A series of novels about Harry Potter
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This article is about a series of literary works.
For the character, see Harry Potter; for the film series, see Harry Potter (film series).
Harry Potter Harry Potter
The logo of the title, which was first used in American and many foreign editions of the book, and in all British film adaptations Author: J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom United Kingdom
Original language: English
Publisher: Machaon, previously Rosman
Bloomsbury
Scholastic
Raincoast
Egmont
A ba ba ga la ma ga
Publication dates: June 30, 1997 July 21, 2007
Publication dates
in Russian: February 2014
J. K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series of books
"Harry Potter" (English: "Harry Potter") is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien.
K. Rowling.
The books are a chronicle of the adventures of the young wizard Harry Potter, as well as his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who are studying at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The main plot is dedicated to the confrontation between Harry and a dark wizard named Lord Voldemort, whose goals include gaining immortality and enslaving the magical world.
Since the publication of the first novel "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on June 30, 1997, the books of the series have gained enormous popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success around the world[1].
As of June 2011, the number of books sold amounted to about 450 million copies, as a result of which the series entered the list of literary bestsellers.
The novels have been translated into 67 languages, including Russian[2][3].
The last four books have consistently set records as the fastest selling literary works in history.
The series is a combination of many genres, including fantasy and teen romance with elements of adventure, detective, thriller and romance novel, and also includes many cultural references[4][5][6][7].
According to Rowling, the main theme of the novels is death[8], although they are considered primarily as children's literature.
In addition, the series touches on such topics as prejudice and corruption[9].
Initially, the main publishers of the books were Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic Press in the USA.
Since then, the series has been published by many publishers around the world.
The books were adapted by the Warner Bros. film company.
Pictures in the form of a series of eight films, which became one of the most profitable in the history of cinema.
The popularity of books has also led to the emergence of a variety of products, as a result of which the Harry Potter brand is estimated at over $ 12.78 billion[10].
Currently, the rights to the publication of "Harry Potter" in Russian are owned by the publishing house "Makhaon" (until July 2013, they belonged to the publishing house "Rosman").
Content
1 Harry Potter Books 2 The World of Potter 3 Creating a series 3.1 Getting started and publishing history 3.2 Completing a series
4 Structure and genre 5 Themes and semantic content 6 Translations 7 Achievements and criticism 7.1 Commercial success 7.2 Awards 7.3 Criticism 7.4 Discussions
8 Cultural influence 9 Official Additions 9.1 Books of the wizarding World of Harry Potter 9.2 Pottermore
10 Derivative Works and Projects 10.1 Parodies 10.2 Movies 10.3 Audiobooks 10.4 Games 10.5 Attractions 10.5.1 USA 10.5.2 United Kingdom
11 Notes 12 References
Books about Harry Potter[edit / edit wiki text]
The main part of the Harry Potter series is a set of seven books about the battle with the villain Voldemort and his henchmen.
In the seventh book, there is no training anymore — it is entirely devoted to preparing Harry and his friends for the final battle with Voldemort and this battle itself.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
There is a separate short text called "Harry Potter: Prehistory" (2008), describing an incident that occurred during the youth of James Potter and Sirius Black — later the father and godfather of Harry Potter.
The prequel to the series, consisting of 800 words, was written as part of a fundraiser organized by the Waterstones bookstore chain[11].
Potter's World[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The Magical World of Harry Potter
The series takes place in a world largely similar to the real one, in England, in the 1990s.
Unlike the real world, in the world of Harry Potter, there are wizards (or magicians) who have the ability to use magic among ordinary people.
Ordinary people (wizards call them Muggles) do not know about the existence of wizards, since the latter are carefully disguised.
The community of magicians is closed and self sufficient, lives among Muggles, but does not depend on them and tries not to touch them.
Creating a series[edit / edit wiki text]
Getting started and publishing history[edit / edit wiki text]
"The Elephant House" - a cafe in Edinburgh, where Rowling wrote the first book about Harry Potter[12]
In 1990, J. K. Rowling was on a crowded train traveling from Manchester to London, when the idea of Harry Potter, according to the writer, suddenly "fell on her head"[13]:
"I've been writing almost continuously since I was six, but I've never been so excited about an idea before.
