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The Magical Success of J.K. Rowling

It is difficult to find a teenager who has not heard of Harry Potter, but not everyone

remembers the author’s name. J.K. Rowling is the British novelist of the critically acclaimed

Harry Potter series. The “J.K.” stands for Joanne Kathleen. She was born on July 31, 1965 near

Bristol, England. J.K. Rowling’s majestic Harry Potter series was influenced by her personal life

experiences and quickly became a worldwide success, while others continue to criticize.

J.K. Rowling’s childhood and college life influenced her to become an author. In her

younger years, J.K. Rowling enjoyed telling stories to her sister. When she started writing her

early literature, it involved a rabbit that got measles with a best friend named Miss Bee (“J.K.

Rowling” 2). Throughout her childhood she was always scared to share her creative stories. For

instance, J.K. Rowling said, “Ever since Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have wanted to be a writer,

though I rarely told anyone so. I was afraid they’d tell me I didn’t have a hope” (qtd. in Jones

178). In her career she continuously had doubts about publishing books. Rowling continued her

education at Exeter University and earned a degree in classical literature (“J.K. Rowling” 2).

After graduation, she moved to London and worked as a secretary at Amnesty International

(Jones 178). During her free time at work, she would write her own stories. At age twenty-six,

she started teaching English in Portugal and gave up her office job. While working in Portugal,

Rowling started to outline the Harry Potter series (“J.K. Rowling” 2). Throughout her teaching

career, Rowling kept adding and perfecting her story. Without a doubt, Rowling’s early life

experiences and literature knowledge influenced her writing style. 

As a writer, J.K. Rowling created the Harry Potter series. Before her first book, Harry

Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was published it was rejected by several publishers. Rowling
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doubted if her book would ever get picked up by a publisher (Jones 179). Finally, one publisher

decided to take a chance on her book and publish it. The article states that Scholastic paid one

hundred thousand dollars for the rights to publish her first book. In 1998, Rowling rose to the top

of the Children’s best-seller list. Today, J.K. Rowling is a well-known British author: “With

seven Harry Potter books appearing in sixty-three languages, Rowling is one of the best-loved

and most-read contemporary authors” (“J.K. Rowling” 1-3). She is a widely acclaimed British

author because children are fascinated with her novels. They are full of energy and twisting

plots! She has won numerous awards including: the Hugo award, the Bram Stoker Award, the

Whitbread Award for Best Children’s book, the Smarties Prize and many more (Rowling 2). To

top off all her success, she has earned an estimated one billion dollars for her stories about Harry

Potter (“J.K. Rowling” 3). By all accounts, J.K. Rowling is a worldwide success, but some have

criticized her work.

Throughout J.K. Rowling’s writing career she has received both criticism and praise.

Many critics dislike the dark themes and challenging plots to follow (“J.K. Rowling” 4). They

believe Rowling’s message in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is too simplistic and should

of had a more refined ending to what began as a story of redemptive love (Rowling 15). In

addition, the idea of Muggles (humans without magical powers) creates a separation in society,

which some critics say is a connection to the Holocaust (Rowling 14). On the other hand, she has

received praise for her Harry Potter series. Most critics loved the first Harry Potter book because

it was full of “zest and brio” (“J.K. Rowling” 4). Critics believe children love her rich imaginary

world, which causes them to be fascinated with her books (“J.K. Rowling” 4). The Associated

Press gives Rowling credit for accurately describing an eleven year olds emotions and daily

encounters in the Harry Potter series (Jones 180). Rowling’s honors those who make the absolute
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sacrifice, by ensuring that goodness always defeats evil (Rowling 15). J.K. Rowling’s message is

clear: “An epic tale of good and evil over seven books, never losing sight of the most basic

message: the only power stronger than evil is love” (Rowling 16). She presents throughout the

Harry Potter books the concept of love as the greatest power. While Rowling has received both

criticism and praise, her Harry Potter series has become a literary phenomenon. 

J.K. Rowling’s majestic Harry Potter series was influenced by her personal life

experiences and quickly became a worldwide success, while others continue to criticize her

books. Rowling’s early childhood experiences and college degree in classical literature guided

her writing career. Rowling’s highly successfully Harry Potter series has won numerous awards

and earned her an estimated one billion dollars. Despite receiving criticism for her dark themes,

people love her majestic imagery in her books. With Harry Potter books written in sixty-three

different languages, J.K. Rowling is clearly one of the most famous writers in the world.
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Works Cited

“J.K. Rowling.” Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature. 2009. Gale Virtual

Reference Library. 21 Feb 2018 <http://go.galegroup.com>. 

Jones, Sydney. “J.K. Rowling.” Authors & Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 34. Detroit: Gale

Group, 2000.

Rowling J.K. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Literary Newsmakers for Students. 2009.

Gale Virtual Reference Library. 27 Feb 2018 <http://go.galegroup.com>.