Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling, which describe the adventures of the young apprentice of witchcraft and wizardry Harry Potter and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, during their years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The plot centers on the fight between Harry Potter and the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who murdered Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world.
Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, in 1997, the series achieved immense popularity, critical acclaim, and commercial success around the world. By July 2013, between 400 and 450 million copies of the seven books had been sold, ranking them as the second best-selling book series. of history and which have been translated into more than 65 languages, including Latin and ancient Greek. The seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released worldwide in English on July 21, 2007, while in Spanish it was published on February 21, 2008.
It should be noted that three editions were released (1st in 1997, 2nd and 3rd in 2015) in case you haven't read any of the books yet and want to, it is advisable to read the seven books from the same edition, because each one tells the stories in different ways. This was clarified by J.K. Rowling in an interview with a UK outlet in 2017.
The success of the novels has made the Harry Potter brand one of the most successful in the world, with a value of 15 billion dollars, and Rowling the first writer in history to reach $1 billion in earnings from his work. In 2005, he was the ninth-highest annual earner in the world.
In 1999, the film production company Warner Bros. acquired the rights to adapt the seven books into a series of films. The last of them, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, was released on July 15, 2011 and with eight films made the series became one of the most successful movie franchises. in concept of box office collections.
Synopsis
Plot Summary
The story begins with the celebration of the wizarding world. For many years, wizards had lived in terror of the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. On the night of October 31, he killed Lily and James Potter. However, when he attempts to kill his one-year-old son, Harry, the killing curse avada kedavra turns on himself. Voldemort's body is destroyed, but he survives: he becomes something more subtle than a ghost, in his own words, who is neither dead nor alive. For his part, Harry is left with only a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead that is the only physical remnant of Voldemort's curse. Aside from the scar, Harry is left with a strange brain connection to Voldemort, which means that Harry can feel Voldemort's emotions and speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes. Harry is the sole survivor of the Killing Curse, and in the aftermath of Voldemort's mysterious defeat, the wizarding world begins calling him "the boy who lived."
On November 2, Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant, leaves Harry with his only remaining relatives, his cruel uncles the Dursleys. These are his uncle Vernon, his aunt Petunia and Dudley, his bratty cousin. They hide the fact that he is a magician from him and tell him that his parents have died in a car accident. Harry is severely punished after any strange behavior. However, on the eve of his eleventh birthday, Harry has his first contact with the wizarding world when he receives letters from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which are delivered by owls, although his uncle prevents him from reading them.. Already on his birthday, Hagrid appears and tells Harry that there is a magical world, and, since he is a wizard, he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter Universe
Unlike novels such as The Chronicles of Narnia, which deal with an alternate universe, or The Lord of the Rings, where "Earth Media" is about a fictional past, the wizarding world of the Harry Potter novels is a parallel universe to ours and contains various magical elements analogous to things in the non-wizard or muggle world. This magical universe has a political organization for each State; In the case of the United Kingdom, where most of the action takes place, the highest institution is the Ministry of Magic. There is an "International Statute of Secrecy" that obliges all witches and wizards in the world to keep the existence of the wizarding world a secret from Muggles.
The ability to perform magic, according to the novels, is innate rather than learned, though young wizards must attend schools in order to master and control it. This ability is completely hereditary, although there are Muggle-born wizards (or "mudbloods" in a pejorative way) as they should always have a wizard ascendant; it is also possible that there are children of wizards without any magical ability. The latter are commonly called "squibs." Wizards have a developed social system, with their own currency, health, and a complex network of transportation and communications.
Within the wizarding world, other creatures coexist with wizards who are also kept secret and out of contact with Muggles. Among them are dragons, ghosts, unicorns, mermaids, centaurs and others invented or adapted by the author such as dementors or house elves.
