British author J.K. Rowling on Monday marked the “wonderful” two decades since her Harry Potter creation first hit the shelves, starting a global literary phenomenon that has inspired a generation.
“20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It’s been wonderful. Thank you,” she wrote on Twitter.
A pair of rounded glasses and a lightning bolt accompanied the social media site’s special “HarryPotter20” hashtag — a nod to the boy and a zigzag scar, who emerged from a cupboard under the stairs to become the world’s most famous wizard.
Photo: AFP
Joanne Kathleen Rowling had struggled through poverty before winning a £500 (US$637) publishing deal with Bloomsbury to print 1,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The seven volumes of the saga have since been translated into 79 languages and have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide — and those lucky enough to have bought a first edition of Philosopher’s Stone have in their possession a collector’s book worth thousands.
“Harry Potter has had a huge impact on a generation of children, who became so obsessed with reading that they would queue for hours to get their hands on the next book,” said Diana Gerald, head of the Book Trust, a charity that encourages youngsters to read.
Events to mark the magical tale include a special exhibition at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, the city where Rowling penned much of the first novel.
“J.K. Rowling wrote the books just opposite, and just down the road as well, so it’s just really exciting to dress up and have some fun,” said Francine Millard, 47, visiting the library in a Potter-themed scarf and carrying a toy owl.
Despite being just four years old when the first book was published, Kimberley Best said she was “obsessed” with Rowling’s magical world.
“My life is heavily influenced by it, it just brought me out of a bad time so it’s actually very important that I come and see it,” she said, referring to a Philosopher’s Stone first edition on display filled with notes by Rowling.
Curator Graeme Hawley said the book was on loan from a private collector for the library’s “party” to mark a hugely important literary milestone.
“It’s become disproportionately significant in terms of its reach into modern children’s publishing, a total game-changer — and the rest, as they say, is history,” he said.
Bloomsbury have published four anniversary editions of the first Harry Potter book, in the house colors of Hogwarts wizarding school, while quizzes and crafts were the order of the day at libraries and schools around Britain.
St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Monday published a video of music from the Harry Potter film series being performed at the famous site.
Pottermania over the past two decades has led to eight movies, a hit play and numerous spin-off books.
In October a “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” exhibition is to open at the British Library in London, showcasing manuscripts and magical objects alongside Rowling’s archives.
The Harry Potter empire has earned Rowling — a committed philanthropist — an estimated fortune of £50 million, according to the Sunday Times newspaper’s 2017 Rich List.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese