J.K. Rowling Biography

J.K. Rowling is a famous author known for writing a series of fiction novels named Harry Potter. The full name of the writer is Joanne Rowling. She writes under the pen name J.K Rowling because early in her career a publishing house suggested the author should write with a short name that had initials of her first and middle name. Since Rowling did not have a middle name she took K for Kathleen as the second initial of her pen name. Kathleen was her paternal grandmother. This was mainly done to target a broad audience. She is a British writer, philanthropist, film producer, television producer, and screenwriter and is best known for her work on Harry Potter. The series is one of the most popular books of all time and film franchises in history. She also writes crime fiction under the pen name of Robert Galbraith. 

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J.K. Rowling Life Story

J.K. Rowling Early Life

J.K. Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in Yate, England. She was born into a middle-class family. Her parents were  Anne and Peter James. Rowling’s mother Anne was a science technician and her father Peter James Rowling was a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer. The maternal great grandfather of Rowling, Louis Volant, was bestowed the War Cross for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during World War I.

Rowling has a sister Dianne, she was born when Rowling was around 2 years old. After the birth of her sister, their family moved to the nearby village of Winterbourne when Rowling was about four years old. When Rowling was about nine years old she moved to the Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, which is located near Chepstow, in Wales.

Her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which is a nervous disease. This is also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata, it leads to physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems, the patients of this disease soon lose control and coordination. Due to the health issues and constrained relationship with her father, many of J.K. Rowling's biography mentions her being unhappy in her teen years. J.K. Rowling and her father are still not on talking terms with each other.

Many of the characters are based on her life and the people that she met during her teenage years. She always loved the fantasy genre and used to write even during her childhood. Her interest in writing was greatly influenced by Jessica Mitford. During her early teenage years, she was gifted a copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography that had a great influence on the young Rowling. There are mentions of Jessica Mitford as her heroine during her teenage years in her J.K. Rowling biography book. 

Education of J.K. Rowling

Her primary education took place in St Michael's Primary School. The school had a rich history, the school was founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce, the co-founder of the school was an education reformer known as Hannah More. After completing her primary education at this school Rowling was transferred to secondary school at Wyedean School and College. Her mother Anne Rowlings also worked in the school, she worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling was not an exceptional student but she did particularly well in subjects like History and English. She took her A level exams in English, French and German. She managed to get A and b grades in her A level subjects.

She completed her college degree in  BA in French and Classics at the University of Exeter. She was an average student who was competent in her course. She earned her degree from Exeter in 1986. Rowling after completing wrote short essays based on her time studying the classics. Her essays were published under the title of  "What was the Name of that Nymph Again? or Greek and Roman Studies Recalled"; in the year 1988. The essays have been published in the University of Exeter's journal Pegasus.

Soon after graduating from the university, she moved to Portugal in 1990 to teach English. She continued teaching till the time she moved back to England. 

Marriage and Parenthood

J.K. Rowling’s life story took drastic turns after marriage, she was married to a Portuguese journalist called Jorge Arantes. The couple got married on 16 October 1992, soon after marriage, they had their first daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes on 27 July 1993. According to various J.K. Rowling biography books, she had suffered from a miscarriage.

J.K. Rowling got divorced on 17 November 1993, many biographers who worked on J.K. Rowling’s short biography mentions she filed for divorce because of domestic abuse during her marriage. During this period, Rowling started writing Harry Potter, she wrote during the day and taught in a night class. 

Rowling moved back to Edinburgh in Scotland in December 1993 with her daughter. Her sister Dianne, helped Rowling to get some financial stability and raise her daughter. She was diagnosed with clinical depression. Many of J.K. Rowling's short biography books mention her mental health. According to many biographers, Rowling was contemplating suicide during this period. Many of the characters of Harry Potter like the “Dementors” were based on the depression and hopelessness she felt during that time.

J.K. Rowling’s Remarriage and Family

Rowling remarried a Scottish doctor, Neil Murray. The couple got married on 26 December 2001. By this time Rowling had a relatively stable career. She was also now mentally well; the couple got married in a private ceremony at her home, Killiechassie House, in Scotland. Neil and Rowling had their first son David Gordon Rowling Murray on 24 March 2003. Their youngest daughter was born on 23 January 2005. The youngest daughter is named Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray.

Works of J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is most famous for her series of fantasy novels called Harry Potter. The writer gained her financial stability from Harry Potter, the book series gained popularity and has become the largest selling franchise in history. The novels were adapted into equally successful film versions, according to many biographies of the Harry Potter author, she also produced the last 2 films of the Harry Potter Series.

The first book of the Harry Potter series called “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was published in June 1997. The book was well-received by the audience, it made approximately  $4,000 U.S dollars. The series describes the journey of a young boy named Harry through the course of seven years in a school of wizards. The book was followed by 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ which were published in 1998 and 1999. There are a total of 8 books in the complete series of Harry Potter. The 8th and final book was published in 2016. The book was named Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it is written in play format and is still not adapted into a movie. Among all the 8 books of the series, it is the only one that is yet to be adapted as a film.

One of the famous movies of Hollywood “Fantastic Beasts” is written by J.K Rowling. She made her debut in the screenplay writing world in 2013 with this movie. The movie was released in 2016. Although many experts speculated that the movie is a prequel to the hit series, she cleared the confusion by describing it as an extension of the wizarding world. The movie did well among the audience. The cast of the film included famous actors like Eddie Redmayne and Johnny Depp. 

Apart from the hit series she also writes crime thriller novels under the pen name of Robert Galbraith. Some of the works focused towards a more adult fan base included crime fiction such as The Casual Vacancy and the Cormoran Strike. She also wrote a children’s book based on the political scenario, the book was named The Ickabog. 

The Writing Style of Rowling

Rowling is famously known as the Harry Potter author, Joanne Rowling biography, mentions the influence of Jessica Mitford on her during her teenage years but Rowling has managed to develop her writing style. Most of the characters are based on her life and the individuals that she met at some point in her life. One of the most famous characters from the hit series Hermoine Granger is based on the author herself. The death of her mother, Anne also had a huge impact on her writing, she mentions it in her ‘J.K. Rowling's brief biography that she never told her mother about the novel and the grief of losing her mother was channelled into emotional bits of the novel. Apart from this she also drew inspiration from her surroundings.

Philanthropy and Charity

Rowling made a huge fortune by the hit series. Joanne Kathleen Rowling's biography mentions her involvement in many charitable organizations. She is also a renowned philanthropist. She is the president of the charity Gingerbread, the organization that focuses on poverty and children's welfare. It mainly helps the single parents that are struggling with their financial condition as Rowling was once in the same position she is greatly devoted to the organisation. She is also the founder of the  Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of 5.1 million euros to combat poverty and social inequality. The fund also gives to organisations that aid children, one-parent families, and multiple sclerosis research. The Trust was established in 2000. Rowling lost her mother to Multiple sclerosis, because of which she is deeply connected with the issue. She continuously donates money to the Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh University, which was later named the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic in memory of her mother.