Likethatofherowncharacter,HarryPotter,J.K.Rowlingslifehasthelusterofafairytale.Divorced,livingonpublicassistanceinatinyEdinburghflatwithherinfantdaughter,RowlingwroteHarryPotterandtheSorcerersStoneatatableinacafeduringherdaughtersnaps—anditwasHarryPotterthatrescuedher.
JoanneKathleenRowlingenteredtheworldinChippingSodburyGeneralHospitalinBristol,England,afittingbeginningforsomeonewhowouldlaterenjoymakingupstrangenamesforpeople,placesandgamesplayedonflyingbroomsticks.HeryoungersisterDiwasbornjustundertwoyearslater.
Rowlingremembersthatshealwayswantedtowriteandthatthefirststorysheactuallywrotedown,whenshewasfiveorsix,wasastoryaboutarabbitcalledRabbit.Manyofherfavoritememoriescenteraroundreading—hearingTheWindintheWillowsreadaloudbyherfatherwhenshehadthemeasles,enjoyingthefantasticadventurestoriesofE.Nesbit,revelinginthemagicalworldofC.S.LewissNarnia,andherfavoritestoryofall,TheLittleWhiteHorsebyElizabethGoudge.
AtExeterUniversityRowlingtookherdegreeinFrenchandspentoneyearstudyinginParis.AftercollegeshemovedtoLondontoworkforAmnestyInternationalasaresearcherandbilingualsecretary.Thebestthingaboutworkinginanoffice,shehassaid,wastypingupstoriesonthecomputerwhennoonewaswatching.Duringthistime,onaparticularlylongtrainridefromManchestertoLondoninthesummerof1990,theideacametoherofaboywhoisawizardanddoesntknowit.Heattendsaschoolforwizardry--shecouldseehimveryplainlyinhermind.BythetimethetrainpulledintoKingsCrossStationfourhourslater,manyofthecharactersandtheearlystagesoftheplotwerefullyformedinherhead.Thestorytookfurthershapeasshecontinuedworkingonitinpubsandcafesoverherlunchhours.
In1992RowlingleftoffworkinginofficesandmovedtoPortugaltoteachEnglishasaSecondLanguage.Inspiteofherstudentsmakingjokesabouthername(thistimetheycalledher“RollingStone”),sheenjoyedteaching.Sheworkedafternoonsandevenings,leavingmorningsfreeforwriting.AfterhermarriagetoaPortugueseTVjournalistendedindivorce,RowlingreturnedtoBritainwithherinfantdaughterandasuitcasefullofHarryPotternotesandchapters.ShesettledinEdinburghtobenearhersisterandsetouttofinishthebookbeforelookingforateachingjob.Wheelingherdaughterscarriagearoundthecitytoescapetheirtiny,coldapartment,shewouldduckintocoffeeshopstowritewhenthebabyfellasleep.Inthiswayshefinishedthebookandstartedsendingittopublishers.ItwasrejectedseveraltimesbeforeshefoundanLondonagent,chosenbecauseshelikedhisname--ChristopherLittle,whosoldthemanuscripttoBloomsburyChildrensBooks.
RowlingwasworkingasaFrenchteacherwhensheheardthatherbookabouttheboywizardhadbeenacceptedforpublication.HarryPotterandthePhilosophersStonewaspublishedinJune1997andachievedalmostinstantsuccess.WiththepublicationoftheAmericanedition,retitledHarryPotterandtheSorcerersStone,in1998,Rowlingsbookscontinuedtomakepublishinghistory.HarryPotterclimbedtothetopofallthebestsellerlistsforchildrensandadultbooks.Indeed,thestoryoftheboywizard,hisCinderladchildhood,andhisadventuresatHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraftandWizardrycaughttheimaginationofreadersofallages.InBritainaseparateeditionofthefirstbookappearedwithamore“adult”dustjacketsothatgrown-upsreadingitontrainsandsubwayswouldnothavetohidetheircopybehindanewspaper.
JoRowlinglivesinEdinburgh,Scotland,withherdaughterJessicaandcontinuestoworkonwritingtheseven-booksagaofHarryPotter.