Timeline
The books avoid locating history in any particular year, however there are a couple of references that allow establishing a timeline with actual years. The first occurs in the second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which the ghost Nearly Headless Nick celebrates the 500th anniversary of his death, which occurred on October 31, 1492, therefore, the book is placed in the 1992 to 1993 school year. This chronology is reiterated in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where the death of James and Lily Potter is stated to have occurred on October 31, 1981. These data allow us to deduce that the plot of the story takes place from 1981, when Dumbledore gives Harry to his uncles at the beginning of The Philosopher's Stone, until 1998, at the end of The Deathly Hallows.
Novels
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) is the first book in the series, it was published in the UK on 26 June 1997 and in Spanish in March 1999. It is one of the best-selling books in history, estimates of its worldwide sales exceed 400 million copies. In spring 2007, a first edition signed by Rowling was auctioned in London for £27,876.
This first work introduces most of the main characters of the series, as well as many of the places where the action will take place. Harry's first steps in the world of magic are narrated, as well as his first confrontation with Voldemort, who in his quest for immortality wants to obtain the power of the philosopher's stone and possesses the professor of defense against the dark arts.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) was originally published on July 2, 1998, and in Spanish in October 1999. Many of the elements of the first draft of this book were removed by both its author and the publisher. Furthermore, the book has an important thematic relationship with the sixth book. Much of the information that was to be revealed in this volume was moved to the sixth installment. As a consequence of this, many of the elements that appear in an everyday form in The Chamber of Secrets appear again in Half-Blood Prince with their true relevance.
The book chronicles Harry's second year at Hogwarts. One day a house-elf named Dobby goes to Harry's house to warn him that Hogwarts is in grave danger. Later, his friend Ron will pick him up in a flying car and thus begins his course at Hogwarts during which messages appear on the walls of the school corridors warning that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, followed by a series of attacks on students who do not come from families with magical blood. In this installment they introduce the figure of the house elf and relevant characters for the rest of the series, such as Lucius Malfoy, Ginny Weasley and Arthur Weasley, as well as revealing a little more about Voldemort's past through his personal diary.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) was published in English on July 8, 1999, while in Spanish it did so in April 2000. This was Rowling's fastest writing book, finishing it in just one year after starting to write it. He was also a recipient of the Costa Prize and the Bram Stoker Prize, among others, which place it as one of the most successful fantastic books of recent years.
In this opportunity, the figure of the dementor is introduced, a non-being that absorbs the joy of people. J.k. Rowling drew on depression to create the Dementors. The characters Remus Lupine, the shy and adorable lycanthrope and Sirius Black, Harry's reckless godfather, who at the beginning of the novel escapes from Azkaban prison in addition to developing the story of Harry's parents. It is the only book in the series in which Voldemort does not appear.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) was published in English on July 8, 2000 and in Spanish in March 2001 The size of the book was increased considerably from the first three, an idea Rowling had been aware of since the novel's conception. The title went through various modifications, including Harry Potter and the Doomspeell Tournament, Harry Potter and the Triwizard Tournament, until the author gravitated towards The Goblet of Fire as it was reminiscent of the concept of the "cup of destiny", which according to her was the theme of the book. The novel was the winner of the Hugo Award for best novel in 2001.
This time, Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts and the mystery surrounding the involuntary entry of his name into the Triwizard Tournament, in which he is forced to compete alongside three other participants, is narrated. The story further explores the wizarding world and ends with the revival of Lord Voldemort. Prior to the book's publication, much controversy and anticipation was generated by the author's announcement that a character would die. In this book, Harry and his classmates go from being children to teenagers and becoming interested in girls. The atmosphere that love is in the air increases when a bunch of exotic girls arrive in Howarts for the Triwizard Tournament.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) is with almost 900 pages in its English edition the longest book in the series, a fact that the author herself considers a defect. It was published worldwide in English on June 21, 2003, and in Spanish on February 21, 2004. The Spanish edition by Salamandra consisted of three versions: one for Spain, another for the southern cone and another for Colombia, Mexico and the United States. This distinction was made to respect some peculiarities of the regional language. Its initial print run in Spanish was 1,100,000 copies.
