JK Rowling

Extracted Attributes

• Born

  1965-07-31

• Genres

  Fantasy, Children's literature, Literary fiction, Murder mystery, Hardboiled detective fiction

• Pen Name

  J. K. Rowling

• Education

  University of Exeter

• Full Name

  Joanne Rowling

• Known For

  Harry Potter series

• Pseudonym

  Robert Galbraith

• Birthplace

  Yate, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom

• Occupation

  Novelist, Author, Screenwriter

• Middle Name

  None (The 'K' in J.K. Rowling is from her paternal grandmother Kathleen)

• Nationality

  British

• Political Stances

  Opposed Scottish independence, Opposed Brexit

• Highest-Paid Author

  By 2008 (Forbes)

• Political Affiliation

  Donor to British Labour Party

• Harry Potter Series Sales

  Over 600 million copies worldwide

• Charitable Giving (Estimated)

  Exceeded US$200 million by 2025 (Forbes)

• Harry Potter Series Languages

  84 languages

Timeline

• Born Joanne Rowling in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Biography.com, Britannica)

  1965-07-31

• Graduated from the University of Exeter. (Source: Britannica Kids)

  1986

• Conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Britannica Kids)

  1990

• Experienced personal challenges including the death of her mother, the birth of her first child, a divorce, and periods of poverty. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1990-1997

• First Harry Potter manuscript purchased by Bloomsbury Children's Books. (Source: Britannica Kids)

  1996

• Published *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (known as *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* in the US), the first book in the series. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Britannica Kids)

  1997

• Established the Volant Charitable Trust. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2000

• Co-founded the charity Lumos. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Jkrowling.com)

  2005

• Published *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, the final book in the Harry Potter series. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2007

• Recognized by Forbes as the world's highest-paid author. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2008

• Published *The Cuckoo's Calling*, the first novel in the Cormoran Strike series, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. (Source: Jkrowling.com)

  2013

• Began making public remarks about transgender people, leading to condemnation from LGBT rights groups and critics. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2019

• Forbes estimated her charitable giving to exceed US$200 million. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025

J. K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling ( ROH-ling; born 31 July 1965), better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British novelist and author of Harry Potter, a seven-volume series about a young wizard. Published from 1997 to 2007, the fantasy novels are the best-selling book series in history, with over 600 million copies sold. They have been translated into 84 languages and have spawned a global media franchise including films and video games. She writes Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, under the alias Robert Galbraith. Born in Yate, Gloucestershire, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International in 1990 when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series. The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, the birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband, and relative poverty until the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997. Six sequels followed, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007). By 2008, Forbes had named her the world's highest-paid author. The novels follow a boy called Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts (a school for wizards), and battles Lord Voldemort. Death and the divide between good and evil are the central themes of the series. Its influences include Bildungsroman (the coming-of-age genre), school stories, fairy tales, and Christian allegory. The series revived fantasy as a genre in the children's market, spawned a host of imitators, and inspired an active fandom. Critical reception has been more mixed. Many reviewers see Rowling's writing as conventional; some regard her portrayal of gender and social division as regressive. There were also religious debates over the Harry Potter series. Rowling has won many accolades for her work. She was named to the Order of the British Empire and was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature and philanthropy. Harry Potter brought her wealth and recognition, which she has used to advance philanthropic endeavours and political causes. She established the Volant Charitable Trust in 2000, and co-founded the charity Lumos in 2005. Rowling's philanthropy centres on medical causes and supporting at-risk women and children. In 2025, Forbes estimated that Rowling's charitable giving exceeded US$200 million. She has also donated to the British Labour Party, and opposed Scottish independence and Brexit. Beginning in 2019, Rowling began making public remarks about transgender people, in opposition to the notion that gender identity differs from birth sex. She has been condemned as transphobic by LGBT rights groups, some Harry Potter fans, and various other critics, including academics, which has affected her public image and relationship with readers and colleagues, altering the way they engage with her works.

Web Search Results

• J. K. Rowling - Wikipedia

  Joanne Rowling (/ˈroʊlɪŋ/ ⓘ.ogg "File:J. K. Rowling (2).ogg") ROH-ling; born 31 July 1965), better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British novelist and author of Harry Potter, a seven-volume series about a young wizard. Published from 1997 to 2007, the fantasy novels are the best-selling book series in history, with over 600 million copies sold. They have been translated into 84 languages and have spawned a global media franchise including films "Harry Potter (films)") and video [...] Rowling is known primarily as an author of fantasy and children's literature. Her writing in other genres, including literary fiction and murder mystery, has received less critical attention. Rowling's most famous work, Harry Potter, has been defined as a fairy tale, a Bildungsroman and a boarding-school story. Her other writings have been described by Pugh as gritty contemporary fiction with historical influences (The Casual Vacancy) and hardboiled detective fiction (Cormoran Strike). [...] Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, before her remarriage her name was Joanne Rowling with no middle name, nicknamed Jo. Staff at Bloomsbury Publishing suggested that she use two initials rather than her full name, anticipating that young boys – their target audience – would not want to read a book written by a woman. She chose K as the second initial, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Rowling, and because of the ease of pronunciation of the two consecutive letters.