I just sat and thought for four hours in a row (because of the late train), and all the details were boiling in my brain, and this thin, black haired boy with glasses, who did not know that he was a wizard, became more and more real for me."
The original text (English)
I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before.
I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black haired, bespectacled boy who did not know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.
Upon arrival, Rowling immediately began writing a book.
Most often she did it in her favorite cafe in Edinburgh[12].
Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995 and sent the manuscript to several promising literary agents[14].
Her interests were represented by the agent Christopher Little, he sent the manuscript to the publisher "Bloomsbury".
After eight other publishers rejected Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury offered Rowling 2,500 pounds in advance for the publication of the novel[15][16].
Despite Rowling's statement that she did not have any specific age group in mind when she started writing books about Harry Potter, the publisher initially counted on a children's audience between the ages of nine and eleven[17].
Ahead of the publication, Rowling asked her publishers to put a more gender neutral pseudonym on the cover, fearing that men of this age group would not be interested in reading the novel if they knew that it was written by a woman.
The writer decided to use the name Joanne Kathleen Rowling (English: Joanne Kathleen Rowling), using the name of her grandmother as a middle name, since Rowling herself does not have a second name[16][18].
The novel " Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone "was published on June 30, 1997 by Bloomsbury Publishing house, which subsequently released all the books in the series in the United Kingdom[12].
The release of the second book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", took place on July 2, 1998.
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was published a year later in the UK on July 8, 1999[19].
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published on July 8, 2000 [20].
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was published in English worldwide on June 21, 2003[21].
9 million copies of the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince", released on July 16, 2005, were sold worldwide in the first 24 hours after its release[22][23].
The seventh and final novel "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was published on July 21, 2007[24].
11 million copies were sold in the first 24 hours after the release of the novel[23].
The end of the series[edit / edit wiki text]
In December 2005, Rowling announced on her website that "2006 will be the year when the last book in the Harry Potter series will be written" [25].
The book was completed at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, where the author left a message on the back of the bust of Hermes: "J. K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in room 552 on January 11, 2007"[26].
According to Rowling herself, she completed the last chapter of the last book (in fact, the epilogue) "somewhere in the 1990s"[27][28].
In June 2006, as a guest on the British talk show "Richard and Judy", the author announced that she had changed the last chapter so that one of the characters "received a reprieve", and the other two, who had survived the whole story in the previous version, would now be killed.
On March 27, 2007, Bloomsbury Publishing house presented variants of book covers for various age audiences[29][30].
In September 2012, Rowling mentioned in an interview about the possible creation of a" director's version " of two books from the series[31].
Structure and genre[edit / edit wiki text]
The novels of the Harry Potter series are fantasy literature, combining the features of such genres as the parenting novel[source not specified 626 days], the teenage novel[32], detective, adventure, thriller and romance novel.
Among other things, the series can be attributed to the list of British children's books whose plots focus on boarding schools: "Stalky and Company" by Rudyard Kipling," Malory Towers "by Enid Blyton and "Billy Bunter" by Charles Hamilton.
In accordance with this, the events of the Harry Potter books mainly unfold at Hogwarts, a fictional British boarding school, the curriculum of which mainly includes the study of magical arts[33].
According to Stephen King, each of the books, which are "clever fairy tales"[34], is built in the style of detective stories about Sherlock Holmes.
Each story is narrated from a third person perspective, with the exception of the first chapters of The Philosopher's Stone and The Deathly Hallows.
In the middle of each book, Harry faces various problems, the solution of which is often accompanied by a violation of school rules.
Hogwarts teachers who are caught for non compliance with the rules of students are subjected to disciplinary punishments, often found in the subgenre of literature about boarding schools.
Nevertheless, the storylines reach their climax in the summer semester, closer or immediately after the final exams, when the events go beyond intra school conflicts and concern Harry's confrontation with Voldemort or one of his followers, the Death Eaters.
