On
October 16, 2000, classrooms across America went online to ask
J.K. Rowling their burning questions about Harry Potter. Below
is the transcript from that interview.
WARNING: The
transcript below reveals plot elements from Harry Potter Books 1
through 4. If you have not read all these books, you may not
want to continue.
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|
The wand chooses the
wizard, of course, but what magical creature would you select
for your own wand? |
JKR |
I'd like a phoenix
feather, which is why I gave it to Harry! |
|
What shape would a
Boggart take if it wanted to scare you? How would you defeat it? |
JKR |
I think I'd probably
have Aragog, as Ron did. I hate spiders. |
|
I know you have had
children throughout the world tell you how Harry has changed
their lives, but is there any one story a child has told you
that really stands out in your mind? |
JKR |
My favourite was the
girl who came to the Edinburgh Book Festival to see me. When she
reached the signing table she said "I didn't want so many
people to be here — this is MY book." That really
resonated with me, because that's how I feel about my own
favourite books. |
|
Is Voldemort some sort
of relative of Harry's? Possibly his mother's brother? |
JKR |
I'm laughing...that
would be a bit Star Wars, wouldn't it? |
|
In your first book
there is a secret message on the Mirror of Erised. Are there any
other secret messages throughout the book that we should be
watching for? |
JKR |
Not secret messages of
that type, but if you read carefully, you'll get hints about
what's coming. And that's all I'm saying! |
|
My impression is that
the Harry books are getting "darker" somehow. Is this
because he is growing up, and his readers have to do the same? |
JKR |
It's really because
Voldemort is getting more powerful, but yes, also because Harry
is fourteen now. At fourteen, you really do start realising that
the world is not a safe and protected place — or not always. |
|
Can you give an example
of a surprise in your writing process, such as a character you
weren't expecting? |
JKR |
Yes, it was a big
surprise to me that Mad Eye Moody turned out the way he did. I
really like him. I didn't expect to. |
|
How would you describe
the relationship between the wizard world and the Muggle world? |
JKR |
Uneasy co-existence!
Harry discovers that life in the magical world mirrors, to a
great extent, life in the Muggle world. We are all human.
There's still bigotry and small-mindedness (unfortunately). |
|
In the fourth book,
when Harry tells Dumbledore about his fight with Voldemort and
how Voldemort could touch him after he took Harry's blood, Harry
thinks he sees Dumbledore smile slightly. Why? Is Dumbledore
really on Voldemort's side after all? |
JKR |
Hmmmm....like all the
best questions I get asked, I can't answer that one. But you are
obviously reading carefully. I promise you'll find out! |
|
Are there any books you
would recommend to your fans to read while they await Book 5? |
JKR |
Loads! Read E. Nesbit,
Philip Pullman, Henrietta Branford, Paul Gallico. Just read! |
|
Why did you choose to
make the sport Quidditch so important to life at Hogwarts? |
JKR |
Because sport is such
an important part of life at school. I am terrible at all sports,
but I gave my hero a talent I'd love to have had. Who wouldn't
want to fly? |
|
With all the book tours
in different countries you've done, have you met any interesting
people or discovered a new place that might affect future
writing, or that left a special impression on you? |
JKR |
I have always loved
traveling, but I can't say that I have met anyone who has
influenced the Harry books. You see, I planned them all so long
ago before any of this happened to me. |
|
If you were Animagus,
what kind of animal would you be? |
JKR |
I'd like to be an otter
— that's my favourite animal. It would be depressing if I
turned out to be a slug or something. |
|
Why did Harry have a
pet owl instead of something else? |
JKR |
Because owls are easily
the coolest! |
|
How did you think of
all the cool things that happened to Harry? |
JKR |
Sometimes the ideas
just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to
make ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but I hope I never
find out exactly how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have
noticed |
|
How would you like
teachers to use your books with students (e.g. discussion,
worksheets, book reports, etc.)? |
JKR |
The teachers I have met
who have used the books in the classroom have all done so very
imaginatively. It's been wonderful to see the work students have
produced. I particularly enjoyed reading essays on what students
think they would see in the Mirror of Erised. Very revealing! |
|
Friends are very
important in your books. What do you think is the most important
thing in friendship? |
JKR |
Acceptance, I think,
and loyalty. There are enough people in the world to give you a
hard time. A friend is someone who gives unconditional support. |
|
Do you ever get
writer's block? What do you do when this happens? |
JKR |
I've only suffered
writer's block badly once, and that was during the writing of Chamber
of Secrets. I had my first burst of publicity about the
first book and it paralysed me. I was scared the second book
wouldn't measure up, but I got through it! |
|
Do you have a favorite
saying or motto? |
JKR |
Draco dormiens
numquam titillandus, of course. |
|
Do you have a favorite
passage from one of your books? |
JKR |
Hard to choose. I like
chapter twelve of Sorcerer's Stone (The Mirror of Erised),
and I am proud of the ending of Goblet of Fire. |
|
How did you make the
spells? Did you make them up, or are they real names of people
and places? |
JKR |
The spells are made up.
