Monday marks 20 years since the publication of the first book in a series that would change the world: J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter.” On this day in 1997, Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the U.K., and soon the entire world fell in love with The Boy Who Lived.
No one, it seems, is more grateful and overjoyed to celebrate this anniversary than Rowling, the woman who gave us “Potter.” She took to Twitter on Monday morning to thank her readers in a heartfelt post, writing, “20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It’s been wonderful. Thank you.”
What’s that? Oh, just some dust in our eyes.
Though the books made her a billionaire, at least for a time, Rowling was a struggling single mother when the idea for “Harry Potter” came to her. The author has made it a priority to give back through charity and through her engagement with the public, often on Twitter, where she speaks out on political issues and sometimes even answers fans’ burning questions about the books.
Of course Rowling’s life has been completely transformed by the wizarding world she dreamed up ― but as other messages on the 20th anniversary of “Harry Potter” reveal, she’s far from the only one. Other authors, celebrities and fans toasted her powerful contribution to the literary world on social media:
Some even confessed that the “Harry Potter” books saved them in difficult times ― when dealing with divorce, an abusive situation, mental health issues or grieving a loved one:
No need to wait for our Hogwarts acceptance letters anymore ― that’s real magic.
Thank you, J.K. Rowling.