In the fifth book, Harry Potter must confront both a resurrected Voldemort and the rest of the wizarding world that refuses to believe this to be true, starting with the Ministry of Magic. This names Dolores Umbridge as the new headmistress of Hogwarts, who along with Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange are the three most prominent characters introduced in this installment. On the other hand, an important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort is revealed.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) was published in English on July 16, 2005 and was introduced by Rowling at a press conference reserved only for children between the ages of 8 and 16. For its part, in Spanish it was published on February 23, 2006, with an initial circulation of one million copies. Almost a year before its original publication, Rowling had stated on her official website her desire to kill another character, leading to a series of unofficial bets in which the possibilities were considered.
In this sixth installment, Harry stumbles across an ancient potions textbook filled with notations and recommendations signed by the mysterious half-blood prince. At the same time, he receives private classes from the school's own director, Albus Dumbledore, who makes him know moments from Voldemort's past, in order to teach him what horcruxes are, elementary objects to achieve his victory. At the end of the book, Professor Severus Snape, whose loyalty was in question throughout the series, assassinates Dumbledore. The phrase Snape kills Dumbledore (Snape kills Dumbledore) became an internet phenomenon that prompted all kinds of videos and graphics.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The seventh novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), was published in English on July 21, 2007, closing the series that lasted a decade. In Spanish it was published on February 21, 2008, with an initial circulation of one and a half million copies. The book broke sales records, with more than 11 million copies sold in its first 48 hours, only in the United Kingdom and United States. The previous mark was held by Half-Blood Prince.
This latest novel chronicles the events that directly follow Dumbledore's death, in which Voldemort finalizes his rise to power and manages to dominate the Ministry of Magic. Harry and his friends decide not to attend their last year at Hogwarts, to go out in search of the remaining horcruxes. Finally, the battle of Hogwarts takes place, between the Order of the Phoenix, students and teachers of the school, on the one hand, and Voldemort and the Death Eaters, on the other. in this novel you die Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Tonks and last but not least Severus Snape. The novel ends with an epilogue that tells the future of the surviving characters 19 years after the confrontation, showing that each of them has shaped their lives.
On October 23, 2015, J.K. Rowling announced an eighth part of the saga.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The eighth installment of the Harry Potter series (which is divided into two parts) was published on July 31, 2016. It is not a novel like the previous ones, but simply the script used in the play about it, which premiered on July 30, 2016.
Other publications
In addition, Rowling wrote six side books that sit within the universe of the eight main novels. They were all written for charity, as their proceeds were donated to Comic Relief and The Children's Voice.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (in English, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) is a textbook used by Hogwarts students, written in fiction. by Newt Scamander, a famed biological magician. He describes and analyzes the various magical creatures that inhabit the world. It was published on March 5, 2001, with a design representing the copy used by Harry Potter in The Prisoner of Azkaban. It also includes some notes in the margin supposedly made by the three protagonists. On September 12, 2013, Warner Bros. announced that a film based on this book was in the works with a script by J.K. Rowling. On October 15, 2014, it was made official that actor Eddie Redmayne would play the lead role in the film. Warner Bros. announced that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them would be a pentalogy that would be released in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Quidditch Through the Ages
Quidditch Through the Ages (in English, Quidditch Through the Ages) was published jointly with the previous one, and pursued the same charitable purposes. In this case, it is a manual on the rules and history of Quidditch, the most popular sport among wizards. Although it appears in the series as a Christmas gift from Hermione to Harry, the book is designed as a copy from the Hogwarts library, with a somewhat faded appearance and a sticker detailing the students who have previously borrowed it.
Tales of Beedle the Bard
For its part, The Tales of Beedle the Bard (The Tales of Beedle the Bard) was written in late 2007 as a "farewell to the series" by author's part. Only seven handwritten and illustrated copies were made by Rowling, of which six were given as gifts and one was auctioned in London. The auction was held at Sotheby's in the city, and the book was bought by Amazon.com for £1,950,000. All 157-page copies are leather-bound Moroccan with silver ornaments and inlaid with semi-precious stones.
