Harry Potter - An Interview with the Author

How did you get the idea for Harry Potter?

I was taking a long train journey from Manchester to London in England and

the idea for Harry just fell into my head. At that point it was essentially the

idea for a boy who didn't know he was a wizard, and the wizard school he

ended up going to.

How long did it take to write the first book?

5 years, although during that time I was also planning & writing parts of the

six sequels.

What did you have to do to make sure readers could start with "Harry

Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and not be confused?

It's becoming more of a challenge to keep new readers up to speed with every

new Harry book (I'm currently writing the fourth). In the case of 'Chamber of

Secrets' matters were relatively straightforward; I tried to introduce information

about Harry and his first year at Hogwarts in as natural a way as possible.

However, by the time I reach books five and six, this is going to be much

harder. It makes me think of 'previously on ER...' when you have to watch

thirty minutes of clips to understand that week's episode. Maybe I'll just write

a preface: 'previously in Harry Potter...' and tell readers to go back and read

books 1 - 4!

What kind of manuscript changes had to be made to make the U.S.

version more understandable to American readers? Specific things,

like the title change of the first Harry Potter book?

Very few changes have been made in the manuscript. Arthur Levine, my

American editor, and I decided that words should be altered only where we

felt they would be incomprehensible, even in context, to an American reader. I

have had some criticism from other British writers about allowing any

changes at all, but I feel the natural extension of that argument is to go and

tell French and Danish children that we will not be translating Harry Potter, so

they'd better go and learn English.

The title change was Arthur's idea initially, because he felt that the British

title gave a misleading idea of the subject matter. We discussed several

alternative titles and 'Sorcerer's Stone' was my idea.

Did you always plan to write Harry's story in more than one book? If

so, how many?

I always conceived it as a seven-book series because I decided that it would

take seven years from the ages of 11-17, inclusive, to train as a wizard, and

each of the books would deal with a year of Harry's life at Hogwarts.

Any hints you could share about what to expect in future Harry Potter

books?

The theme running through all seven books is the fight between good and evil,

and I'm afraid there will be casualties! Children usually beg me not to kill Ron

whenever I tell them this; they seem to think he is most vulnerable, probably

because he is the hero's best friend!

How do you come up with all the unique names, places and things

that help make Harry Potter so intriguing?

Many of the names are invented, for example 'Quidditch' and 'Muggle'. I also

collect unusual names, and I take them from all sorts of different places.

'Hedwig' was a saint, 'Dumbledore' is an old English word for 'bumble bee' and

'Snape' is the name of a place in England.

What do you think it is about Harry Potter that connects with so many

people?

It's very hard to think about my work in those terms, because I really wrote it

entirely for myself; it is my sense of humour in the books, not what I think

children will find funny, and I suppose that would explain some of the appeal

to adults. On the other hand, I think that I have very vivid memories of how it

felt to be Harry's age, and children seem to identify strongly with Harry and

his friends.

Did you ever expect Harry Potter to be so successful?

I would have been crazy to have expected what has happened to Harry. The

most exciting moment for me, against very stiff competition, was when I found

out Harry was going to be published. It was my life's ambition to see a book I

had written on a shelf in a bookshop. Everything that has happened since has

been extraordinary and wonderful, but the mere fact of being able to say I was

a published author was the fulfillment of a dream I had had since I was a very

small child.

Are you surprised to see Harry Potter connecting with so many adults,

as well as kids?

I didn't write with a target audience in mind. What excited me was how much

I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children -

children's books chose me. I think if it is a good book anyone will read it.

Harry Potter was first successful in England, and then in the United

States. Where else has Harry Potter been released? What similarities

and/or differences have you found in the response to Harry Potter in

different countries? And, since each of the editions is packaged

differently, do you have a favorite?

Harry is now published, or will be published shortly, in Britain, America,

Brazil, Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece,

Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Japan. My favourite

cover is the American one - I am very much hoping to meet the illustrator,

Mary Grandpre - but I also love the Dutch edition.

Of the many things you must have heard people say about Harry

Potter, what are some of your favorites?

My very favourite was from a twelve-year-old Scottish girl who came to hear

me read at the Edinburgh book festival. The event was sold out and the queue

for signing at the end was very long. When the girl in question finally reached

me she said, 'I didn't WANT there to be so many people here, because this is

MY book!' That is exactly how I feel about my favourite books... nobody else

has a right to know them, let alone like them!

