J. K. Rowling Discusses Inspiration for Minister of Magic and More in New Interview

Feb 04, 2008

Posted by: EdwardTLC

Uncategorized

Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling is the subject of an interview which ran this past weekend in a number of Spanish language publications as part of the XLSemanal section. This interview first took place a number of months ago and features Jo speaking of her inspirations for events and characters which played heavily in the Harry Potter series, a little about her past, and candidly about her husband, Dr. Neil Murray. We are still awaiting the entire interview and will provide more here when we can. In the meantime, here are some rough excerpts from the interview which appeared over the weekend:

About the relationship between September 11, 2001 and Harry Potter, Rowling denied any influence and recognizes the true inspiration for Minister Cornelius Fudge: “My model of the world after Voldemort’s return was, directly, the government of Neville Chamberlain in Great Britain during the Second World War, when he tried to minimize the menace of the Nazi regime for political convenience.”

She also spoke about her two marriages, saying: “I had decided not to marry again. In seven years I hadn’t met anyone who liked me so much. And I remember that I thought: I have a daughter who I adore, I have success, and deep down, I am happy. My sister introduced us and I thought he was a very solid person. He’s an excellent doctor in his profession, and he works in a world that is far away from mine. What I most adore about him is that, everyday, Neil knows more people that want to know if he can help them, without having to ask who he is married to.”

She didn’t avoid talking about her first husband, Jorge Arantes, who Jo was married to for nearly two years: “None of the characters of my books are based on my ex. Whatever happened in our marriage, the truth is that my ex-husband contributed fifty percent to one of the most beautiful things that has happened in my life, which is my eldest daughter. So, I’d never used him in a fairy tale. He’s her father.”

Readers able to get their hands on a copy, and can translate the interview, please do send them in!

Thanks to Alejandro and Harry Latino for mailing.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.