According to the series, Beedle the Bard is to the fictional wizarding world what the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen are to the real world. His tales are as popularly known among wizarding children as Cinderella or Snow White are among Muggles. A compilation of these stories, written in ancient runes, appears in the last book of the heptalogy as a legacy from Albus Dumbledore to Hermione Granger and plays a key role in the development of the plot.
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide (Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide) is part of the Pottermore Presents series, published 6 September 2016. The book written by J.K. Rowling delves into data and history of places and objects mentioned in the saga.
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeist
Protagonists
- Harry Potter is the main protagonist and who gives title to the series. He is an orphaned child who lives with his cruel uncles until on his eleventh birthday he learns that he is a magician and finds out that when he was one year old, Lord Voldemort killed his parents, and when he wanted to do the same with him, the murderous curse turned on himself, making him disappear, while Harry was left with only a scar on his forehead with lightning. Afterwards, he discovers that his destiny is linked to that of Voldemort, and that he must avoid the resurgence of the Dark Lord. Harry is not a particularly brilliant boy in studies, but despite this, he stands out in Defense Against Dark Arts. For example, he learned the Patronus enchantment at age 13, while many magicians often learn it at age 17.
- Ron Weasley is the best friend of Harry Potter and, along with Hermione Granger, one of his adventure buddies. It appears described as a tall boy and redhead, who together with his parents and brothers (who also have an important role in the series) live in "the Madriguera". Ron lives in the shadow of his five older brothers, in addition to that of Harry himself, which has generated several discussions between the two throughout the series.
- Hermione Granger composes together with Harry and Ron the trio of protagonists, called the trio of gold. Hermione is very intelligent and scholarly, always confronts the logic and cold thinking in the face of the courage of his fellows. From the fourth book he implicitly exposes his feelings to Ron, which will not be clarified until the last delivery.
- Albus Dumbledore is the director of Hogwarts. He is considered one of the most powerful magicians of his time (it is said that the only person Lord Voldemort is afraid of is Dumbledore) and one of Harry's leading mentors. Books usually end a conversation between Harry and Dumbledore in which the latter reveals details of the unknowns that arise in the plot. In the sixth book he gives private lessons to Harry, teaching him about the horrocruxes. As a young man he was in love with Gellert Grindewald, one of the protagonists of Fantastic Animals, although when Dumbledore talks to Harry in the book this says they were only friends. At the end of this novel, he is murdered by Severus Snape, leaving the magical world at the mercy of Voldemort's second uprising.
- Sirius Black: He's Harry's godfather, and suspected serial killer. He was 12 years locked up in Azkaban, the magic prison, and he was only in 3 of the 8 books. He's a reckless magician with a great sense of courage and honor. In addition, it is an animate, so it can become a black dog azabache, and it does so repeatedly along the saga. He was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange his cousin in the battle of the Department of Mysteries.
Antagonists
- Lord Voldemort, the antagonist of the series, is a dark and evil magician who wants to dominate the magical world to impose his ideology based on the prevalence of pure blood and eliminate the muggles. Its true name is Tom Marvolo Riddle (in some Spanish versions it is translated as Tom Sorvolo Ryddle) and it appears described as a pale and high being, with slits instead of nose, red eyes with vertical pupils and an acute and cold voice. Although he was an exemplary student of Hogwarts, he dedicated his life to the dark arts, and in his dull quest for immortality, he developed seven horrocruxes, depositing a piece of his soul in each of them. After graduating from Hogwarts, and along with his followers, the mortíphages, began a time of terror in the magical world. After hearing a prophecy in which the birth of a rival was inaugurated, he tried to kill Harry, but he did not succeed and almost died. He managed to rebuild his body in the fourth book and came to power again after Dumbledore's death.
- Them mortify are the faithful followers of Lord Voldemort. They are the ones who carry out the missions that their master commands them and owes them blind obedience, to the degree of prioritizing their loyalty above their own family.
Development of the series
Origin and publication
According to her website, in 1990 Rowling was traveling on a train from Manchester to London, when the idea "suddenly formed in her head".
