Biography

Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up
in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to yedean Co!prehensi"e#
Jo le$t Chepstow $or E%eter &ni"ersity, where she earned a 'ren(h and Classi(s degree,
her (ourse in(luding one year in )aris# *s a postgraduate she !o"ed to +ondon and
wor,ed as a resear(her at *!nesty -nternational a!ong other .obs# /he started writing
the Harry )otter series during a delayed 0an(hester to +ondon 1ing2s Cross train
.ourney, and during the ne%t $i"e years, outlined the plots $or ea(h boo, and began
writing the $irst no"el#
Jo then !o"ed to northern )ortugal, where she taught English as a $oreign language# /he
!arried in 3(tober 1994 and ga"e birth to a daughter in 1995# hen the !arriage ended,
she and Jessi(a returned to the &1 to li"e in Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the
Philosophers Stone was e"entually (o!pleted# 6he boo, was $irst published by
Bloo!sbury Children2s Boo,s in June 1997, under the na!e J#1# Rowling# 6he 819, $or
1athleen, her paternal grand!other2s na!e was added at her publisher2s re:uest who
thought that a wo!an2s na!e would not appeal to the target audien(e o$ young boys#
6he se(ond title in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in
July 199; and was <o# 1 in the adult hardba(, bestseller (harts $or a !onth a$ter
publi(ation# Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published on ;th July 1999 to
worldwide a((lai! and spent $our wee,s at <o#1 in the &1 adult hardba(, bestseller
(harts#
6he $ourth boo, in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on ;th
July 4=== with a re(ord $irst print run o$ 1 !illion (opies $or the &1# -t :ui(,ly bro,e all
re(ords $or the greatest nu!ber o$ boo,s sold on the $irst day o$ publi(ation in the &1#