The sorceress with an acerbic wit and Twitter skills to match turns 52! It is Joanne Kathleen Rowling’s (popularly known as JK Rowling) birthday today – she was born on 31 July 1965 – and it is a birthday being celebrated by wizards and witches across the world, no doubt, with umpteen mugs of Butterbeer and wands held aloft. The author of the superbly successful Harry Potter series shares her birthday with the beloved titular character – which means it’s a double bonanza.
And what better way to toast the duo than to read about them? Rowling has, in the past few years, kept the Potter magic alive through Pottermore – a digital publishing company owned by her, where she continues to publish previously unreleased writing.
Listen to the story of ‘The Potter Family’ here. (It was published in September 2015 and traces the Potter family’s ancestry):
The story has been reproduced and read out from Pottermore:
(Would you like to contribute to our Independence Day campaign to celebrate the mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)