I had been writing almost continuously since I was six, but I had never been so excited about an idea like that before. [...] I just sat down and thought, for four hours (the train had been delayed), and all the details appeared in my head, and this dismantled, black-haired guy who didn't know he was a magician started to be more and more real to me.
In 1995, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was finished and the manuscript was sent to various agents. The second agent she went to offered to represent her and send his manuscript to Bloomsbury Publishing. After eight publishers rejected the book, Bloomsbury offered Rowling a £2,500 advance for publication.
Although Rowling had no particular age category in mind for her potential readers when she began writing, the editors initially targeted children between the ages of nine and eleven. On the eve of publication, the editors They asked Joanne Rowling to adopt a more gender-neutral pen name to address male children of this age, fearing that they would not be interested in reading a novel written by a woman. She chose to use J.K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling), omitting her first name and using her grandmother's as her second name.
The first Harry Potter book was published in the UK by Bloomsbury in June 1997 and in the US by Scholastic in September 1998, upon payment of $105,000 to Rowling, a sum unprecedented for a children's book by publishing law in the United States. Fearing that some of the readers would not understand the word "philosopher" or associate it with a magical theme (the philosopher's stone is related to alchemy), Scholastic insisted that the book be retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the US market.
Rowling's publishers managed to capitalize on this phenomenon thanks to rapid successive publications of the first four books that did not allow reader interest to wan, even when Rowling took a break between the publication of The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix. children and another for adults.
Completion of the series
In December 2005, Rowling stated on her website that "2006 will be the year I write the last book in the Harry Potter series." The progress of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was detailed in subsequent updates to her e-diary up until her publication on July 21, 2007.
Rowling finished the book on January 11, 2007 at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, where she wrote a message under a bust of Hermes that reads: "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on this room (652) on January 11, 2007."
However, Rowling stated that the last chapter of the seventh book (the epilogue) was written "in about 1990". In June 2006, in an appearance on the British talk show Richard &; Judy, Rowling announced that this chapter had been changed, as one character was "saved" and two others who previously survived the story now died. She also said that she saw the logic in killing Harry Potter, in order to prevent other authors from writing books about Harry's life after Hogwarts.
After The Deathly Hallows
Rowling wrote all seven Harry Potter books in 17 years. In a 2000 interview with her American publisher, Rowling stated that there is no university after Hogwarts. As for the continuation of the series after the seventh book, she said, "I'm not going to say never , but I have no plans to write an eighth book."
When asked about writing other books related to the series, in the style of Quidditch Through the Ages or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, he replied that he would consider doing so. if the profits go to charity, as happened with these two books. Another suggestion was a type of encyclopedia, containing information that did not fit into the series. On this, on July 24, 2007, Rowling announced in an interview that she would "probably" write an encyclopedia of the world of Harry Potter. , which would include data discarded from the story, as well as information about what happened after The Deathly Hallows, such as details about the future of the characters, etc.
Literary analysis
Structure and gender
Novels are primarily based within the fantasy genre, although in many respects they can also be considered Bildungsromane, or training novels, detailing some sort of character development. The story is primarily set at Hogwarts, a British boarding school for wizards. In this sense, the novels are "direct descendants of Thomas Hughes's Tom Brown's School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels based on life in public schools". In part, in the words of Stephen King, the novels are "cunning mystery tales", and each book is constructed in the style of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where a number of clues are left hidden in the narrative, while the characters chase a series of suspects throughout exotic settings, leading to an unexpected twist ending. They are written in the third person with an omniscient narrator who focuses on Harry with few exceptions (such as the first chapters of The Philosopher's Stone, The Half-Blood Prince or The Deathly Hallows), and the secrets of the story are revealed to the reader at the same time as to Harry.
