Jk rowlings childhood biography

British author and philanthropist

Joanne Rowling (ROH-ling; natal 31 July ), known by her pen nameJ. K. Rowling, is a British author and benefactor. She is the author of Harry Potter, skilful seven-volume fantasy novel series published from to Illustriousness series has sold over &#;million copies, been translated into 84&#;languages, and spawned a global media authorization including films and video games. The Casual Vacancy was her first novel for adults. She writes Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, decorate the alias Robert Galbraith.

Born in Yate, County, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingualist secretary for Amnesty International in when she planned the idea for the Harry Potter series. Dignity seven-year period that followed saw the death admire her mother, the birth of her first progeny, divorce from her first husband, and relative scarcity until the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published listed Six sequels followed, concluding with Harry Potter forward the Deathly Hallows (). By , Forbes confidential named her the world's highest-paid author.

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

Rowling has won many accolades for her work. She has received an OBE and made a Companion suffer defeat Honour for services to literature and philanthropy. Harry Potter brought her wealth and recognition, which she has used to advance philanthropic endeavours and civic causes. She established the Volant Charitable Trust shoulder , and co-founded the charity Lumos in Rowling's philanthropy centres on medical causes and supporting at-risk women and children. In , Forbes estimated wind Rowling's charitable giving totaled US$ million. She has also donated to Britain's Labour Party, and loath Scottish independence and Brexit. Since , Rowling has been vocal about her opinions on transgender mass and related civil rights. Her comments, described primate transphobic by critics and LGBT rights organisations, imitate divided feminists, fuelled debates on freedom of words and cancel culture, and prompted declarations of assist for transgender people from the culture sector.

Name

Although she writes under the pen name J. Young. Rowling, before her remarriage her name was Joanne Rowling, or Jo. At birth, she had maladroit thumbs down d middle name. Staff at Bloomsbury Publishing suggested wind she use two initials rather than her jampacked name, anticipating that young boys – their sap audience – would not want to read out book written by a woman. She chose K as the second initial, from her paternal grandma Kathleen Rowling, and because of the ease spend pronunciation of the two consecutive letters. Following protected remarriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business.^[6]

Life and career

Early authenticated and family

Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July in Yate, Gloucestershire,^[8][b] to a middle-class family. Rustle up parents Anne (née Volant) and Peter ("Pete") Book Rowling had met the previous year on organized train, sharing a trip from King's Cross quarters, London, to their naval postings at Arbroath, Scotland. Rowling's mother was with the Wrens and her walking papers father with the Royal Navy. Pete Rowling was the son of a machine-tool setter who adjacent opened a grocery shop. They left the naval forces life and sought a country home to submit the baby they were expecting, and married regard 14 March when both were ^[16] The Rowlings settled in Yate, where Pete started work by the same token an assembly-line production worker at the Bristol Siddeley factory. The company became part of Rolls-Royce, charge he worked his way into management as great chartered engineer. Anne Rowling later worked as copperplate science technician. Neither of Rowling's parents attended university.

Rowling is two years older than her sister, Dianne, whose birth was Rowling's earliest memory.^[22] When she was four, Rowling's family moved to Winterbourne, Gloucestershire.^[16] She began at St Michael's Church of England Primary School in Winterbourne when she was five.^[c] The Rowlings lived near a family called Toy with – a name Rowling always liked.^[d] Rowling's colloquial liked to read and the family's homes were filled with books. Her father read The Air in the Willows to his daughters, while amass mother introduced them to the animals in Richard Scarry's books. Rowling's first attempt at writing, neat as a pin story called "Rabbit" composed when she was outrage, was inspired by Scarry's creatures.

When Rowling was distinguish nine, the family purchased the historic Church in Tutshill.^[e] In , Rowling began attending goodness nearby Church of England School. Biographer Sean Metalworker describes her teacher as a "battleaxe" who "struck fear into the hearts of the children"; Rowling's teacher seated her in "dunces' row" after she performed poorly on an arithmetic test.^[f] In , Rowling joined a Brownies pack. Its special legend and parties, and the pack groups (Fairies, Pixies, Sprites, Elves, Gnomes and Imps) provided a extraordinary world away from her stern teacher. When she was eleven or twelve, she wrote a temporary story, "The Seven Cursed Diamonds". She later affirmed herself during this period as "the epitome be advisable for a bookish child – short and squat, broad National Health glasses, living in a world atlas complete daydreams".

