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"Harry Potter gets royal seal of approval"(Reuters, March 2, 2001) |
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LONDON - J.K. Rowling, creator of the hugely popular Harry Potter series, enjoyed a magical moment Friday when Britain's Prince Charles presented her with an Order of the British Empire.
The author, whose bewitching books about a bespectacled schoolboy wizard have catapulted her into the ranks of Britain's wealthiest women, was honored for services to children's literature. Pottermania is set to escalate this year when the film version of the first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," is released. A sneak preview, which went online Thursday, offered fans their first tantalizing glimpses of Harry and his friends battling with spells, potions and flying broomsticks at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "I saw the trailer early and thought it was absolutely wonderful, so I was really happy," Rowling told ITN news. Daniel Radcliffe was the lucky 11-year old picked to be Harry. His red-haired friend Ron is played by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson is the conscientious Hermione. "From what I've seen so far it's a great film. The three main children, the leads, who are unknowns, they are absolutely wonderful. They couldn't have been better cast," Rowling added. The film, one of this year's eagerly-awaited features, is set for release on November 16. Fans in the United States will flock to see "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," but the UK version will retain the book's original title. The 35-year-old author, whose first name is Joanne, wrote her first best-seller in an Edinburgh cafe when she was a single mother, struggling to live on state benefits with daughter Jessica. "I never dreamt Harry Potter was going to be the thing that saved us," she once told reporters. Her creation has been credited with helping children to rediscover books in the electronic age where Playstation and Pokemon rule. More than 60 million copies have been sold in 200 countries, gripping the imagination of adults and children alike. |
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