Books tend to follow a very strict formula. Set over consecutive years, they usually begin with Harry at the Dursleys' in the Muggle world. Next, he moves to some magical setting, such as The Burrow, Diagon Alley, or 12 Grimmauld Place, for a brief period before the start of the school year, which begins when he boards the Hogwarts Express, at Platform 9¾. Once there, the story unfolds, reaching its climax near or just after the final exams, when Harry must face Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters. Lastly, he learns an important lesson or key plot detail in a conversation with Albus Dumbledore. This formula is completely broken in the last novel, in which Harry and his friends spend most of their time outside of Hogwarts, only returning there for the final confrontation.
On the other hand, Voldemort is present in some way (physically, through a dream or a vision) in every chapter up to the fifth book, and after which, he appears in most of the rest. This structure allows the reader to unravel the mysteries at the same time as Harry, finding clues only when he does.
Themes
According to Rowling, the main theme around heptalogy is death: «My books are largely about death. They begin with the death of Harry's parents. Then there's Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any cost, the goal of anyone capable of magic. I understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death. We are all so afraid of him."
Different specialists in the literary industry have developed other interpretations of the themes presented in the books, some more complex than others, and some including political overtones. In general, it has been concluded that themes such as normality, oppression, survival, and exceeding established standards are manifested in the novels. Rowling has stated that the books comprise "an argument in favor of tolerance" and that they also convey a message that proposes to "question authority and not assume that the establishment or the press tell you the whole truth".
While the books could be said to encompass many other themes, such as power (or abuse of it), love and prejudice, these are, according to Rowling, "strongly rooted in plot"; the author prefers to let these concepts "grow organically" rather than sit back and consciously attempt to impart such ideas to her readers. Along the same lines is the ever-present adolescent theme, in which the author was determined to admit the sexuality of her characters, in order not to "stuck Harry in a permanent pre-pubescent state".
Achievements
Cultural Impact
The increase in the habit of reading among children and young people has been the most notable trend attributed to Harry Potter. A 2006 survey conducted by the Kids and Family Reading Report and Scholastic found that 51% of series readers ages 5-17 said they had not previously read for pleasure Harry Potter, but then he does. In addition, the study states that 65% of children and 76% of parents stated that their own or their children's school performance had improved since they began reading the books. Charlie Griffiths, director of the National Literacy Association, said "anyone who persuades children to read should be treasured, and what Rowling has given us with Harry Potter is almost a miracle". On the other hand, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the writer saying: "I think J.K. Rowling has done more for literature than any other human being."
As the series progresses, each book becomes progressively longer, developing literary skills in readers. A comparison shows that each book, except the sixth, is longer than its predecessor, requiring greater concentration and attention in those children who tackle the reading of the series.
The fanaticism that the books achieved is also remarkable. In response to fan anxiety, bookstores around the world began hosting events to coincide with the release of the books, beginning with the publication of The Goblet of Fire in 2000. These Events, which typically included games, performances and face painting, have been hugely popular with fans and incredibly successful in attracting buyers, evidenced by first-day sales of nearly 9 million. of copies of the 10.8 million of the initial print run.
Harry Potter also brought changes to the publishing world, one of the most notable being the reformation of the New York Times best-seller list. i>. The change came immediately after the release of The Goblet of Fire in 2000, when publishers complained about the number of slots occupied by Harry Potter and children's books. As a consequence, the New York Times created a separate list for children's literature.
The word muggle has spread beyond its origins, being used by many people to indicate someone who lacks some ability. In 2003, the term entered the Oxford English Dictionary with that definition.
Commercial success
In November 2007, Advertising Age magazine estimated the total value of the Harry Potter brand at $15 billion. a substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other copyright holders. This success made Rowling the first and so far only person to have amassed a billion US dollars writing books. This figure would place her, according to some sources, as the wealthiest woman in the United Kingdom, above Queen Elizabeth II.
For the launch of Goblet of Fire, 9,000 FedEx trucks were used to deliver the books alone. In the United States, the book's initial print run was 3.8 million copies. This record was surpassed by The Order of the Phoenix, with 8.5 million, which in turn was surpassed by The Half-Blood Prince, whose initial print run was 10,8 million. In the United States and the United Kingdom alone, almost 9 million copies of the sixth book were sold in the first 24 hours of its publication. For its part, the initial print run in English of The Deathly Hallows was 12 million copies, thus setting a new record.
