Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Alice Irizarry.
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And I’m Andrew Devis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Voice 1
She was so sad that she thought about killing herself. She was ready to give up. She had no money. She had to apply for the welfare system in Scotland. Welfare is a government system that gives poor people food, housing, and money. She spent her days with her young daughter in a small coffee shop called The Elephant House Cafe. She could only afford coffee. She drank it slowly for hours. She did not own a computer. She wrote page after page in her notepad. She was trying to write a book. She did not know if anyone would ever read it. She wondered if people would like it. She hoped she could finish it. Customers passed her day after day in the small coffee shop. They had no idea she was writing a book that would become one of the most famous in the world.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight episode looks at J.K. Rowling. She is a famous writer who has written 48 books. She is worth over a billion dollars. She has won many awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award. But none of that seemed possible as she sat in that coffee shop writing in her notepad.
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Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire. She began writing as a young girl. She loved storytelling. She attended the University of Exeter. She studied French and the Classics. The Classics is the study of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. After graduating, Rowling spent the late 1980s working different, unsatisfying jobs.
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In 1990 Rowling took a train ride that would change her life. She and the man she was in a relationship with were looking for an apartment in Manchester, England. They traveled back and forth from London to Manchester. One weekend, Rowling took the train back to London by herself. The train was delayed. Rowling saw a boy waiting on the train platform. She suddenly had an idea for a story. It would be about a boy who is drawn into a world of magical people called wizards. The boy eventually fights an evil wizard. Rowling would later name the boy Harry Potter.
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Rowling had nothing to write with on the train. She felt scared to ask anyone for a pen. She was frustrated that she could not start writing her story right away. But it ended up helping because it gave Rowling time to think. She spent the entire four-hour train ride from Manchester to London thinking of ideas for her story. When she got home that night, Rowling began writing what would become her first book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
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But Rowling faced a great struggle later that year. Her mother died at the age of 45 from a terrible disease. Rowling was so sad she needed to move away to a new place. She moved to Portugal. She met a newspaper reporter and got married. They had a daughter. But Rowling and her husband had problems. They got divorced.
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Rowling moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. She was poor. Rowling went on welfare. She spent many days in the Elephant House Cafe with her daughter. Rowling continued to try to finish her book. Rowling later said:
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“I was as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless.”
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It took Rowling several years to finish her book. When it was done, Rowling sent it to many literary agents and publishing houses. They all rejected it. Rowling said:
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“The first agent to whom I sent my first three chapters had sent my manuscript back so fast that it seemed like they sent it back the same day it arrived.”
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Twelve publishers and agents turned down Rowling. But one agent, Christopher Little, saw the power of the story. He agreed to represent Rowling and submit her book to publishers. Little said:
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“I loved the story and the heroism. I liked the friendship between the three main characters. The owls and magic were great.”
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In Rowling’s book, Harry Potter thinks he is just a normal boy. But he discovers that he is a wizard with magical powers. He attends a special school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Potter makes two good friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. These friends were inspired by Rowling’s own college friends. She simply made Potter, Weasley, and Granger eleven years old.
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Rowling used some of the buildings surrounding her in Edinburgh, Scotland as inspiration for Hogwarts. Victoria Street in Edinburgh inspired the street where Potter buys his first magic wand. Rowling used names found on tombstones at a local graveyard. Greyfriar’s Kirkyard inspired some of the names for the characters in her story.
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Rowling’s book became popular. It sold 120,000,000 copies. Rowling wrote six more Harry Potter novels. They sold a total of more than 600,000,000 copies. Today, the books have been translated into more than 85 languages. Rowling’s Harry Potter books were made into films. The films earned almost $8,000,000,000. Rowling became the richest writer in history.
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Rowling has never forgotten what it was like to be poor. She wants to help those in need. She has been generous with her fortune. She started a charity called Lumos to help children in need across the world. Rowling has donated millions of dollars to this foundation. She has also donated much money to charities that help women and children who are victims of violence. She started the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, named after her mother. Rowling has contributed to many other charities across the world.
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Rowling hoped to create a world in her Harry Potter books where readers could escape. She filled her books with interesting characters and exciting adventures. Rowling stressed the importance of friendship and loyalty between Potter, Weasley, and Granger as they fought evil forces. Rowling hoped to inspire children and adults to make positive changes to the world. She has always wanted them to understand that anyone can make a difference. They just cannot give up. Rowling knows this from personal experience.
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Have you read any Harry Potter books or seen any of the films? Which is your favorite? Have you ever wanted to write a book like J.K. Rowling? You can leave a comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. You can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
Voice 2
The writer of this episode was Peter Anderson. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this episode and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or artificial intelligence was used in this episode. Spotlight episodes are written, voiced, and produced by real people for real people, no matter where in the world they live. This Spotlight episode is called “The Birth of Harry Potter.”
Voice 1
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight episode. Goodbye.
Questions:
Have you read any Harry Potter books or seen any of the films? Which is your favorite? Have you ever wanted to write a book like J.K. Rowling?
