If there is anyone out there who still hasn't heard of Harry Potter and his creator J.K. Rowling, they must be under a spell4. With the boy wizard5's latest adventure, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, flying into-and out of-bookstores on June 21, 2003, readers of all ages are wild with joy. The first four installments6 in the Harry Potter series have sold 192 million copies worldwide and been published in at least 55 languages. We just can't seem to get enough of Harry, his friends Hermione and Ron, and their increasingly dangerous adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft7 and Wizardry. Rowling herself has called composing8 Harry's story “the most fun you can have without anyone else present.” The fun should last for a while, at least: Two more volumes are planned.
Rowling's own worth, thanks to Harry—who has proved a big box-office draw9 as well—was estimated by The Sunday Times of London to be $444 million, making her richer than the queen.
But do you know like that of her own character, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling's life has also been magical?
K. Rowling was born in Bristol, England in 1965. Her full name is Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Her writing career started at the age of six when she wrote a story called Rabbit. Since then she has graduated from Exeter University, worked as a teacher and been an unemployed single parent. Divorced10 and living on public assistance she wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher＇s Stone at a table in a cafe during her daughter's naps11. When Harry Potter and the Philosopher＇s Stone was bought and published by Bloomsbury in 1997 her life changed dramatically, the Harry Potter series has since then won numerous12 awards and become a tremendous success around the world.
假如还有人没听说过哈里·波特和他的创造者乔·凯·罗琳的话，那他一定是中了魔咒。2003年6月21日，当这个小魔法师的最新冒险经历《哈里·波特与凤凰社》从书店飞进飞出的时候，各年龄层次的读者们欣喜若狂。《哈里·波特》系列的前四部已在全球售出了1.92亿册，至少以55种语言出版。我们似乎永远读不够有关哈里、他的朋友贺米恩和罗恩，以及他们在霍格沃茨魔法学校越来越惊险的冒险故事。罗琳本人把创作哈里的故事称作“一个人独处时所能获得的最大乐趣。”这种乐趣至少还会持续一段时间：另两部续集已在策划之中。
多亏了《哈里》——它同样创造了巨额票房价值——罗琳的身价被《伦敦周日时报》估算为4.44亿美元，比女王还富有。
但是你是否知道，跟她的笔下人物哈里·波特一样，罗琳的生活也充满了魔力？
罗琳1965年出生在英格兰的布里斯托尔。她的全名是乔安妮·凯思琳·罗琳。她的写作生涯始于六岁，当时创作了一篇题为《兔子》的故事。打那以后她从埃克塞特大学毕业、当过教师、后又成为失业的单身母亲。离婚后她靠政府补助生活，在一间咖啡屋的桌子前，她利用女儿打盹的间歇写下了《哈里·波特和魔法石》。1997年这本书被布鲁姆伯利公司买下并出版之后，她的生活发生了戏剧性的变化。从那以后《哈里·波特》系列赢得了众多奖项，在全球取得巨大成功。
An Interview with J.K. Rowling乔·凯·罗琳访谈录
Q: How did you get the idea for Harry Potter?
A: I was taking a long train journey from Manchester to London in England and the idea for Harry just fell into my head. At that point it was essentially13 the idea for a boy who didn't know he was a wizard, and the wizard school he ended up14 going to.
Q: How long did it take to write the first book?
A: 5 years, although during that time I was also planning & writing parts of the six sequels15.
Q: Did you always plan to write Harry's story in more than one book? If so, how many?
A: I always conceived it as a seven-book series because I decided that it would take seven years from the ages of 11-17, inclusive16, to train as a wizard, and each of the books would deal with a year of Harry's life at Hogwarts.
Q: Any hints17 you could share about what to expect in future Harry Potter books?
A: The theme running through all seven books is the fight between good and evil, and I'm afraid there will be casualties18! Children usually beg me not to kill Ron whenever I tell them this; they seem to think he is most vulnerable19, probably because he is the hero's best friend!
Q: Did you ever expect Harry Potter to be so successful?
A: I would have been crazy to have expected what has happened to Harry. The most exciting moment for me, against very stiff20 competition, was when I found out Harry was going to be published. It was my life's ambition to see a book I had written on a shelf in a bookshop.
Q: Are you surprised to see Harry Potter connecting with so many adults, as well as kids?
A: I didn't write with a target audience21 in mind. What excited me was how much I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children—children's books chose me. I think if it is a good book anyone will read it.
Q: Of the many things you must have heard people say about Harry Potter, what are some of your favourites?
A: My very favourite was from a twelve-year-old Scottish girl who came to hear me read at the Edinburgh book festival. The event was sold out and the queue22 for signing at the end was very long. When the girl in question finally reached me she said, 'I didn't WANT there to be so many people here, because this is MY book!' That is exactly how I feel about my favourite books...nobody else has a right to know them, let alone like them!