On the other hand, some bookstores stated that selling Harry Potter books was not profitable for them. The intense competition to offer the best price of the popular novels lowered the expected income. The suggested price for The Deathly Hallows was $35, but Amazon.com offered the book for a sale price of $18, a move other chains followed to stay competitive. This led to smaller bookstores selling the book at the suggested price, but adding other benefits, such as discount coupons for the next purchase or Harry Potter-related memorabilia.
Criticism and controversies
Literary criticism
In its early days, Harry Potter received rave reviews, which helped build a large readership for the series. Upon publication, many of Britain's leading newspapers praised The Philosopher's Stone. The Mail on Sunday described it as "the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl", a view seconded by the Sunday Times. For its part, The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel, unstuck by imaginative wit" and The Scotsman said it has "all the hallmarks of a classic".
After the publication of the fifth volume, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the books began to receive strong criticism from different literary experts. Critic and Yale professor Harold Bloom questioned the literary merits of the books, saying "Rowling's mind is so ruled by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writing". In a New York Times article, A.S. Byatt called Rowling's universe a "secondary world made up of a collection of incongruous parts derived from all sorts of children's literature... written for people whose imaginations are running wild." confined to television cartoons, soap operas, reality television, and gossip."
In contrast, author Fay Weldon conceded that the series "is not what poets would expect", but "this is not poetry, this is readable, sellable, useful, everyday prose". Literary critic A. N. Wilson praised the series in The Times: "There aren't many authors with JK's Dickensian ability to make us flip through the pages, cry—openly, with tears welling up—and a few pages then laugh at good jokes [...] We have lived in the decade in which the funniest, creepiest and most touching children's story ever written was published."
Stephen King called the series "a work of which only the highest imagination can make", calling Rowling's sense of humor "admirable". However, he wrote that while the story is "good", he is "a bit tired of finding Harry at home with his horrible aunt and uncle", the formula with which all books begin. He also predicted that the series will "endure the test of time, and it will end up on the shelf where only the best remains; and Harry will take his place with Alice, Huck, Frodo and Dorothy". Author Orson Scott Card wrote a review of The Deathly Hallows in which he says "JK Rowling has created something that deserves to remain in time, become a permanent classic of English literature, and not just a children's fiction".
Controversies
The books have been the subject of numerous legal proceedings, ranging from complaints by American religious groups claiming that magic in the books promotes witchcraft among children, to copyright disputes and trademark infringements.
The immense popularity and high market value of the books has prompted Rowling, her publishers, and film production company Warner Bros. to take legal steps to protect her rights, including banning the sale of imitations, "pursuing » to website owners over the use of the Harry Potter domain and to sue author Nancy Stouffer to counter her accusations of plagiarism about her work.
On the other hand, some groups criticized the books for promoting various political agendas, while certain religious groups declared that the books promote witchcraft and are therefore not suitable for children. In 2003, Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, declared before assuming as Supreme Pontiff that the books "subliminally seduce young readers and distort Christianity in the soul before it can develop". Finally, Rowling's statements that point to Dumbledore as homosexual Political controversies surrounding the series have increased.
Translations
The series has been translated into 65 languages, placing Rowling among the most translated authors in history. The first translation was into American English, as many words and concepts used by the characters in the novels, typical of British English, could be misinterpreted by young American readers. Subsequently, the books were translated into languages as diverse as Ukrainian, Hindi, Bengali, Welsh, Afrikaans, and Vietnamese. The first volume, The Philosopher's Stone, was translated into Latin and even into ancient Greek, making it the longest text published in that language since Heliodorus's novels in the III a. C.
The enormous demand for a decent local edition meant that the task of translating and interpreting the text was taken with great care. In some countries, such as Italy, an updated second edition was published, taking into account readers' suggestions. In other countries, such as China or Portugal, the translation was done by several people to reduce the time between the English and local publication. The Turkish editing of the second to seventh books was carried out by Sevin Okyay, a popular literary critic and cultural commentator. In order to keep the plot secret, authorized translations could only start after the books were published in English.. Therefore, there was a delay of several months until the translations were available. This resulted in many copies of the English editions being sold to impatient fans in many non-English speaking countries. So great was the impatience to read the fifth book that its British edition became the first English-language book to reach the top of the French best seller list.