J.K.羅琳的生活展現(xiàn)出童話般的光芒,如同她所創(chuàng)造的魔法小巫師——哈利·波特。經(jīng)歷了一次失敗的婚姻后,這個靠救濟(jì)金過日子,獨自撫養(yǎng)女兒的單親媽媽和出生不久的女兒搬到了愛丁堡的一個狹小的公寓里。為了逃離又小又冷的房間,她常待在住家附近的咖啡館里,待女兒熟睡后開始寫作,女兒睡多久,她就寫多久。就在這個小咖啡館里,她寫出了《哈利·波特與魔法石》,塑造了那個將她帶離窘境的小巫師。
喬安·凱瑟琳·羅琳出生在英格蘭的一家綜合醫(yī)院里,這對一個喜歡給別人起奇怪名字,喜歡坐著掃帚滿場飛奔的小姑娘來說,是個合適的開始。她的妹妹兩年后來到這個世上。
羅琳從小就喜歡寫作,五、六歲時就寫了一篇跟兔子有關(guān)的故事。小時候美好的記憶似乎總是圍繞閱讀的——得麻疹時聽爸爸大聲講故事,讀奇異的冒險故事,沉浸在奇妙的故事世界里。
大學(xué)里,羅琳主修法語,在巴黎留學(xué)一年。畢業(yè)后,她搬去倫敦?fù)?dān)任調(diào)查員和雙語秘書。羅琳回憶說,那段時間最有趣的事情就是趁沒人的時候在電腦上打小說。1990年,時值24歲的羅琳坐在由曼撤斯特出發(fā)前往倫敦的火車上,哈利·波特闖入了她的生命。她可以在腦海里清晰地勾畫他的模樣,看到他進(jìn)入魔法學(xué)校。四小時后,當(dāng)火車駛?cè)胪跏周囌緯r,大部分人物和故事的前期框架已經(jīng)在她的腦海里形成了。當(dāng)她午餐時間坐在咖啡館里繼續(xù)構(gòu)思時,故事的結(jié)構(gòu)變得更加清晰。
1992年,羅琳結(jié)束了白領(lǐng)生涯,前往葡萄牙做英語教師。盡管學(xué)生們常拿她的名字開玩笑,叫她滾石(英語中Rowling與rolling同音),她仍然非常喜歡教書。她在下午和晚上去學(xué)校工作,上午用來寫作。不久后,她與一名葡萄牙的電視臺記者結(jié)婚,但這段婚姻最終以離婚告終。離婚后,羅琳帶著女兒和滿滿一箱子哈利·波特的筆記與手稿回到了英國。為了能住得靠近妹妹,羅琳在愛丁堡定居下來,準(zhǔn)備在找新工作前完成這部小說。她常常推著女兒的手推車四處閑逛,只是為了逃離又小又冷的公寓。她會躲到咖啡館里,趁女兒睡著時寫作。就這樣,羅琳在咖啡館里完成了哈利·波特的創(chuàng)作,開始尋找出版商。但她的稿件被多次退回,直到她找到了一個倫敦的經(jīng)紀(jì)人。羅琳之所以會找到他,僅僅是因為喜歡他可愛的名字—克里斯多夫·里特(ChristopherLittle)。
當(dāng)羅琳得知這本關(guān)于小巫師的小說被出版商接受時,她正在一所學(xué)校教法語?!豆げㄌ亍凡乓怀霭?,就大獲成功。隨著哈利·波特1998年在美國的出版,羅琳的書繼續(xù)創(chuàng)造著出版界的歷史。哈利·波特登上了兒童與成人書籍的最佳銷售榜的首位。確實,這個小巫師的故事,他灰姑娘一樣的童年,和他在霍格華茲魔法學(xué)校的歷險引發(fā)了各個年齡讀者的豐富想象力。在英國,出版商出版了一種更成人化封面的版本,使得大人們能在火車或者地鐵里閱讀而不用把書藏在報紙后面。
現(xiàn)在,J.A.羅琳和她的女兒捷西卡住在蘇格蘭的愛丁堡,繼續(xù)完成哈利·波特的冒險故事。