Q: Are you excited about the movie deal for Harry Potter? Where else might we see Harry Potter in the future (toys, video games23, etc.)?
A: I am very excited (and a little bit nervous) about Harry Potter the Movie. Warner Brothers have bought merchandising24 rights, so it is possible that we will be seeing Harry Potter toys.
Q: Where, when, and how do you write?
A: Any time, any place, and longhand25!
Q: Do you have any plans, as a writer, beyond Harry Potter?
A: I have always written and I know that I always will; I would be writing even if I hadn't been published. However, Harry is a large and all-consuming26 project, and I really haven't got time, at the moment, to decide what will come next.
问：你是如何萌生创作《哈里·波特》这一想法的？
答：有一次我在英格兰乘火车从曼彻斯特到伦敦做长途旅行，脑子里突然冒出了关于哈里的念头。当时的基本构想是关于一个并不知道自己有魔法的男孩，以及他后来上的那所魔法学校。
问：写第一部书花了多长时间？
答：五年，尽管那段时间我也在筹划和写作六部续集的一部分。
问：你是否一直有打算不止写一本关于哈里的故事？如果是这样，打算写多少部？
答：我一直把它构思为一套七部系列，因为我想训练一名魔法师需要七年，从11岁到17岁（含这两年），每一本书分别描述哈里在霍格沃茨一年的生活。
问：可以透露一些有关《哈里·波特》未来几部的线索吗？
答：贯穿七本书的主题是善与恶的斗争，恐怕会有伤亡呢！每当我提到这一点的时候，孩子们常常求我不要让罗恩死去；他们似乎认为他最容易受到攻击，可能因为他是主人公最好的朋友吧！
问：你当初有没有料到《哈里·波特》会如此成功？
答：若能料到《哈里》有今天的结果，我准会高兴得发疯。对我来说，最激动的时刻莫过于在极为激烈的竞争中得知《哈里》将被出版。我毕生的愿望就是看到一本自己写的书出现在书店的书架上。
问：看到《哈里·波特》不仅让孩子们着迷，还吸引了这么多的成年人，你是否感到惊讶？
答：我在写作的时候并没有考虑特定的读者群。令我兴奋不已的是我能从创作哈里的故事中获得巨大的乐趣。我从未想过专门为孩子们写作——是孩子们的书选择了我。我想只要是好书大家都会乐于读的。
问：你一定听到了人们对《哈里·波特》的很多评价，哪些是你最喜欢的？
答：我最喜欢的评价出自一个十二岁的苏格兰女孩，她到爱丁堡图书节来听我朗读。活动门票已经售完，等待最后签名的队伍很长。当这个女孩终于来到我身边时，她说：“我不愿意有这么多的人到这里来，因为这是我的书！” 这恰好道出了我对自己最喜爱的书的感觉……别人无权知道它们，更别说喜欢它们！
问：你对《哈里·波特》签约改编为电影感到兴奋吗？将来我们还会在别的地方看到《哈里·波特》吗（如玩具、电子游戏等）？
答：我很兴奋（还有一点紧张）。华纳兄弟公司已经买下广告促销权，所以我们有可能看到哈里·波特玩具系列。
问：你在何时、何地、用怎样的方式进行写作？
答：任何时间、任何地点、用普通方式写作！
问：除了《哈里·波特》你还有别的创作计划吗？
答：我一直在写作，我想我会不断地写下去；即使我的作品不被出版我仍会写下去。但是，《哈里》是一个庞大的需要全力以赴的工程，我眼下真的没有时间决定下一步写什么。
1. confines n． 边界， 界限
2． literally adv． 真实地；确切地
3． metaphorically adv． 比喻地；象征地
4． spell [spel] n． 符咒，魔力
5． wizard n． 男巫，魔法师
6． installment n． 分期连载作品的一章或一部
7． witchcraft n． 魔法，巫术
8． compose v． 写作
9． draw n． 吸引注意的东西
10． divorced adj． 离婚的
11． nap n． 小睡，打盹
12． numerous adj． 众多的
13． essentially adv． 本质上；基本上
14． end up 最终到达（成为）
15． sequel n． 续集，续篇
16． inclusive adj． 包含的
17． hint [hint] n． 暗示，线索
18． casualty n． 伤亡（人数）
19． vulnerable adj． 易受攻击的
20． stiff [stif] adj． 强烈的；艰难的
21． audience n． 读者
22． queue n． 队列
23． video game 电子游戏
24． merchandising n． 促销，广告推销
25． longhand n． 普通书写（相对于速记shorthand）
26． consuming adj． 消耗的