How has your success as an author impacted your lifestyle? Is there

something you always wanted to do that you are able to do now that

you have the chance?

I never expected to be talking to journalists or doing lots of promotional work,

and I have reached the point now where I have to say 'no' to a lot of things just

to make sure that I get enough time to write. On the other hand, I love

travelling, and the chance to visit places I have never seen before - my trip to

the U.S. last October to promote the book was my first ever, and I fell in love

with New York and San Francisco - is absolutely wonderful.

Are you recognized, now? Do you get stopped for autographs? How

does that feel?

I am rarely recognized and I am very happy about that, because I like being

an anonymous person! It usually happens when I'm writing in cafes, because

the connection between me and cafes is strongly imprinted in Edinburgh

peoples' minds. Occasionally I have handed over my credit card and people

have recognized the name, which is a very comfortable level of

recognisability. One shop assistant told me she had taken the second Harry

to read on her honeymoon! The most embarrassing occasion was when I took

my daughter to see 'A Bug's Life' with some friends, and a woman with a

party of a dozen little girls asked me if she could take a picture of me with all

her charges.

Are you excited about the movie deal for Harry Potter? Where else

might we see Harry Potter in the future (toys, video games, etc.)?

I am very excited (and a little bit nervous) about Harry Potter the Movie.

Warner Brothers have bought merchandising rights, so it is possible that we

will be seeing Harry Potter toys.

Is this the first book/story you ever wrote?

If not, is it the first one ever published? It is the first book I have ever

published. At the time I got the idea for Harry I had written and put aside two

adult novels.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Yes, ever since the age of five or six, when I wrote my first 'book' - a story

about a rabbit called 'Rabbit'.

Where, when, and how do you write?

Any time, any place, and longhand!

Do you have any plans, as a writer, beyond Harry Potter?

I have always written and I know that I always will; I would be writing even if I

hadn't been published. However, Harry is a large and all-consuming project,

and I really haven't got time, at the moment, to decide what will come next.

What books and authors did you read as a kid? Which are your

biggest influences?

I most admire E. Nesbit, Paul Gallico and C.S.Lewis. My favourite book as a

child was 'The Little White Horse' by Elizabeth Goudge.

What are you reading now?

The last novel I read was 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin,' by Louis de Bernieres,

which I loved.

What advice would you give to young writers today?

I doubt a writer who has got what it takes will need me to tell them this, but -

persevere!

What do you like best about your life as a children's book writer?

The writing!

If you were not writing, what might you be doing, instead?

Well - as you can see by the answer above, I would be at a dead loss.

Profession-wise, I would still be teaching, which I enjoyed.

What are your hobbies? Favorite holidays (and how do you celebrate

them)?

I was embarrassed the other day to discover that I didn't have much to say to

the question 'what are your hobbies?' (asked by a nine year old boy). The

truth is that if I'm not looking after my daughter, spending time with friends or

reading, I am writing. The boy who'd asked seemed quite frustrated by this

answer, but the truth of the matter is that even if writing is now my full-time

profession, it is also my greatest pleasure.

I doubt if it will come as a surprise to anybody that I love Hallowe'en. Although

I missed last year, because I was in the U.S., I usually hold a big Hallowe'en

party for my friends and their children.

Other things that help define who you are (foods, TV shows, etc.)?

I will eat almost anything except tripe, which unfortunately was the speciality

in Oporto, where I lived for three years. TV shows: I love comedy, mostly

British, though I love Frasier and The Simpsons.

You live in Scotland, but what other countries have you visited?

Which are your favorites? If you were to move, where would you choose?

I have lived in England, France and Portugal, and visited many others. I loved

Portugal (my daughter is half-Portuguese) and I'm looking forward to taking

her back there and trying to explain why we left the blazing sunshine for fog

and snow.

What does your daughter think of your work? What books do you want

and like to read with her? And her to read on her own?

She is still too young for me to read the Harry Potter books to her, but I am

really looking forward to a time when I can share them with her. She loves the

Beatrix Potter books and I recently read her 'The Lion, the Witch and the

Wardrobe', which she thoroughly enjoyed.

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