Accommodations
Audiobooks
All of the heptalogy novels were published in English as audiobooks. There is a British version, narrated by Stephen Fry and an American one, by Jim Dale. For its part, only the first volume was published in Spanish, in CD-ROM format.
Movies
In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four books to Warner Bros. for £1,000,000. Rowling's main condition was that the main cast be strictly British, although hiring was allowed. Irish actors, such as the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, as well as French and Eastern European actors and actresses for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as some characters in the book are of that origin. After considering many directors such as Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demme and Alan Parker, on March 28, 2000, Chris Columbus was confirmed by Warner, who noted his previous work in children's films such as Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire as the main argument for this decision. After intensive casting, filming began in October 2000 at Leavesden Studios and in London itself, while production wrapped in July 2001. November 16, 2001 The Philosopher's Stone was released worldwide. Just three days after that release, production began on the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with Columbus reprising his directing role. This adaptation premiered on November 15, 2002.
Columbus turned down the offer to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a film he was only a producer on. It was the Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón who took over the direction, the filming was dated in the year 2003. The film was released on June 4, 2004. Since the production of the fourth film would begin before the premiere of the third, Mike Newell was chosen to direct Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was released on November 18, 2005. Newell also turned down the proposal to direct the next film, so he was appointed to the direction for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to British telefilm director David Yates. The premiere of this film was on July 11, 2007. Yates also directed the sixth installment, translated by Warner Bros as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was released on July 15, 2009. The latest adaptation, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was divided into two parts. Part 1 was released on November 19, 2010 in 2D and IMAX format, and Part 2 in 2D, 3D and IMAX format on July 15, 2011, both also directed by David Yates.
Rowling exerted some influence on the films, overseeing the filming process for the first adaptation and serving as a producer on the last two films, alongside David Heyman and David Barron. The films were enormous box office successes, all of which at the time were among the top 20 grossing films worldwide in history. On the other hand, the films as a whole make up the most successful series, surpassing those of James Bond, whose series consists of 23 titles, or Star Wars, of 7. In addition to being financially successful, the films generally received critical acclaim. Indeed, according to the review collector Rotten Tomatoes, the last installment was the second best reviewed title of 2011.
Theme Parks
On May 31, 2007, Warner Bros., Universal Studios and Leavesden Studios announced that a Harry Potter theme park would be built on Islands of Adventure, titled The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, in Orlando (United States) park opened in June 2010.
A similar theme park named after the same name, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, opened at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan on July 15, 2014. The Wizarding World was also under construction of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, near Los Angeles, California, scheduled to open in 2016.
Games
So far, Electronic Arts has released eight video games based on the plots of the movies and novels. In addition, EA produced a Quidditch simulation game in 2003: Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. LEGO also produced two video games, one about the first four installments and another about the last three, as well as a series of dolls and settings based on the five released films. On the other hand, Wizards of the Coast created a collectible card game similar to Magic: The Gathering based on the world of Harry Potter. This deck of cards became the second best-selling toy in the United States. Finally, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was the new Harry Potter video game for mobile devices. It was free to download on Android. In September 2020, development of an open-world game based on the Harry Potter universe, titled Hogwarts Legacy, was announced. The final release date has been pushed back to 2022.
TV series
On January 25, 2021, it was reported that a live-action television series was in development on HBO Max. Although it was noted that the series had "complicated rights issues" due to a seven-year rights deal with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution that included the broadcast, cable, and streaming rights to the franchise on United States, ending in April 2025.
Documentary Film
Twenty years later, on January 1, 2022, the documentary Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts premiered on the streaming platform HBO Max in which the most emblematic protagonists and actors meet again for the 20th anniversary of the release of the first film in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone saga, with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
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