The increasing importance of the issue of life and death is expressed in the death of one or more characters in the last four novels and thereby emphasizes the progress of the series[35][36].
Subsequently, Harry learns important life lessons from conversations with his mentor Albus Dumbledore.
In the final book of the series, Harry and his friends spend most of their time away from Hogwarts and return to school only to the denouement[35].
Following the format of the parenting novel, circumstances push the main character to premature adulthood and force him to drop out of school in order to learn to act like an adult, on whose decisions everyone else, including other adults, depends.
Topics and semantic content[edit / edit wiki text]
According to Rowling, the main theme of the series is death[8]:
My books are mostly about death.
They begin with the death of Harry's parents.
Or take Voldemort's relentless desire to conquer death.
Immortality at any cost is the goal of anyone who has touched magic.
I understand why he wants to defeat death: we are all afraid of it.
The original text (English)
My books are largely about death.
They open with the death of Harry's parents.
There is Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic.
I so understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death.
We're all frightened of it.
Scientists and journalists have created many other interpretations of the topics raised in the books, some of which are more complex, such as the presence of political overtones.
The problems of normality, oppression, survival and struggle in unequal conditions were considered as running through the entire series[37].
In addition, the topic of passing the path of growing up and "overcoming the most terrible trials"was repeatedly taken into account[38].
According to Rowling, her books contain "a long argument in favor of tolerance and a call to put an end to bigotry", as well as a message calling on "not to think that the establishment and the press are telling only the truth"[39].
While the novels contain many themes, such as power and its abuse, love, prejudice and freedom of choice, they, according to J. K. Rowling, are "deeply rooted in the plot", since the author preferred that the ideas raised "grow naturally", rather than consciously instilled in readers[9].
In the same vein, the ubiquitous theme of transition age is presented, in the display of which Rowling purposefully recognized her characters as sexually mature and did not leave Harry, as she put it, "stuck in a pre puberty state"[40].
The key problem raised by the author was the choice between the right and the simple, since, according to her, "tyranny can begin with people who have fallen into apathy and have set foot on an easy path, who suddenly find themselves in a difficult situation"[41].
Translations[edit / edit wiki text]
The novels of the series have been translated into 67 languages of the world[2][42], including Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Welsh, Afrikaans, Albanian, Latvian and Vietnamese.
As a result, Rowling became one of the most translated authors in history[43].
The first novel was also translated into Latin and ancient Greek, which made it the largest published literary work in ancient Greek since the works of Heliodorus of Emesa (III century AD)[44].
Some of the translators were well known in their field even before working on "Harry Potter", such as Viktor Golyshev, who led the translation of the fifth book of the series into Russian.
The book was translated into Russian in the edition of "Machaon" by Maria Spivak.
The Turkish translation of two of the seven books was handled by Sevin O kiai, a popular literary critic and cultural observer[45].
For reasons of secrecy, the translation process began only when the books were already published in English.
For this reason, many fans from non English speaking countries purchased English language copies.
The English edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix became the first book in English to be included in the bestseller list of France[46].
For the publication of books in the United States, it was necessary to adapt the texts to the American version of English, since many words and concepts used in the novels might seem unfamiliar to a young American audience[47].
Achievements and criticism[edit / edit wiki text]
Commercial success[edit / edit wiki text]
The high popularity of the novels led to the fact that, starting with the publication of the book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" in 2000, special events were held for fans of the series, timed to coincide with the midnight sales launches.
The success of these events led to an even greater expansion of the audience, and in the case of the release of the sixth novel, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince", about nine million copies of the ten million copies of the first batch were sold in the first day[48][49].
The last book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", became the fastest selling book in history due to eleven million copies sold in the first day[50].
The appearance of numerous fans among the adult audience led to the release of each book in two editions with identical content, but different covers, aimed at children and adults[51].
Awards[edit / edit wiki text]
The Harry Potter series, since the publication of the first novel, has been awarded many awards, including four Whitaker Platinum Book Awards (all of which were awarded in 2001)[52], three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes[53], two Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes (1997-1999) [54], two Scottish Arts Council Book Awards (1999 and 2001) [54], the Whitbread Award for Children's Book of the Year (1999)[55], WHSmith book of the year (2006)[56] and many others.
