"Joanne Rowling" (born July 31, 1965) is the British author of the internationally famous series of children's fantasy stories concerning the exploits of the boy wizard Harry Potter. She was born in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire.

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As her publisher, Bloomsbury, wanted to use initials on the cover of the Harry Potter books (suggesting that if they put an obviously female name on the cover, the target group of young boys might be reluctant to buy them), Rowling chose to adopt her grandmother's middle name, Kathleen.

In February 2004, Rowling was listed by ''Forbes'' magazine as having a fortune of £576 million, making her a US billionaire and the first person in history to become a billionaire by writing books. She is the wealthiest woman in the United Kingdom (well ahead of even Queen Elizabeth II).

Career

Rowling wrote two novels for adults (neither of which she tried to publish) before she had the idea for Harry Potter during a four-hour train trip. According to her, by the time she reached her destination she had the characters and a good part of the plot for ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' in her head. She started writing during her lunch hours, and continued working on the manuscript throughout a stint in Portugal teaching English as a second language. The book was completed in Edinburgh after her marriage to Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes failed and she returned to the UK with her infant daughter. The book was a huge success, and she has so far had four sequels published. The sales made her a multi-millionaire, and in 2001 she used the proceeds to buy a luxurious 19th century mansion on the banks of the River Tay in Perthshire, central Scotland, where she married her second husband, Dr. Neil Murray, on December 26th, 2001.

Soon after the fourth book was published, she published two booklets for Comic Relief, supposedly Harry Potter's school-books, whose royalties go to charity. She has contributed an uncountable amount of money and support to many charitable causes over the world, especially research and treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, from which her mother died in 1990. This death above all has affected the book, according to Rowling.

The Harry Potter series is expected to run to seven volumes, one for each year Harry spends in school. Five of these have already been published. The fifth book, titled ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', was delayed by an unsuccessful plagiarism suit directed towards her by rival author Nancy Stouffer (see below). Rowling took some time off writing at this point because, while in the process of writing the fourth book, she felt her workload was too heavy. She said that at one point she had considered breaking her arm to get out of writing, because the pressure on her was too much. After forcing her publishers to drop her deadline, she enjoyed three years of quiet writing and has commented she had some work done on something else she might return to when she is finished with the series. The fifth book was released on June 21, 2003.

In late 2003 she was approached by the television producer Russell T. Davies to contribute an episode to the famous British television science-fiction series ''Doctor Who''. Although she was "amused by the suggestion," she turned the offer down as she is busy working on the next novel in the Potter series.

Rowling has also made a guest appearance as herself on American cartoon The Simpsons. She was in a special British episode entitled ''The Regina Monologues''

The Harry Potter books

*''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997) (titled ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' in the United States)

*''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (1998)

*''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (1999)

*''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2000)

*''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (2003)

*''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' (''no release date set'')

Harry Potter-related books:

* ''Quidditch Through the Ages'' (2001)

* ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' (2001)

The last two purport to be facsimiles of books mentioned in the novels. ''Fantastic Beasts'' is a textbook, while ''Quidditch'' is probably the most popular book in the Hogwarts library. They are complete with handwritten annotations and scribblings in the margins, and include introductions by Albus Dumbledore. All proceeds from them go to the UK Comic Relief charity.

Harry Potter Movies

A film of ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (titled ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' only in the USA), directed by Chris Columbus, was released in late 2001.Each scene with a mention of the title stone was filmed twice, once for the USA release with ''sorcerer'' and once for world release with ''philosopher''.Historically, the magical stone that will change lead to gold was always called the philosopher's stone.

The film version of ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'', also directed by Chris Columbus, was released in 2002, and starred largely the same set of actors.

A darker atmosphere was adopted in the film version of ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'', which many critics applauded and attributed to the new director, Alfonso Cuaron.

Rowling resisted suggestions by the filmmakers that the movies should be filmed in the United States or cast with American actors (only one American appears in the first film). She only reluctantly went along with the change from ''Philosopher's Stone'' to ''Sorcerer's Stone'', and limited it to the US only.

Rowling assists Steve Kloves in writing the scripts for the films, ensuring that his scripts do not contradict future books in the series. She says she has told him more about the later books than anybody else, but not everything. She has also said that she has told Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane secrets about their characters that have not yet been revealed in the books.

Lawsuits

Rowling has been involved in a lawsuit over the Harry Potter series, and other litigation has been suggested or rumoured.

Nancy Stouffer

In the late 1990s, Nancy Stouffer, an author of children's books published in the 1980s, began to publicly charge that Rowling's book were based on her books, including ''The Legend of Rah and the Muggles'' and ''Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly''.

In 2001, Rowling, Scholastic Press (the American publisher of her books), and Warner Bros. (the producer of the film adaptations) sued Stouffer, asking the court to judge that there was no infringement of Stouffer's trademarks or copyright.

Stouffer, who had not previously sued, then filed counterclaims alleging such infringement.

Rowling and her colitigants argued that much of the evidence that Stouffer presented was fraudulent and asked for sanctions and attorneys' fees as punishment.

