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Happy Birthday JK Rowling: Harry Potter, Ickabog author turns 55, a look at some of her work
J.K. Rowling shares her birthday with perhaps the most popular fictional character of our time and also her own creation, Harry Potter. As J.K. Rowling turns 55, her creation Harry is all set to celebrate his 40th birthday.
Joanne Kathleen Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling was born on July 31, 1965, in Yale, Gloucestershire, England. She shares her birthday with perhaps the most popular fictional character of our time and also her own creation, Harry Potter. As J.K. Rowling turns 55, her creation Harry is all set to celebrate his 40th birthday.
In spite of recent misgivings, none can deny the genius of J.K. Rowling when it comes to writing. The fantasy wizarding world that she has created, has become an intricate part of many of our lives. The name J.K. Rowling is synonymous with that of Harry Potter and there is nowhere in the world where you can go that children do not know of her or of a certain ‘chosen’ young wizard, usually drawn to where the trouble is.
J.K. Rowling, in her lifetime, has managed to create one of the biggest fandoms of all time which has expanded to such an extent that Pottermore, the website that has been made for the wizarding world was the first website to gain mass popularity. Nowadays, it provides all the information you could possibly need about the world of magic.
ALSO READ: Happy birthday J.K. Rowling: 15 quotes by the magical author on life, friendship and hope
Rowling’s contribution as the author of the Harry Potter books, her short stories, non-fiction works, and her work under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, have given her the mantle of one of the greatest writers of our generation. Aside from being a best-selling author, Rowling is also a producer and a philanthropist, having donated to various charities such as the UK anti-poverty fundraiser, the International Fund for Children and Young People in Crisis.
Now more than ever, we can see the importance of fictional worlds such as that of Harry Potter. As more and more people are looking to take a break from their realities, her books offer the perfect nostalgia to delve into, forgetting about troubles of the world, at least for a bit. Whether or not you agree with the whole Twitter debacle, we can all universally agree that her contributions to literature have brought joy to the lives of many.
We are often faced with the dilemma about choosing to separate a person, what they say and do from their work, especially nowadays when ‘cancelled’ culture has gained immense popularity. But we often forget Rowling’s own words written through Professor Dumbledore, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” And that there is no power in the universe that can take away the specialness of something that we ourselves assign meaning to.
During the pandemic, J.K. Rowling has released yet another book for children titles The Ickabog, which is available to read online for free, and the Kindle and paperback editions are expected to release in the Fall. Though she initially meant for it to only be for her children, the author realised that because the lockdown was a difficult time, everyone could benefit from a fantastical tale. She is also quite insistent on the fact that this is not a Harry Potter spin-off.
On the occasion of her 55th birthday, we celebrate an iconic writer, a smart, intelligent person with a kind heart but most importantly, a human being who has taught us how struggle truly makes us who we strive to be. As Ginny Weasley said, “anything is possible if you have the nerve for it.”
The wizarding world created by JK Rowling has also given us some spells and objects that we wish we could use in the muggle world. Here’s a look at a few:
Accio: The summoning charm, how often have we pointed our makeshift wands at something, willing it to come to us, only to be disappointed about being a muggle!
Alohamora: The unlocking charm. Handy for getting into all the places that you aren’t normally allowed to go into.
Scourgify: A cleaning charm that works on most objects, imagine never having to do any dishes again!
Invisibility Cloak: A garment that renders you completely invisible. Perfect for getting you out of tight spots, or when you want to do some snooping around.
Animagus: A person who can turn into a particular animal of their choosing, at will. Imagine being able to fly free as bird in your animagus form while still being able to come back to your human body when you so choose.
Obliviate: A charm that erases memories. What wouldn’t we give to have everyone in the world forget about the one instance when we absolutely embarrassed ourselves.
Muffliato: A charm that fills the intended targets ear with white noise, rendering them incapable of hearing what you are taking about. Perfect for when you need to plan something super confidential and then some.
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