In 2000, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was nominated for the Hugo Award for best novel, and in 2001 this award was awarded to the novel "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"[57].
The list of awards also includes the Carnegie Medal (1997) [58], inclusion in the shortlist of the Guardian Children's Award (1998), lists of the best books of the American Library Association, The New York Times newspaper, the Chicago Public Library and Publishers Weekly magazine[59].
A study conducted in 2004 showed that the books of the series were often used in reading aloud lessons in elementary schools in San Diego[60].
According to the results of an online survey in 2007, the National Educational Association of the United States included the series in the"Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children " [61].
Three of the books ("The Philosopher's Stone", "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Goblet of Fire") are among the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a 2012 survey conducted by the School Library Journal[62].
Criticism[edit / edit wiki text]
In 2000, shortly before the publication of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the previous three books in the series topped the New York Times fantasy bestseller list.
The publication has created a new section dedicated to children's books and includes both fiction and popular science and takes into account only hardcover sales.
This step was supported by publishers and owners of book retail chains.
At the same time, this approach caused a number of comments that presented not only its advantages, but also disadvantages[63].
Time magazine suggested that according to this principle, Billboard should have created a "moptop"list in 1964, when The Beatles took five consecutive positions at the top of the list, and Nielsen Media Research a separate chart for game TV shows, when "Who wants to be a millionaire?" became the leader of the air[64].
In 2004, the New York Times continued to split the list of children's literature, in which "Harry Potter" dominated both the series section and the single books section, from which it was subsequently removed[65].
Discussions[edit / edit wiki text]
The series has been the subject of a number of lawsuits initiated by representatives of American Christian groups who believe that the theme of magic in the books contributes to the promotion of Wicca and witchcraft among children[66].
There have also been various conflicts over copyright and trademark related violations.
Due to the popularity and high market value of the Rowling franchise, its publishers and Warner Bros., which is the distributor of each film adaptation of Rowling's books, took legal measures to protect their copyrights, which included banning sales of imitations of the series, monitoring sites with the phrase "Harry Potter" in domain names and a lawsuit with the writer Nancy Stouffer, who accused Rowling of plagiarism[67][68][69].
In addition, Rowling's statements that Hogwarts school is a safe place for LGBT students to live, and its director Dumbledore is actually a homosexual, cause controversy[70].
The books became the subject of controversy in literary and publishing circles.
In 1999, the third book became the first work for children to be shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize.
If "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" wins, one of the judges threatened to resign.
As a result, the book took the second place, losing to the translation of the Anglo Saxon poem "Beowulf" [71].
Cultural influence[edit / edit wiki text]
In addition to online communication through blogs, podcasts and fan sites, "Harry Potter" fans take part in thematic conferences.
The word "muggle", which has spread beyond the original book, has become one of the few pop culture concepts included in the Oxford English Dictionary[72].
Official additions[edit / edit wiki text]
Books of the magical world of Harry Potter[edit / edit wiki text]
In addition to the main series, J. K. Rowling has written three more books related to the magical world of Harry Potter.
All of them are mentioned in the main series of Harry Potter books as books that young wizards read; in these descriptions they have other, fictional authors.
Quidditch from antiquity to the present day (2001) — a book about the history of the game Quidditch, which Harry Potter read in the first book of the main series.
Fantastic Beasts and their habitats (2001) — one of the textbooks on the subject "Care for magical creatures".
The proceeds from the sale of these two books went to the fund of the charity organization "Detente with Laughter" [73].
Tales of the Bard Beadle (2007) — a book of fairy tales for little wizards, repeatedly mentioned in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
Rowling put seven handwritten copies of the collection up for auction to raise money for Children's High Level Group, a fund to support mentally retarded children from poor countries.
The international release of the book took place on December 4, 2008[74][75].
Pottermore[edit / edit wiki text]
In 2011, Rowling announced the Pottermore network project[76].
The site was opened on April 14, 2012[77].
