JKR on her husband and ex husband and Minister of Magic.

Jo speaking of her inspirations for events and characters which played heavily in the Harry Potter series, a little about her past, and candidly about her husband, Dr. Neil Murray. We are still awaiting the entire interview and will provide more here when we can. In the meantime, here are some rough excerpts from the interview which appeared over the weekend:

About the relationship between September 11, 2001 and Harry Potter, Rowling denied any influence and recognizes the true inspiration for Minister Cornelius Fudge: “My model of the world after Voldemort’s return was, directly, the government of Neville Chamberlain in Great Britain during the Second World War, when he tried to minimize the menace of the Nazi regime for political convenience.”


She also spoke about her two marriages, saying: “I had decided not to marry again. In seven years I hadn’t met anyone who liked me so much. And I remember that I thought: I have a daughter who I adore, I have success, and deep down, I am happy. My sister thought he was a very solid person. He’s an excellent doctor in his profession, and he works in a world that is far away from mine. What I most adore about him is that, everyday, Neil knows more people that want to know if he can help them, without having to ask who he is married to.”


She didn’t avoid talking about her first husband, Jorge Arantes, who Jo was married to for nearly two years: “None of the characters of my books are based on my ex. Whatever happened in our marriage, the truth is that my ex-husband contributed fifty percent to one of the most beautiful things that has happened in my life, which is my eldest daughter. So, I’d never used him in a fairy tale. He’s her father.”