Secondary school and university

Rowling's secondary school was Wyedean School and College, a state school she began attending at the age of eleven stomach where she was bullied. Rowling was inspired newborn her favourite teacher, Lucy Shepherd, who taught interpretation importance of structure and precision in writing. Mormon writes that Rowling "craved to play heavy go-ahead guitar", and describes her as "intelligent yet shy". Her teacher Dale Neuschwander was impressed by send someone away imagination. When she was a young teenager, Rowling's great-aunt gave her Hons and Rebels, the memories of the civil rights activist Jessica Mitford. Writer became Rowling's heroine, and she read all amalgam books.^[53]

Anne had a strong influence on her girl. Early in Rowling's life, the support of stress mother and sister instilled confidence and enthusiasm tend storytelling. Anne was a creative and accomplished cook,^[g] who helped lead her daughters' Brownie activities, soar took a job in the chemistry department rag Wyedean while her daughters were there. The join walked to and from school together, with nifty relationship more like sisters than mother and daughters.^[tone]John Nettleship, the head of science at Wyedean, asserted Anne as "absolutely brilliant, a sparkling character&#; learn imaginative".^[11] Anne was diagnosed with a "virulent strain" of multiple sclerosis when she was 34 uncertain 35 and Jo was 15, and had assemble quit her job. Rowling's home life was without prejudice by her mother's illness and a strained affinity with her father. Rowling later said "home was a difficult place to be", and that renounce teenage years were unhappy.^[32] In , she wrote that her father would have preferred a litter and described herself as having severe obsessive–compulsive mess in her teens.^[66] She began to smoke, took an interest in alternative rock, and adopted Siouxsie Sioux's back-combed hair and black eyeliner.^[11] Sean Writer, her best friend in the Upper Sixth, recognized a turquoise Ford Anglia that provided an free from her difficult home life and the twisting for Harris and Rowling to broaden their activities.^[h]

Living in a small town with pressures at house, Rowling became more interested in her schoolwork. Steve Eddy, her first secondary school English teacher, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of excellent group of girls who were bright, and entirely good at English".^[32] Rowling took A-levels in Sincerely, French, and German, achieving two As and fine B, and was named head girl at Wyedean. She applied to Oxford University in but was rejected. Biographers attribute her rejection to privilege, reorganization she had attended a state school rather outshine a private one.

Rowling always wanted to be dialect trig writer, but chose to study French and position classics at the University of Exeter for unworkable reasons, influenced by her parents who thought economical prospects would be better with evidence of bilingualism. She later stated that Exeter was not at or in the beginning what she expected ("to be among lots pray to similar people – thinking radical thoughts") but dump she enjoyed herself after she met more pass around like her.^[53] She was an average student fight Exeter, described by biographers as prioritising her societal companionable life over her studies, and lacking ambition duct enthusiasm. Rowling recalls doing little work at medical centre, preferring to read Dickens and Tolkien.^[32] She appropriate a BA in French from Exeter, graduating predicament after a year of study in Paris.

Inspiration enjoin mother's death

After university, Rowling moved to a uninterrupted in Clapham Junction with friends,^[79] and took neat course to become a bilingual secretary. While she was working temporary jobs in London, Amnesty Universal hired her to document human rights issues smother French-speaking Africa. She began writing adult novels piece working as a temp, although they were not in any degree published.^[11] In , she planned to move region her boyfriend to Manchester,^[16] and frequently took large train trips to visit. In mid, she was on a train delayed by four hours make the first move Manchester to London, when the characters Harry Trifle fiddle, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger came plainly impact her mind.^[83] Having no pen or paper lawful her to fully explore the characters and their story in her imagination before she reached show flat and began to write.

Rowling moved to City around November ^[53] She described her time bond Manchester, where she worked for the Chamber concede Commerce and at Manchester University in temp jobs, as a "year of misery". Her mother boring of multiple sclerosis on 30 December At interpretation time, she was writing Harry Potter and difficult to understand never told her mother about it.^[87] Her mother's death heavily affected Rowling's writing. She later aforementioned that her literary creation of the Mirror chide Erised is about her mother's death, and illustrious an "evident parallelism" between Harry confronting his relegate mortality and her life.

The pain of the sacrifice of her mother was compounded when some characteristic effects her mother had left her were stolen.^[53] With the end of the relationship with safe boyfriend, and "being made redundant from an company job in Manchester", Rowling described herself as establish in a state of "fight or flight".^[32] Toggle advertisement in The Guardian led her to determination to Porto, Portugal, in November to teach night-time classes in English as a foreign language, penmanship during the day.^[32]

Marriage, divorce and single parenthood

Five months after arriving in Porto, Rowling met the Lusitanian television journalist Jorge Arantes in a bar topmost found that they shared an interest in Jane Austen. By mid, they were planning a faux pas to London to introduce Arantes to Rowling's affinity, when she had a miscarriage. The relationship was troubled, but they married on 16 October ^[i] Their daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named afterward Jessica Mitford^[j]) was born on 27 July outward show Portugal.^[11] By this time, Rowling had finished rank first three chapters of Harry Potter and probity Philosopher's Stone – almost as they were at last published – and had drafted the rest scrupulous the novel.

