Biography
The creator of the boy who lived, J.K. Rowling is the author behind the phenomenon that is the Harry Potter series, and also writes crime fiction for adults under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
Born in 1965, Joanne Rowling was a lover of books from a young age: aged 6, she wrote her first novel after being inspired by the work of Richard Scarry. Despite this, she studied French and Classics at university, as her parents thought they would offer better job prospects. After graduating, she worked as a bilingual secretary for Amnesty International and the Chamber of Commerce, before moving to Porto in 1991 to teach English as a foreign language.
While in Portugal, she started writing what would become the first book in the Harry Potter series. Following a few difficult years that involved domestic abuse, divorce, depression and unemployment, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997, with a print run of just over 5,500 copies. Six more books followed, along with numerous spin-offs and a film franchise, with the series going on to sell over 500 million books worldwide.
With magic, danger, peril, intrigue, betrayal, romance and friendship set within a wonderfully rich, intricate fantasy world, the Harry Potter series continues to enchant readers young and old. J.K Rowling doesn’t shy away from difficult topics such as death, grief, prejudice and corruption, but also celebrates the importance of hard-work, perseverance, loyalty and bravery, offering young readers a way to experience both the sorrows and joys that life can hold.
