Author: Brinton Parker / Source: POPSUGAR Entertainment
With half a billion Harry Potter books printed in more than 70 languages worldwide, it’s safe to say that a large portion of the human population has experienced the magical journey of the so-named child wizard. But not everybody knows the equally gripping story of Potter creator J.
K. Rowling, whose rags-to-riches tale includes many hardships, spans several countries, and continues to unfold.According to Rowling’s own website, “Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London King’s Cross.” The then-aspiring author spent the next several years mapping out every plot in her magical universe by hand, often on paper scraps.
“Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted,” Rowling later said of this period.
After the death of her mother in 1991, Rowling left an unfulfilling job in London for a blank slate in Porto, Portugal. Working as an English teacher by day and creating a complex magical universe by night, Rowling crafted the very first chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Portugal. During her time in the country, Rowling also fell in love; in 1992, she wed a man named Jorge Arantes and welcomed a daughter, Jessica, the next year. However, the relationship was short-lived; after a tumultuous marriage, Rowling ended the relationship and left the country with her daughter mere months after giving birth.
Rowling and infant Jessica were destitute upon their arrival in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the late Winter of 1993.
The author asserts that she was “as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless” and had to borrow funds in order to get on her feet.With only three chapters of Sorcerer’s Stone, a small child, and a few belongings to her name, Rowling moved into a tiny apartment,…
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