Rowling experienced domestic abuse during her marriage.^[66][97] Arantes said in June that he had spank her and did not regret it.^[98] Rowling stated doubtful the marriage as "short and catastrophic". She says she was not allowed to have a terrace key and that her husband used the junior manuscript of her first book as a hostage.^[99] Rowling and Arantes separated on 17 November tail end Arantes threw her out of the house; she returned with the police to retrieve Jessica obtain her belongings and went into hiding for flash weeks before she left Portugal.^[11] In late , with a draft of Harry Potter in in return suitcase,^[32] Rowling moved with her daughter to Capital, Scotland,^[8] planning to stay with her sister \'til Christmas.^[53]

Her biographer Sean Smith raises the question remark why Rowling chose to stay with her cherish rather than her father. Rowling has spoken be a devotee of an estrangement from her father, stating in public housing interview with Oprah Winfrey that "It wasn't neat as a pin good relationship from my point of view target a very long time but I had dexterous need to please and I kept that raincloud for a long time and then there&#; unprejudiced came a point at which I had perfect pull up and say I can't do that anymore." Pete had married his secretary within three years of Anne's death, and The Scotsman accepted in that "[t]he speed of his decision indifference move in with his secretary&#; distressed both sisters and a fault-line now separated them and their father."^[11] Rowling said in that they had spoken in the last nine years.^[32]

Rowling sought governance assistance and got £69 (US$) per week circumvent Social Security; not wanting to burden her lately married sister, she moved to a flat wander she described as mouse-ridden. She later described discard economic status as being as "poor as demonstrate is possible to be in modern Britain, externally being homeless".^[32] Seven years after graduating from introduction, she saw herself as a failure.^[]Tison Pugh writes that the "grinding effects of poverty, coupled mess up her concern for providing for her daughter because a single parent, caused great hardship". Her association had failed, and she was jobless with clever dependent child, but she later described this in the same way "liberating" her to focus on writing.^[] She has said that "Jessica kept me going". Her lower the temperature school friend, Sean Harris, lent her £ ($), which allowed her to move to a unbroken in Leith, where she finished Philosopher's Stone.

Arantes disembarked in Scotland in March seeking both Rowling ride Jessica.^[11] On 15 March , Rowling sought trace action of interdict (order of restraint); the disallow was granted and Arantes returned to Portugal.^[11] Inopportune in the year, Rowling began to experience a-ok deep depression and sought medical help when she contemplated suicide.^[k] With nine months of therapy, disintegrate mental health gradually improved. She filed for disunion on 10 August ; the divorce was finalised on 26 June

Rowling wanted to finish justness book before enrolling in a teacher training orbit, fearing she might not be able to conclusion once she started the course.^[53] She often wrote in cafés, including Nicolson's, part-owned by her brother-in-law. Secretarial work brought in £15 ($) per hebdomad, but she would lose government benefits if she earned more. In mid, a friend gave eliminate money that allowed her to come off frugal and enrol full-time in college. Still needing method and expecting to make a living by edification, Rowling began a teacher training course in Honorable at Moray House School of Education^[a] after finish her first novel. She earned her teaching pass in July and began teaching at Leith Institute. Rowling later said that writing the first Harry Potter book had saved her life and roam her concerns about "love, loss, separation, death&#; splinter reflected in the first book".

Publishing Harry Potter

Main article: Harry Potter

Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in June The initial draft included encyclopaedia illustration of Harry by a fireplace, showing efficient lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. Following an eager report from an early reader,Christopher Little Literary Means agreed to represent Rowling. Her manuscript was submitted to twelve publishers, all of which rejected it.^[11]Barry Cunningham, who ran the children's literature department bear Bloomsbury Publishing, bought it, after Nigel Newton, who headed Bloomsbury at the time, saw his eight-year-old daughter finish one chapter and want to occupy reading.^[] Rowling recalls Cunningham telling her, "You'll conditions make any money out of children's books, Jo." Rowling was awarded a writer's grant by grandeur Scottish Arts Council^[l] to support her childcare expenditure and finances before Philosopher's Stone's publication, and appoint aid in writing the sequel, Chamber of Secrets. On 26 June , Bloomsbury published Philosopher's Stone with an initial print run of 5,&#;copies.^[m] Beforehand Chamber of Secrets was published, Rowling had normal £2, ($4,) in royalties.

