Today J.K. Rowling turns 43. How grand it must feel to contemplate all that she has accomplished. She must be happily anticipating the upcoming movie premiere of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, the 6th and arguably most shocking in her seven book series. And what a relief it must be to her, after years of writing these giant tomes of books, keeping track of tiny plot details that wound around and around her story, to be finished. To have left a legacy of fiction that will guarantee she is a household name even in a hundred years.I'm trying not to resent the fact that, while I too am 43, I did not have a meteoric rise to fame with the release of my first book, and I do not live in a Scottish castle. I am not richer than the Queen of England, and I do not routinely make the Forbes list of wealthiest people.
Instead, I choose to see J.K. as a sister writer--one who has earned fame and fortune with her talent and tenacity. She is a tribute to the notion of following your heart, and a living moral about the value of a good idea.
So happy birthday, J.K! I hope you are enjoying your castle view today, and that you are enjoying rest and relaxation with your family. (But I also hope you have other ideas percolating).
The movie comes out in November; the trailer link is here.
5 comments:
Yes, and on her birthday, today, Amazon.com.uk will let you pre-order Rowling's The Tale of the Beedle Bard, both standard and collector editions. They are scheduled for a December 4, 2008 release. I order 2 for my kids!
Mary Beth
Sorry, here's the correct email address for ordering The Tales of the Beedle Bard
www.amazon.co.uk
Mary Beth
What is this book, Mary Beth? I don't know much about it.
Julia,
This is the book handwritten by Rowling. It is comprised of 5 fairy tales, which are enclosed in a leather and silver work cover. She made 7 copies, 6 of which were given to her personal friends. One copy was auctioned off in December 2007 for Rowling's charity, Children High Level Giving for vulnerable kids. Southebys had the one book for auction on display last year in London. Amazon bid at the auction and won. The bookseller posted excerpts from their copy on their blog and website for about a month last year, but never said what their intent was for the book. Since I order my Harry Potter books from the UK, I am on their list and got notification today that I could pre-order The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I haven't checked, but possibly www.amazon.com also will offer it for pre-ordering.
Prior to this offering, Tales of Beedle the Bard were limited editions and each one was one of a kind, since Rowling hand wrote each one. This is not a continuation of the Harry Potter series, but still very sought after by many, my kids included. Some reviewers have compared the fairy tales to the Brothers Grimm.
Mary Beth
Wow! I can't believe I missed all the buzz there must have been around this book. What a neat idea.
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