I have met people who assure me, very seriously, that they are
trying to do them, and I can assure them, just as seriously,
that they don't work. |
|
Are you going to write
a book about other characters than Harry Potter? |
JKR |
Yes, when I've finally
finished all seven Harry Potter books, I will write something
else. |
|
When you were a little
girl, did you dream or ever think of Harry Potter or someone
like him? |
JKR |
Not really, though some
of the fantasies I had as a child (like flying) are in the books. |
|
There are hundreds of
rumours and theories going around about your books! Have you
seen these, and do you plan to use any of the ideas found in
them? |
JKR |
No, I'm not using any
of the ideas. To be honest, I avoid reading most of that stuff.
Some of it is funny, some of it is weird, and some is just
downright crazy. |
|
We're doing a lot of
writing at our school. At what age did you start writing, and
did you love to write as a child? |
JKR |
Yes, I loved writing as
a child. I wrote my first "book" when I was six years
old about a rabbit, called "Rabbit." |
|
What do you think about
the movie? Do you think that it'll destroy the adventure of the
books? |
JKR |
If I believed that, I
wouldn't have sold the film rights! |
|
What got you started
writing? And how did you get your breakthrough to get the first
book published? |
JKR |
I've been writing since
I was six. It is a compulsion, so I can't really say where the
desire came from — I've always had it. My breakthrough with
the first book came through persistence, because a lot of
publishers turned it down! |
|
Did you use the library
a lot as a child? |
JKR |
Yes, I loved the
library, though I was very bad at returning books on time. I
once ran up a bill at university of over fifty pounds in overdue
fines, which was a lot of money to a struggling student. (It
didn't stop me doing it again though!) |
|
How did you come up
with the idea of the underground chamber in Chamber of
Secrets? |
JKR |
I always knew the
chamber was there. I don't know what first gave me the idea; I
just liked the thought that Slytherin had left something of
himself behind. |
|
Are you having a lot of
input on the new Harry Potter movie? |
JKR |
I've been allowed a lot
of input. They have been very generous in allowing me to make my
opinions heard! |
|
What person from
history has influenced you the most? |
JKR |
Hmmmmm.....Well, my
heroine (though she's not really from "history") was
Jessica Mitford. I named my daughter after her. I found her
inspiring because she was a brave and idealistic person — the
qualities I most admire, in other words. |
|
Did you write another
book before writing the Harry Potter series? |
JKR |
Yes, I wrote (and
almost finished) two novels for adults and a lot of short
stories. I never finished the first two books because I realised
in time that they were...very bad. |
|
How hard was it to pick
the actors to play the characters in the movie? |
JKR |
I didn't pick them, so
easy for me! But I think they are wonderful. |
|
Are the Harry Potter
books being translated in other languages, like Portuguese/Brazil? |
JKR |
The Harry books are
available in Portuguese, both a Portuguese and a Brazilian
version. |
|
How did you get the
idea to send Harry to a wizard school? |
JKR |
The idea as it first
came to me was about a boy who didn't know he was a wizard until
he got his invitation to wizard school, so there was never a
question that Harry would go anywhere else! |
|
Has the huge popularity
of Harry Potter changed the direction of the plot in any way? |
JKR |
No, not at all. People
have asked me whether Rita Skeeter was invented for that purpose,
but in fact she was always planned. I think I enjoyed writing
her a bit more than I would have done if I hadn't met a lot of
journalists, though! |
|
Do wizards and witches
have to go Muggle school before they go to Hogwarts? |
JKR |
No, they don't have to. |
|
How does the Dark Lord
affect American wizards and witches? |
JKR |
He affects everyone,
but his plan is European domination first. |
|
Which house was Lily
Potter in, and what is her maiden name? |
JKR |
Her maiden name was
Evans, and she was in Gryffindor (naturally). |
|
Did you write Harry
