Take your mind back 25 years. Hanson’s MMMbop was number one, the Titanic topped the box office and Tony Blair had just been elected prime minister.
But perhaps more culturally significant than the three moments of the 1990s are the first 500 copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone published in late June 1997.
It would become the third best-selling novel of all time, establishing JK Rowling as one of the most beloved and best-selling authors in the world; an imposing figure of the arts.
But the prolific author’s legacy now seems destined to be defined by the cultural war provoked by her position on women’s rights and gender.
Rowling believes that in some circumstances, women and girls should be entitled to single-sex spaces, provoking accusations of transphobia, which she denies.
The controversy has left the author remarkably absent from birthday celebrations — as was the case at the recent television meeting — decisions that are presumed to be largely driven by growing controversy.
Trying to separate art from artist is now seemingly a mission for many investors to make sure Harry Potter remains lucrative.
Sky News was invited to a new Mandrakes and Magic Creatures feature at Warner Brothers Studios this week, and such is the effort to move away from the toxicity mark of the trans rights debate, the PR did not allow Sky News to speak . The name of JK Rowling in the interview.
Our reporter was interrupted at half-flow and was forced to redirect the question line.
When we asked why, the response to the email was “JK Rowling is not connected to Warner or Tom Felton, the team considered him irrelevant to the piece” … Not other than the fact that he created Harry Potter and the executive producer of the films. .
(For the record, PRs do not have to dictate the editorial direction of Sky News, for all sorts of reasons, among which it is important for press freedom).
Image: JK Rowling
In Felton – who was a little uncomfortable momentarily in the middle – he allowed us to say, “They auditioned me 500 yards from where I am now, which is crazy.
“That was when I was 12, and here I am with 34 years still talking about it …
“We were all waiting for the flame of the Harry Potter fandom to start going out as the years go by and it’s clear it’s not going anywhere,” Felton added.
Image: Tom Felton played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies
So, 25 years later, Harry Potter is as popular and profitable as ever and it seems unscathed, apparently, as long as you don’t mention the one that shouldn’t be named.
The idea that JK Rowling can or should be canceled is strange to many, but trans woman Nicci Take, who enjoyed reading and watching Harry Potter with her children, told Sky News that she is in much deeply disappointed by everything.
“I’m a culture against cancellation, you should be allowed to say what you think,” says Nicci Take.
Image: Nicci Take
“His views are clearly out of sync with the general population and desperately, tragically out of sync with the Harry Potter fan base … trans is almost great, it’s definitely normalized.
“People know that we are not sexual predators, they know that we are not predating people in the bathrooms, they know it because they know us, they have known us …
“That’s what happens, people don’t know us, they don’t commit to us, and yet they have opinions about us,” he adds.
Read more: JK Rowling criticized for “condescending” and “transphobic” tweets Authors leave JK Rowling’s literary agency for comments on trans people
Most associates with the world of magicians are perhaps understandably reluctant to comment on the shock, but many admit that Rowling is dealing with more than one back seat.
Thomas Taylor, the original illustrator of the cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (who told me he’d like to have made Harry’s hair “crazier”, which I love) agrees that the author seems to be less prominent in the events.
“It’s a little weird not to see the author when we celebrate a book,” Taylor admits.
Image: People lined up to get a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone after its release
“It seems to me that now fans own Harry Potter, the fan space has always been incredibly rich, creative and inclusive and I hope people can continue to find what they need and shape it the way they want it. be. “, he adds.
Taylor attributes the recovery of reading to books when “in the ’90s we panicked because reading was turning off, with video games and television.”
“This book came up and the kids queued up at midnight dressed as wizards to grab the last copy and read it, it’s definitely worth celebrating,” he said, reminding us of the feverish fandom that HP light up.
Image: JK Rowling signed copies of his books after publishing them
The cast of Harry Potter also seems to be divided between his relationship with Rowling and any discomfort with his position on gender rights.
Daniel Radcliffe quickly issued a statement confirming his solidarity with the trans community, saying “trans women are women.”
He also reassured fans, saying, “if Harry Potter resonated … that’s sacred,” in a plea to separate art from artist.
Image: Emma Watson
Emma Watson seemed to target Rowling in her BAFTAs screaming for inclusion and “all witches.”
Thus, while the polarized debate is largely hosted on Twitter, its toxic mess is dumped on the edge of the social platform, leaving an unfortunate stain on the record of modern public discourse infiltrating our institutions. major cultural and media events, from BAFTA to Warner Bros. Pictures and Bloomsbury. editors.
All of them are now forced to consider how to navigate the events hijacked by the problem.
Mina and Eduardo Lima are the MinaLima illustrators who have worked on the Harry Potter films and a special copy of the 25th edition of the first book.
Mina Lima points out that the world now transcends the author.
“The world of magicians has consolidated so now, what it did was rely on creative minds to explain their version of their worlds, our book is also just one of those manifestations, so it’s almost as if he would have done his genius and now he is handing him the baton, “Lima told Sky News.
Image: Rupert Grint (Ron), Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Emma Watson (Hermione) with JK Rowling in 2001
So maybe it doesn’t matter that JK Rowling isn’t present at the birthday celebrations.
Maybe she and HP fans don’t care if she attends events organized by those who are invested to ensure that Harry Potter remains highly profitable.
Such is the intensity of the debate, Rowling revealed earlier this year that she has had so many death threats that she could wallpaper her house with them after trans activists doxed her (i.e., they posted her address and personal information on the Internet with malicious intent).
But as the 25th anniversary of one of the world’s most beloved books is celebrated, whether Rowling has been or is to be canceled continues to obscure the future of the boy she lived with.