• J.K. Rowling | Biography, Controversy, Books, Full Name, & Facts

  Duolingo in trans row after criticising JK Rowling in German lesson • Aug. 21, 2025, 3:49 AM ET (The Telegraph) J.K. Rowling (born July 31, 1965, Yate, near Bristol, England) is a British author and the creator of the popular and critically acclaimed Harry Potter series, about a young sorcerer in training. ## Humble beginnings [...] See all related content Top Questions ### What is J.K. Rowling famous for? J.K. Rowling is the British author who created the popular and critically acclaimed Harry Potter series (seven books published between 1997 and 2007), about a lonely orphan who discovers that he is actually a wizard and enrolls in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. ### What did J.K. Rowling write? [...] J.K. Rowling was born Joanne Rowling. After her publisher recommended she use a gender-neutral pen name, she chose J.K., adding the middle name Kathleen. She published her crime fiction series, which includes The Cuckoo’s Calling, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. ## News • Harry Potter: Warwick Davis to reprise role in upcoming TV series • Sep. 1, 2025, 5:54 AM ET (BBC) Harry Potter director calls JK Rowling’s trans views ‘very sad’ • Aug. 26, 2025, 3:14 AM ET (The Telegraph)

• J.K. Rowling - Books, Family & Facts - Biography

  J.K. Rowling, is a British author and screenwriter best known for her seven-book Harry Potter children's book series. The series has sold more than 500 million copies and was adapted into a blockbuster film franchise. ## Early Life Rowling was born Joanne Rowling on July 31, 1965, in Yate, England. She adopted her pen name, J.K., incorporating her grandmother's name, Kathleen, for the latter initial (Rowling does not have a middle name). [...] Name: J.K. Rowling Birth Year: 1965 Birth date: July 31, 1965 Birth City: Yate, England Birth Country: United Kingdom Gender: Female Best Known For: J.K. Rowling is the creator of the 'Harry Potter' fantasy series, one of the most popular book and film franchises in history. Industries + Fiction and Poetry Astrological Sign: Leo Schools + University of Exeter + St Michael's Primary School in Winterbourne + Wyedean School and College Interesting Facts [...] Skip to Content 1. Famous Authors & Writers 2. Famous British People 3. J.K. Rowling # J.K. Rowling J.K. Rowling is the creator of the 'Harry Potter' fantasy series, one of the most popular book and film franchises in history. Photo: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images (1965-) ## Who Is J.K. Rowling?

• J.K. Rowling - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

  Joanne Rowling was born on July 31, 1965, in Yate, near Bristol, England. She grew up in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, Wales. She loved reading and wrote her first story at the age of six. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 1986, Rowling began working for Amnesty International in London, England. The idea for the Harry Potter stories came to her during a train ride in 1990, and she began writing the magic adventure while sitting in cafés and pubs. In the early 1990s she [...] (born 1965). British author J.K. Rowling captured the imagination of children and adults alike with her best-selling series of books about Harry Potter, a young sorcerer in training. The books were critically acclaimed as well as wildly popular around the world and were credited with generating a new interest in reading among children, the books’ intended audience. ## Early Life [...] After being rejected by several publishers, Rowling’s first manuscript was purchased by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in 1996. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997), which was known in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was an immediate success. It was released under the name J.K. Rowling. (Her publisher recommended a gender-neutral pen name; she used J.K., adding the middle name Kathleen after her grandmother.) Featuring vivid descriptions and an imaginative

• About - J.K. Rowling

  J.K. Rowling is Founder and President of Lumos, an international children’s charity fighting for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world. Lumos sheds light on the root causes of family separation – poverty, conflict and discrimination – and demonstrates that children can safely be united with loving families that help them thrive. ## Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic [...] Writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she is also the author of the highly acclaimed crime fiction series, featuring private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. The first of these, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published in 2013, at first without its author’s true identity being known. The Silkworm followed in 2014, Career of Evil in 2015, Lethal White in 2018, Troubled Blood in 2020, The Ink Black Heart in 2022 and The Running Grave in 2023. All were published to critical [...] Home News In My Own Words On Writing Books About Grown-Ups Younger Readers Skip to content Joanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965 at Yate General Hospital near Bristol, and grew up in Gloucestershire in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, in south-east Wales.