Potter because you like fantasy books, or just because the idea
came to you? |
JKR |
The latter. In fact, I
am not a great fan of fantasy books in general, and never read
them! |
|
Do you imagine the
pictures or images in your head before you write, or do you have
to draw them? |
JKR |
I imagine them very
clearly and then attempt to describe what I can see. Sometimes I
draw them for my own amusement! |
|
What grade and
subject(s) did you teach? |
JKR |
French, but it should
have been English. I don't know why I did French at university,
except that my parents wanted me to. So learn from my mistake
— do what you want, not what your parents want! |
|
I'm hooked! My son and
I read them every night. Thank you so much for giving us this
time to share something so wonderful together! He's to be Harry
for Halloween. We'd like to know how soon for the next book (like
everyone else), but mostly just wanted to thank you for sharing
Harry with us! |
JKR |
That's wonderful to
hear, thank you. Well, book five is underway, but I don't yet
know when it will be available. It'll be ready when it's ready,
is the best I can say! |
|
How do you write the
really long books without getting bored? |
JKR |
Oh dear...does that
mean you get bored reading them?! I never get bored with the
writing. I could (and often do) write all day and evening. |
|
Does Harry have a
middle name? |
JKR |
Yep, James after his dad. |
|
From where did you get
the name for Harry Potter? |
JKR |
'Harry' has always been
my favourite boy's name, so if my daughter had been a son, he
would have been Harry Rowling. Then I would have had to choose a
different name for "Harry" in the books, because it
would have been too cruel to name him after my own son.
"Potter" was the surname of a family who used to live
near me when I was seven years old and I always liked the name,
so I borrowed it. |
|
Which book was the most
fun for you to write? |
JKR |
Prisoner of Azkaban,
without a doubt. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's my
favourite book. I love them all, but bizarrely the two that were
most difficult to write, Chamber of Secrets and Goblet
of Fire — are my favourites. |
|
Do you like being a writer? |
JKR |
I love being a writer.
I am very lucky my life's ambition turned out to be just as much
fun as I thought it would be. |
|
As an adult reader, I
loved the books and was surprised at how much humour is in them.
The Dursleys sound like something out of Monty Python! Do you
like British comedy? |
JKR |
British comedy is an
obsession of mine. I love Monty Python. |
|
There are an
extraordinary number of names that start with "H"
(Harry, Hermione, Hedwig, Hogwarts, Hagrid, Hufflepuff). Is
there any reason for that? |
JKR |
Erm...no! |
|
Will you ever write an
official autobiography? |
JKR |
No, I don't think so.
My life is really very boring. You wouldn't want to read about
me cleaning out the rabbit cage! |
|
What is Bonfire Night? |
JKR |
Good question! We
celebrate November 5th in Britain every year. There was a plot
to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The ringleader of the plot
was called Guy Fawkes (spot any Harry Potter connection?!), and
we burn him in effigy and set off fireworks to celebrate not
losing our government. |
|
What did you want to be
when you were a kid? |
JKR |
A writer...always. |
|
What books do you read
in your free reading time? |
JKR |
Loads...usually novels
and biographies. |
|
Harry Potter for
grownups again! Is Voldemort the last remaining ancestor of
Slytherin, or the last remaining descendent of Slytherin? |
JKR |
Ah, you spotted the
deliberate error. Yes, it should read "descendent."
That's been changed in subsequent editions. (Keep hold of the
"ancestor" one, maybe it'll be valuable one day!) |
|
Will you ever include
more illustrations? |
JKR |
I don't like too many
illustrations in novels; I prefer to use my imagination about
what people look like. So the answer is, probably not. |
|
What do you think of
fan fiction being written about your characters, and have you
read any of them on the Internet? |
JKR |
I've read some of it. I
find it very flattering that people love the characters that
much. |
|
Is there something more
to the cats appearing in the books than first meets the eye?