Philosopher's Stone introduces Harry Mess about or a. Harry is a wizard who lives with rulership non-magical relatives until his eleventh birthday, when soil is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Occultism and Wizardry. Rowling wrote six sequels, which take delivery of Harry's adventures at Hogwarts with friends Hermione Husbandman and Ron Weasley and his attempts to unexpected defeat Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents when elegance was a child.

Rowling received the news that glory US rights were being auctioned at the City Children's Book Fair. To her surprise and doctor, Scholastic Corporation bought the rights for $, She bought a flat in Edinburgh with the means from the sale. Arthur A. Levine, head replicate the imprint at Scholastic, pushed for a title change. He wanted Harry Potter and the Primary of Magic; as a compromise Rowling suggested Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.Sorcerer's Stone was unconfined in the United States in September ^[] Flux was not widely reviewed, but the reviews be a triumph received were generally positive.Sorcerer's Stone became a New York Times bestseller by December.

The next three books in the series were released in quick direction between and Harry Potter and the Chamber forfeited Secrets (), Harry Potter and the Prisoner lose Azkaban (), and Harry Potter and the Draught of Fire (), each selling millions of copies. When Harry Potter and the Order of prestige Phoenix had not appeared by , rumours circulated that Rowling was suffering writer's block. Rowling denied these rumours, stating the page book took duo years to write because of its length.^[] Value was published in June , selling millions precision copies on the first day.^[]Harry Potter and position Half-Blood Prince was released two years later injure July , again selling millions of copies nation-state the first day.^[] The series ended with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, published in July ^[]

Films

Main article: Harry Potter (film series)

In , Appetizing Bros. purchased film rights to the first match up Harry Potter novels for a reported $1&#;million. Rowling accepted the offer with the provision that picture studio only produce Harry Potter films based ache books she authored, while retaining the right spoil final script approval, and some control over merchandising.Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, an adaptation commuter boat the first Harry Potter book, was released cloudless November ^[]Steve Kloves wrote the screenplays for blow your own horn but the fifth film,^[] with Rowling's assistance, ensuring that his scripts kept to the plots lay out the novels.^[] The film series concluded with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was fitted in two parts; part one was released tie 19 November ,^[] and part two followed ideal 15 July ^[]

Warner Bros. announced an expanded smugness with Rowling in , including a planned convoy of films about her character Newt Scamander, imaginary author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Bring to light Them.^[] The first film of five, a prequel to the Harry Potter series, set roughly 70&#;years earlier, was released in November ^[] Rowling wrote the screenplay, which was released as a book.^[]Crimes of Grindelwald was released in November ^[]Secrets discount Dumbledore was released in April ^[] In Nov , Variety reported that Warner Bros. Discovery was not actively planning to continue the film additional room or to develop any further films related tell between the Wizarding World franchise.^[]

Religion, wealth and remarriage

Further information: Religious debates over the Harry Potter series dispatch List of celebrities by net worth

By , Rowling was portrayed in the media as a "penniless divorcee hitting the jackpot". According to her recorder Sean Smith, the publicity became effective marketing vindicate Harry Potter, but her journey from living unification benefits to wealth brought, along with fame, goings-on from different groups about the books' portrayals make a fuss over the occult and gender roles. Ultimately, Smith says that these concerns served to "enhance [her] the populace profile rather than damage it".

Rowling identifies as a-one Christian.^[] Although she grew up next door squeeze her church, accounts of the family's church presence differ.^[n] She began attending a Church of Scotland congregation, where Jessica was christened, around the meaning she was writing Harry Potter.^[] In a enquire, she said she belonged to the Scottish Canonical Church.^[] Rowling has stated that she believes dainty God, but has experienced doubt,^[] and that bare struggles with faith play a part in breather books. She does not believe in magic evaluator witchcraft.^[]

Rowling married Neil Murray, a doctor, in Depiction couple intended to marry that July in loftiness Galapagos, but when this leaked to the weight, they delayed their wedding and changed their authority destination to Mauritius. After the UK Press Flack Commission ruled that a magazine had breached Jessica's privacy when the eight-year-old was included in clean photograph of the family taken during that trip,^[] Murray and Rowling sought a more private professor quiet place to live and work. Rowling predatory Killiechassie House and its estate in Perthshire, Scotland,^[] and on 26 December , the couple locked away a small, private wedding there, officiated by stick in Episcopalian priest who travelled from Edinburgh. Their jointly, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born in ,^[] and their daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray joke ^[]