When the case finally came to court in September 2002, the court found in Rowling's favour, stating that Stouffer had lied to the court and falsified and forged documents to support her case.

The court fined Stouffer US$50,000 and ordered her to pay part (but not all) of the plaintiffs' costs.

In January 2004 it was reported that Stouffer's appeal against the judgement had been rejected. The appeals court agreed that Stouffer's claims were properly dismissed because "no reasonable juror could find a likelihood of confusion as to the source of the two parties' works." The Court explained:

: ''Stouffer's and Plaintiffs' marks are used in two very different ways. Rowling's use of the term "Muggles" describes ordinary humans with no magical powers while Stouffer's "Muggles" are tiny, hairless creatures with elongated heads. Further, the Harry Potter books are novel-length works and whose primary customers are older children and adults whereas Stouffer's booklets appeal to young children. Accordingly, the District Court correctly dismissed Stouffer's trademark claims.''

Stouffer was also ordered to pay the costs of the appeal. A report of the judgement can be found at Entertainment Law Digest. The 2002 judgement can be found here:

ROWLING v. STOUFFER

New York Daily News

In June of 2003, Rowling announced that she would sue the ''New York Daily News'' for $100 million because the newspaper had printed excerpts from her work ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' before the book's official release date.

Similar works

Comic book fans have noted that an earlier comic book series by Neil Gaiman, ''The Books of Magic'', contains many similarities to Harry Potter, but Gaiman has written on his blog that he does not personally accuse Rowling of plagiarism, nor does he have any intention of pressing charges against her, despite one journalist's attempt to weave a story around this matter. Another rumour has circulated that Jill Murphy, author of ''The Worst Witch'' books, had sued Rowling, but this too was a false rumor and it seems unlikely that Murphy will do so in future, judging by statements she has given in interview. Other authors whose earlier work bears some resemblances to Rowling's Harry Potter universe include Eva Ibbotson, author of ''The Secret of Platform 13'', and Diana Wynne Jones, author of ''Charmed Life''. So far no author other than Stouffer has shown any intention of taking legal action against Rowling.

Family

Rowling married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes on October 16, 1992, and they had one child, a daughter named Jessica (born July 27, 1993), before their divorce in 1995.

On December 26, 2001, Rowling married Dr. Neil Murray, in a private ceremony at her home in the Perthshire village of Aberfeldy. On March 23, 2003, Rowling gave birth to her second child, a boy called David Gordon Rowling Murray. The birth took place at the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health at the New Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.

On July 24, Rowling announced on her personal website that she is expecting a third child, to be born sometime in 2005.

External links

* J.K. Rowling's official personal site

* Rowling biography

* BBC news report on suit

* "Potter creator buys Scots hideaway" - BBC News article, dated November 22, 2001 (reference)

* "Baby joy for JK Rowling" - BBC News article, dated March 24, 2003 (reference)

* "Potter author has baby boy" - BBC News article, dated March 25, 2003 (reference)

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Rowling, J. K.

Rowling, J. K.

Rowling, J. K.

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html for details. It uses material from the Wikipedia article J. K. Rowling.

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 J. K. Rowling in the News
1. Potter author mak.s public plans - 10/07/2004 - BBC News
Harry Potter creator j.k.rowling offers fans the chance to attend her public reading in Edinburgh.

2. Luck.est people 'born in summer' - 14/04/2004 - BBC News
People born in summer have a sunnier outlook.than those born in colder months, a survey suggests.

3. 10 facts about Dr Seuss - 02/03/2004 - BBC News
It is the 100th anniversary of the birth of children's author Dr Seuss. Who was he? Here are 10 things you may have wanted to ask.

4. The Lunchtime Bonus Question - 06/02/2004 - BBC News
Welcome to the Lunchtime Bonus Question.

5. 'Wrong name' Harry Potter book.sold - 19/01/2004 - BBC News
An uncorrected proof copy of the first Harry Potter book.- with the author's name spelled wrongly - sells for £1,250.

6. Bush causes a stir at Holyrood - 21/11/2003 - BBC News
BBC Scotland's j.hn k.ox sees George Bush creating a stir in the public gallery of the Scottish Parliament.

7. Uk.s top pay pack.ts revealed - 01/11/2003 - BBC News
The Sunday Times pay list suggests Russian oil, football, book.publishing and retail might be careers worth considering.

8. Potter fans get chance of film role - 18/10/2003 - BBC News
Fans of Harry Potter get the opportunity to land two roles in the next film version of the wizard's adventures.

9. Hogwarts engine gets clean-up - 19/09/2003 - BBC News
A steam engine used in one of the Harry Potter films gets a clean-up after a £3,000 vandal attack.

10. Amazon buoyed by Harry Potter - 22/07/2003 - BBC News
Online retailer Amazon reports strong sales for the second quarter and a narrowing of its losses.