(i.e. Mrs. Figg's cats, Crookshanks, Prof. McGonagall as a cat,
etc.) |
JKR |
Ooooo, another good
question. Let's see what I can tell you without giving anything
away....erm....no, can't do it, sorry. |
|
If you could be a
wizard, who would you be? |
JKR |
If I were a character
in the book, I'd probably be Hermione. She's a lot like me when
I was younger. (I wasn't that clever but I was definitely that
annoying at times!) |
|
When will the movie of
Harry Potter be out? |
JKR |
November 2001 was the
last I heard! |
|
Ms. Rowling, in an
article I read in Good Housekeeping, you stated that the
character Hermione received her personality from her likeness of
you at the age. What other things inspired you for other aspects
or details in your books? |
JKR |
Ron is a lot like my
oldest friend, who is called Sean and with whom I went to school.
I never intended Ron to be like Sean, but he turned out that
way. Gilderoy Lockhart is also a lot like someone I once knew,
but I don't think I'd better elaborate! |
|
What is your favorite
wizard candy? |
JKR |
Chocolate frogs...I'd
like to collect the cards! |
|
How did the Dursleys
explain away the tail when Dudley had to have it removed at the
hospital? |
JKR |
They went to a private
hospital where the staff was very discreet, and said that a wart
had got out of control. |
|
How much control do you
have on all of the products flooding the marketplace with a
Harry Potter theme? Do you think they will sell well? |
JKR |
Unless it's a Warner
Bros. product, it shouldn't have Harry's name on it at all, so I
have no control and accept no responsibility! Warner Bros. has
allowed me to have a say in merchandise relating to the film. |
|
Is it true that since
Voldemort took Harry's blood by force, that Harry can kill
Voldemort, but Voldemort can't kill Harry? |
JKR |
It's an interesting
theory, but I wouldn't trust it too much! |
|
Do you still have the
napkins that you wrote the first book on? |
JKR |
I'm giggling...where
did you read that? I didn't write on napkins; I wrote in
notepads. We really need to squash this myth before people ask
to see the used tea bags on which I drafted the first book! |
|
Is the Mrs. Figg with
all the cats in the Dursleys' neighborhood the same Arabella
Figg that Dumbledore mentioned at the end of book 4? |
JKR |
Well spotted! |
|
The Harry Potter series
has lots of humorous moments. Do you consider yourself to be a
really funny person? |
JKR |
No, not really. I think
I am funnier on paper than I am in person; the exact reverse of
my sister who is very funny in person, but writes dull letters! |
|
Can you explain how
Lupin turns into a werewolf, since he didn't turn in the
Shrieking Shack in Prisoner of Azkaban, but instead he
turned only when the full moonlight hit him outside the tunnel?
If he only turned into a wolf in the moonlight, why didn't he
just stay inside? Did it have to do with the potion? Or was the
moon not up yet? |
JKR |
The moon wasn't up when
he entered the Shrieking Shack. |
|
As the author, when
reading your books, can you enjoy them as a reader and
sympathize with Harry, or is it too hard to be "objective"? |
JKR |
Too hard to be
objective. When I re-read the books, I often catch myself
re-editing them. It's an uncomfortable experience. However, the
more time elapses, the less I find myself doing that — I can
now read Sorcerer's Stone fairly comfortably. |
|
How many students
attend Hogwarts, and how many students per year per house? |
JKR |
There are about a
thousand students at Hogwarts. |
|
Did you ever make a
study of herbs and other Hogwarts subjects, or did you create
all those classes from inspiration? |
JKR |
Most of the magic is
made up. Occasionally I will use something that people used to
believe was true — for example, the "Hand of Glory"
which Draco gets from Borgin and Burkes in Chamber of Secrets. |
|
You said Ron's cousin
was taken out of Book 4, and you developed Rita Skeeter more
after that. Do you still think that it would have been more fun
to keep her? Can you tell me anything about what she was going
to be like? |
JKR |
Well, maybe I will use
her in another book, so I don't want to talk about her too much.
