Harry Potter and the half-Blood Prince

About J.K. Rowling

J. K. (Jo) Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury in the UK in 1965. She attended the University of Exeter in Devon where she studied French. Her parents hoped that by studying languages, she would enjoy a great career as a bilingual secretary. But as Jo recalls, 'I am one of the most disorganised people in the world and, as I later proved, the worst secretary ever.' She claims that she never paid much attention in meetings because she was too busy scribbling down ideas.

When she was 26, she went to Portugal to teach English, which she really enjoyed. Working afternoons and evenings, she had mornings free to write. When she returned to the UK, Jo had a suitcase full of stories about Harry Potter. In 1996, one year after finishing the book, Bloomsbury bought Jo's first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. A few months after 'Harry' was accepted for publication in Britain, an American publisher bought the rights for enough money to enable Jo to write full time.

Click here to see the new Harry Potter books site with illustrations by Jonny Duddle.