Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (supplement to the Harry Potter series)\n	12 Mar 2001\n	^[488]\n
Quidditch Through the Ages (supplement to the Harry Potter series)\n	12 Mar 2001\n	^[489]\n
Harry Potter prequel (short story published in What's Your Story Postcard Collection)\n	1 Jul 2008\n	^[391]^[490]\n
The Tales of Beedle the Bard (supplement to the Harry Potter series)\n	4 Dec 2008\n	^[491]\n
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (story concept for play)\n	30 Jul 2016 premiere\n	^[492]^[493]\n
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists\n	6 Sep 2016\n	^[494]\n
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies\n	6 Sep 2016\n	^[495]\n
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide\n	6 Sep 2016\n	^[496]\n
From the Wizarding Archive: Volumes 1 and 2\n	29 Aug 2024\n	^[497]^[498]\n
Harry Potter\u2013 related original screenplays\n	Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them\n	18 Nov 2016\n	^[499]\n
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald\n	16 Nov 2018 premiere\n	^[500]\n
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore\n	15 Apr 2022\n	^[159]\n
Adult fiction\n	\n	The Casual Vacancy\n	27 Sep 2012\n	^[501]\n
Cormoran Strike series (as Robert Galbraith)\n	1. The Cuckoo's Calling\n	18 Apr 2013\n	^[502]\n
2. The Silkworm\n	19 Jun 2014\n	^[198]\n
3. Career of Evil\n	20 Oct 2015\n	^[199]\n
4. Lethal White\n	18 Sep 2018\n	^[200]\n
5. Troubled Blood\n	15 Sep 2020\n	^[503]\n
6. The Ink Black Heart\n	30 Aug 2022\n	^[504]\n
7. The Running Grave\n	26 Sep 2023\n	^[203]\n
Children's fiction\n	\n	The Ickabog\n	10 Nov 2020\n	^[223]\n
The Christmas Pig\n	12 Oct 2021\n	^[226]\n
Non-fiction\n	Books\n	Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and Importance of Imagination, illustrated by Joel Holland, Sphere.\n	14 Apr 2015\n	^[505]\n
A Love Letter to Europe: an Outpouring of Love and Sadness from our Writers, Thinkers and Artists, Coronet (contributor).\n	31 Oct 2019\n	^[506]\n
The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht, Constable (Contributor).\n	30 May 2024\n	^[507]\n
Articles\n	\"The first it girl: J. K. Rowling reviews Decca: the Letters by Jessica Mitford\". Sussman, Peter Y., editor. The Daily Telegraph.\n	26 Nov 2006\n	^[32]^[508]\n
\"The fringe benefits of failure, and the importance of imagination\". Harvard Magazine.\n	5 Jun 2008\n	^[472]\n
\"Gordon Brown \u2013 the 2009 Time 100\". Time magazine.\n	30 Apr 2009\n	^[509]\n
\"The single mother's manifesto\". The Times.\n	14 Apr 2010\n	^[510]\n
\"I feel duped and angry at David Cameron's reaction to Leveson\". The Guardian.\n	30 Nov 2012\n	^[411]\n
\"Isn't it time we left orphanages to fairytales?\" The Guardian.\n	17 Dec 2014\n	^[511]\n
\"Labour has dismissed women like me. I\u2019ll struggle to vote for it\". The Times.\n	21 Jun 2024\n	^[512]\n
Book\n	Foreword/ Introduction\n	Reynolds, Kim; Cooling, Wendy, project consultants. Families Just Like Us: The One Parent Families Good Book Guide. National Council for One Parent Families; Book Trust.\n	2000\n	^[513]^[514]\n
McNeil, Gil; Brown, Sarah, editors. Magic. Bloomsbury.\n	3 Jun 2002\n	^[515]\n
Brown, Gordon. \"Ending child poverty\" in Moving Britain Forward. Selected Speeches 1997\u20132006. Bloomsbury.\n	25 Sep 2006\n	^[32]^[516]\n
Anelli, Melissa. Harry, A History. Pocket Books.\n	4 Nov 2008\n	^[517]\n

Year\n	Title\n	Credited as\n	Notes\n	Ref.\n
Screenwriter\n	Producer\n
2010\n	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows \u2013 Part 1\n	\n	Yes\n	Film based on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows\n	^[518]\n
2011\n	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows \u2013 Part 2\n	\n	Yes\n
2016\n	Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them\n	Yes\n	Yes\n	Films inspired by the Harry Potter supplementary book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them\n	^[519]\n
2018\n	Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald\n	Yes\n	Yes\n	^[520]\n
2022\n	Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore\n	Yes\n	Yes\n	^[521]\n

Year\n	Title\n	Credited as\n	Notes\n	Ref.\n
Voice actress\n	Executive producer\n
2003\n	The Simpsons\n	Yes\n	\n	Voice cameo in \"The Regina Monologues\"\n	^[522]\n
2015\n	The Casual Vacancy\n	\n	Yes\n	Television miniseries based on The Casual Vacancy\n	^[523]\n
2017\u2013present\n	Strike\n	\n	Yes\n	Television series based on Cormoran Strike novels\n	^[524]\n

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Name

Life and career

Early life and family

Secondary school and university

Inspiration and mother's death

Marriage, divorce and single parenthood

Publishing Harry Potter

Films

Religion, wealth and remarriage

Adult fiction and Robert Galbraith

Later Harry Potter works

Children's stories

Influences

Style and themes

Style and allusions

Themes

Reception

Gender and social division

Religious reactions

Legacy

Legal disputes

Philanthropy

Views

Politics

Press

Transgender people

Awards and honours

Bibliography

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

References

Works cited

External links

J. K. Rowling

Media collections