I had never "killed" a character before (in either
sense) until Goblet of Fire, so that made writing the book a
little more stressful! |
|
Why was a different
cover illustration chosen for the books sold in the United
States? Why do those books have illustrations at the beginning
of each chapter but the British books do not? |
JKR |
Publishers choose to do
things differently, and I'm glad about that. It's very exciting
for authors to see their work in many different versions. I love
the look of the American books, especially the chapter
illustrations. |
|
In the second book,
Harry and Ron went to the girls' toilet and met McGonagall. They
told her that they were going to visit Hermione, and she started
crying. Why? |
JKR |
She found it very
touching that Harry and Ron were missing Hermione so badly (or
so she thought). Under that gruff exterior, Professor McGonagall
is a bit of an old softy, really. |
|
How old is old in the
wizarding world, and how old are Professors Dumbledore and
McGonagall? |
JKR |
Dumbledore is a hundred
and fifty, and Professor McGonagall is a sprightly seventy.
Wizards have a much longer life expectancy than Muggles. (Harry
hasn't found out about that yet.) |
|
How does the wizarding
world protect Muggle banks and vaults, etc. from wizards
apparating into them and stealing the contents? |
JKR |
Well, the Ministry of
Magic keeps tabs on people apparating. That's why you have to
have a license to do it, and the moment you abuse it you can
find yourself in serious trouble (or Azkaban!). |
|
What position did James
play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was it seeker like Harry,
or something different? |
JKR |
James was Chaser. |
|
How painful is the
editing process for you? Compared with writing a first draft,
how long do you spend editing? Who do you conference with? |
JKR |
I work with my editors.
I enjoy the editing process, but I edit fairly extensively
myself before my editors get to see the book, so it's never a
very long job. |
|
Are you writing all the
books at the same time, like in little pieces, while
concentrating mostly on the present one, or do you just have a
general idea about them? |
JKR |
During the first five
years that I was writing the series, I made plans and wrote
small pieces of all the books. I concentrate on one book at a
time, though occasionally I will get an idea for a future book
and scribble it down for future reference. |
|
Any plans for a video
game soon? |
JKR |
I think there probably
will be a video game, but when, I have no idea. |
|
Do you think
elementary-age children will be able to read the other three
books in the series? |
JKR |
Yes, I do. I personally
feel the books are suitable for people aged 8 years and over.
Though my daughter, who is seven, has read them all and not been
very frightened — but maybe she's tough, like her mother! |
|
When you are not
writing or reading, what things do you enjoy in your free time? |
JKR |
Let's see.....when I'm
not reading, writing or spending time with my daughter, there
isn't much time left over, but I like travelling most. |
|
Some sets on the movies
are already being created. Do you think they represent how you
envisioned them in the book? Have you had any input on the
shooting locations? |
JKR |
I know they look as I
imagined them (those that have been done so far)! |
|
Hello, I was wondering
how much Tolkien inspired and influenced your writing? |
JKR |
Hard to say. I didn't
read The Hobbit until after the first Harry book was written,
though I read Lord of the Rings when I was nineteen. I think,
setting aside the obvious fact that we both use myth and legend,
that the similarities are fairly superficial. Tolkien created a
whole new mythology, which I would never claim to have done. On
the other hand, I think I have better jokes. |
|
Ms. Rowling, for being
fictional books, the Harry Potter books have a great grasp of
the Latin language. I have noticed that many, if not most, of
the names and incantations are of Latin heritage. How much
research does it take to give these books their Latin heritage? |
JKR |
My Latin, such as it is,
is self-taught. I enjoy feeling that wizards would continue to
use this dead language in their everyday life. |
|
Will you have a cameo
in the Harry Potter movie? |
JKR |
No, definitely not. I
hate watching myself on-screen! |
|
If there were one thing
you could change about the world, what would it be? |
JKR |
I would make each and
every one of us much more tolerant. |
|
Do any of the things
that happen in the Harry Potter books reflect any of your
childhood fantasies? |
JKR |
Flying, definitely. And
who wouldn't want to be able to use the Jelly-Legs Curse? |
|
Why did you choose the
owl as the animal messenger in your books? |
JKR |
Owls are traditionally
associated with magic, and I like them. |
|
Our thanks to J.K.
Rowling for joining us today. Any thoughts you would like to
leave us with? |
JKR |
Keep reading! (And it
doesn't have to be Harry Potter!) |