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 J. K. Rowling on the Web
1. j. k. rowling Teacher Resource File
j. k. rowling page with Harry Potter, biography, and lesson plans link.. ... j. k. rowling. Teacher Resource File. Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center j. k. rowling page. You will find biography, lesson plans, criticism ...
http://falcon.j.u.edu/~ramseyil/rowling.htm MSN, Google, Hotbot, Alltheweb, Yahoo Sites, Yahoo, Open Directory

2. j.nuary Magazine - j. k. rowling profile
An interview with rowling about her popularity and how does she tak. it.
http://www.j.nuarymagazine.com/profiles/j.rowling.html Open Directory, Yahoo Sites, Yahoo, MSN, Hotbot, Alltheweb

3. j.k. rowling
official site for the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series.
http://www.j.rowling.com/ Yahoo Sites, Yahoo, Alltheweb, MSN, Hotbot

4. k.dsReads: j.k. rowling
profile of the Harry Potter author, as well as an interview in which rowling discusses the writing process and her favourite authors.
http://www.k.dsreads.com/harrypotter/j.rowling.html Yahoo, MSN, Hotbot, Alltheweb

5. Harry Potter
official site from Warner Brothers. Features role playing, multimedia, news, merchandise, trailers, and more.
http://www.harrypotter.com/ Yahoo, MSN, Hotbot, Alltheweb

6. Harry Potter: Meet j.k. rowling
from Scholastic Book.. Biography and interview transcripts for the author of the Harry Potter series.
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author Yahoo, MSN, Hotbot, Alltheweb

7. j.k. rowling the author of the Harry Potter series
Harry Potter news, book.reviews, biography and other information about j.k. rowling and her work.. ... j.k. rowling was born in Chepstow, Gwent in 1965, and her full name is j.anne k.thleen rowling ... told EW.com that j.k. rowling is still writing on the ...
http://www.sffworld.com/authors/r/rowling_j. Yahoo, MSN, Hotbot, Alltheweb

8. Scholastic Book.: Harry Potter
official Scholastic site for the book.series; includes chapter excerpts, discussion guides, and fun and games with Harry.
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/home.asp Yahoo, MSN, Hotbot, Alltheweb

9. Yahoo! Directory Children's Authors > j.k. rowling
Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Children's Authors > j.k. rowling ... Bewitching - j.k. rowling Fanlisting - for fans of the author. Harry Potter: Meet j.k. rowling - from Scholastic Book. ...
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Authors/Children_s/... Yahoo, MSN, Alltheweb

10. Raincoast Book.
... Natural Relief for Anxiety. by Edmund j. Bourne, PhD, et al. ... j.ne 29, 2004. j. k. rowling reveals the title for the sixth book.in the Harry ...
http://www.raincoast.com/k.dstitles/k.dsauthors/PStoneA.html Yahoo, MSN, Alltheweb

11. MuggleNet: j.k. rowling
archive of j.k. rowling interviews and online chat transcripts.
http://www.mugglenet.com/j..shtml Yahoo Sites, Yahoo, Alltheweb

12. j. k. rowling on the Web
Link. for j.k. rowling on the Web. ... j. k. rowling on the Web ... Official Potter Sites. j. k. rowling Official Site -- Harry Potter and More (j. k....
http://www.k.u.edu/english/nelp/rowling MSN, Alltheweb, Yahoo

13. Salon Mothers Who Think. Of Magic and Single Motherhood
j.k. rowling discusses writing for children, fame, the Harry Potter characters, and her life as a single mother.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/03/cov_31featureb.html Yahoo, MSN, Alltheweb

14. j.k. rowling: A Who2 Profile
... j.k. rowling • Author. j.anne k. rowling (pronounced rolling) hit the scene in 1997 with Harry ...
http://www.who2.com/j.rowling.html Yahoo, Alltheweb

15. Harry Potter: Meet j. rowling
j. rowling has won the Hugo Award, the Bram Stok.r Award, the Whitbread Award for Best Children's Book. a special commendation for the Anne Spencer Lindbergh ...
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/ Google, Yahoo Sites

16. Author Studies Homepage
... j. k. rowling's Biography ... j.k. rowling's life has the luster of a fairy tale. Divorced, living on public assistance in a tiny Edinburgh flat with her infant daughter, rowling ...
http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbook./authorstudies/a... MSN, Hotbot

17. Frameset - Children's authors and stories, Harry Potter, j. ...
j. k. rowling. j. (j.anne k.thleen) rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury General Hospital in the Uk.in 1965. Such a funny-sounding ...
http://www.storiesfromtheweb.org/stories/rowling/interview.htm Google, Yahoo Sites

18. HELLO! Profiles: j.k. rowling
profile, news, and photo gallery for the bestselling author of the Harry Potter series.
http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/j.rowling/ Yahoo Sites, Google

19. [ iharrypotter.net ] the international harry potter fan site
... Updated: j. k. rowling's Website. j.k. rowling New Site Award ... j.k. rowling Outraged. j.k. rowling Apperaing at Edinburg Book.Festival ...
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20. j.k.rowling Signature - Fadedgiant Online Author Autograph Guide - Book., Link., Quotes ...
... Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azk.ban (Book.3) by j. k. rowling, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator ... Order of the Phoenix, by j.k. rowling, the fifth in the bestselling series ...
http://www.fadedgiant.net/html/rowling_j.k.htm Yahoo, Alltheweb