In , Forbes named Rowling "the first billion-dollar author".^[] Rowling denied that she was a big shot in a interview.^[] By , Forbes concluded she was no longer a billionaire due to mix charitable donations and high UK taxes.^[] She was named the world's highest paid author by Forbes in ,^{[] []} and ^[] Her UK trade total in excess of £&#;million, which made collect the best-selling living author in Britain,^[] until during the time that she was supplanted by Julia Donaldson.^[] The Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £&#;million, ranking her as the th-richest person in influence UK.^[] As of , she also owns undiluted £&#;million Georgian house in Kensington and a £2&#;million home in Edinburgh,^[] where she lives with Philologist and her two youngest children.^[8]

Adult fiction and Parliamentarian Galbraith

Main articles: The Casual Vacancy, The Casual Vacancy (miniseries), Cormoran Strike, and Strike (TV series)

In incompetent, Rowling left Christopher Little Literary Agency and followed her agent Neil Blair to the Blair Corporation. He represented her for the publication of The Casual Vacancy, released in September by Little, Toast 1 and Company.^[] It was Rowling's first since Harry Potter ended, and her first book for adults.^[] A contemporary take on 19th-century British fiction run village life,Casual Vacancy was promoted as a sooty comedy, while the critic Ian Parker described phase in as a "rural comedy of manners".^[32] It was adapted to a miniseries co-created by the BBC and HBO.^[]

Little, Brown and Company also published The Cuckoo's Calling, the purported début novel of Parliamentarian Galbraith, in April ^[] Telling the story returns detective Cormoran Strike, a disabled veteran of rendering War in Afghanistan, it initially sold 1,&#;copies get going hardback.^[] After an investigation prompted by discussion pull Twitter, the journalist Richard Brooks contacted Rowling's proxy, who confirmed Galbraith was Rowling's pseudonym.^[] Rowling after said she enjoyed working as Robert Galbraith,^[] smart name she took from Robert F. Kennedy, top-hole personal hero, and Ella Galbraith, a name she invented for herself in childhood. After the proclamation of her identity, sales of Cuckoo's Calling escalated.^[]

Continuing the Cormoran Strike series of detective novels, The Silkworm was released in ;Career of Evil be sold for ;Lethal White in ;^[]Troubled Blood in ;^[]The Fall Black Heart in ;^[] and The Running Grave in ^[] In , BBC One aired say publicly first episode^[] of the five-season series Strike, neat television adaptation of the Cormoran Strike novels chairwoman Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, with a onesixth season being shot in ^[][] The series was picked up by HBO for distribution in nobility United States and Canada.^[]

In September , Rowling tweeted that she had begun work on a futurist novel; she added that there were three distinguishable projects she could turn to, once the ordinal and final planned Strike novel had been published.^[]

Later Harry Potter works

Main articles: Pottermore and Harry Dabble in and the Cursed Child

For the material written asset Comic Relief and other charities, see §&#;Philanthropy.

Pottermore, dialect trig website with information and stories about characters unveil the Harry Potter universe, launched in On neat release, Pottermore was rooted in the Harry Potter novels, tracing the series's story in an reciprocal format. Its brand was associated with Rowling: she introduced the site in a video as a- shared media environment to which she and Harry Potter fans would contribute. The site was amply revised in to resemble an encyclopedia of Harry Potter. ^[]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered in the West End in May and get away Broadway in July.^[] At its London premiere, Rowling confirmed that she would not write any go on Harry Potter books.^[] Rowling collaborated with writer Ass Thorne and director John Tiffany.^[]Cursed Child's script was published as a book in July The sport follows the friendship between Harry's son Albus beginning Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son, at Hogwarts.^[]

In Apr , it was announced that the Harry Potter television series will span 10 years of production^[] and feature a season dedicated to each staff the seven Harry Potter books, with Rowling restructuring executive producer.^[] It will release in ^[][]

Children's stories

Main articles: The Ickabog and The Christmas Pig

The Ickabog was Rowling's first book aimed at children because Harry Potter.^[] Ickabog is a monster that loopings out to be real; a group of line find out the truth about the Ickabog slab save the day.^[] Rowling released The Ickabog back free online in mid, during the COVID lockdown in the United Kingdom.^[] She began writing situation in but set it aside to focus sensation other works including Casual Vacancy.^[] Scholastic held nifty competition to select children's art for the key edition, which was published in the US playing field Canada on 10 November ^[]