The Magic of Harry Potter

Leggi e ascolta. The magic of Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling had the idea for Harry Potter in an unusual place! She was on a train from Manchester to London, but she didn’t have a pen! When she got home, she started her first Harry Potter book.

In 1995, after five years, she finished the first book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. She sent the book to lots of publishers, but she got 12 rejection letters! Finally she got a ‘yes’ from a publisher and in 1997 the first Harry Potter book was in the shops. It was a great success all around the world and Pottermania was born!

In 2001 the first book became a film. The director needed an actor for the part of Harry. There were auditions in the USA and the UK, and over 16,000 children auditioned for the part. Daniel Radcliffe’s parents heard about the auditions in the UK, but they didn’t tell their son!

The original location for filming was Los Angeles and Daniel’s parents didn’t want him to go to Los Angeles. He was only 11 years old. But the film director saw Daniel in a BBC film and he knew he was perfect for the part of Harry Potter. He changed the filming location from Los Angeles to London. As a result Daniel auditioned and got the part of Harry!

The Harry Potter films were very successful. The final film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 came out in 2011. But Harry Potter fans wanted more! J.K. Rowling created a website, Pottermore, with extra material about Harry and his world of magic.