Users were presented with several mini games to choose from, but the main goal of the project was to allow readers to get acquainted with the material of stories that were not previously presented by the author and totaling more than 18,000 words of additional text[78].
Derivative works and projects[edit / edit wiki text]
Parodies[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Parodies of the Harry Potter series of novels
The popularity of the Harry Potter series of novels has led to the fact that many parodies in different languages have been created around the world on its basis.
Movies[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Harry Potter (film series)
In 1998, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for one million pounds sterling[79][80].
According to the author's requirements, the performers of the main roles had to be strictly of British origin.
Nevertheless, the participation of Irish actors, as in the case of Richard Harris in the role of Dumbledore, and the casting of characters of the corresponding nationalities according to the book in France and Eastern Europe for the film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"was not excluded[81].
The list of directors under consideration included Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demmy and Alan Parker, and as a result, on March 28, 2000, Chris Columbus was assigned to lead the shooting of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
The producers of Warner Bros. made their decision.
they explained, referring to Columbus 'work on such family films as" Home Alone "and" Mrs. Doubtfire", and his successful experience in collaborating with child actors[82].
Filming began after extensive casting in October 2000 at the Leavesden Film studio and ended in July 2001[83][84].
The premiere of "The Philosopher's Stone" took place on November 14, 2001, and just three days later, production of the sequel began.
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was also directed by Columbus.
Filming ended in the summer of 2002, and on November 15 of the same year, the film was released[85].
Chris Columbus was also offered to lead the shooting of the third picture, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", but he refused and acted only as a producer of the project.
Alfonso Cuaron took the place of the director.
The production of the film lasted throughout 2003, and the premiere took place on June 4, 2004.
The director of the fourth film, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", released on November 18, 2005, Mike Newell was chosen[86], who became the first British director of the series.
The creation of the next picture, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", was taken up by the English television director David Yates.
Filming began in January 2006, and the premiere took place in July of the following year[87].
Studio executives were satisfied with Yates ' work and again assigned him to lead the production of the series.
"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" was released on July 15, 2009[88][89][90][91].
In March 2008, the president and CEO of Warner Bros. he announced the final chapter of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", divided into two full length films.
Filming of both films began in February 2009 and ended on June 12, 2010.
The first was released on November 19, 2010, and the second — on July 15 of the following year[92][93].
J. K. Rowling exercised creative control over the film adaptations, took an active part in the production process of The Philosopher's Stone and acted as one of the producers of the two parts of The Deathly Hallows[94].
All eight films of the "Harry Potter" series were included in the list of the highest grossing films.
In addition to commercial success, the series has achieved recognition from film critics[95][96].
The opinions of fans of books about film adaptations, as a rule, are divided.
Basically, the first two films are contrasted with the six subsequent ones as considered by some to be closer to the original[97].
Rowling herself constantly supported all the films in the series and rated both parts of the "Deathly Hallows" as her most favorite[98][99][100][101].
In February 2011, at the 2011 BAFTA Awards ceremony, Rowling, along with producers David Heyman and David Barron, as well as directors David Yates, Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell, was awarded for her contribution to the development of British cinema.
The ceremony was also attended by actors Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played the roles of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger[102][103].
Audiobooks[edit / edit wiki text]
All the novels in the Harry Potter series were also released in audiobook format.
The UK versions of the publications were read by Stephen Fry in 2002, and the American versions by Jim Dale.
Dale also acted as a narrator in additional materials for DVD editions of the film adaptations of the books[104][105].
Games[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Harry Potter (game series)
Eleven video games have been released under the Harry Potter brand, eight of which are developed directly based on films and books, and the remaining three are spin offs.
The games are available on all major platforms, including PC, PS3, GameCube, PS2, XBox 360 and Wii.
Year of release Russian language title Original name of the Platform Main series of games 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone PC, PlayStation,PlayStation 2, GBA 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban PC, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color 2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PSP, GBA 2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, XBox, XBox 360, Wii, PSP, Mobile 2009 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince[106]
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince PC, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, Mobile 2010 Harry Potter and the Gifts With
