Harry Potter

HARRY POTTER

Author:

First edition:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury, 1997.

Main illustrators:

In short:

Harry Potter is the hero of many children in all the world. This orphan child who spends the summers with his horrible uncle, aunt and cousin Dudley, is one of the best known literary wizards of all times. He studies at the Hogward School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and together with his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they are going to live many gripping and fantastic adventures that fascinates readers of all ages and nationalities.
Rowling planned to write one novel for every year that Harry is at Hogwarts, so there will be 7 books in total. These are the four Harry Potter Books written so far:

Year 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry's parents (a good wizard and a lovely witch) were killed by Voldemor, an evil wizard, when Harry was only a baby. But Voldemor also managed to hurt Harry, leaving a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. His childhood is very miserable, for he has to live with his abominable Muggles (that is, non-magical) relatives (the Dursleys) who treat him cruelly.
But his life takes a definitive upturn when he is invited to attend Hogarts School. His first year at the wizards school is filled with adventure, friendship and danger. And his quest is to prevent the Philosopher's Stone, which gives eternal life, from falling into the hand of Voldemor. Harry will find himself in a whirldwind of adventures, fighting evil forces, against weird creatures, schollmates, a teacher and his unknown past.

Year 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1998.
At his second year, harry has already found goos friends and is one of the best Quiddistch players (the magacians' sport). But strange things happen in his scholl. Harry, Hermione and Ron find an old diary with magic forces, which will help them to get rid of the mysterious creature that threatens Hogwarts.

Year 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999.
Two years have elapsed, and yet Harry does not know all the details about his parents death. Why did Voldemor go after them? What does Ron's rat-pet have to do with all these? Helped again by his two inseparable friends, Harry fights Evil and tries to save Buckbeak, sentenced to death.

Year 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000.
Catching up with our famous young wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts, Goblet of Fire is by far his longest (over 700 pages) and darkest (Harry approaches the theme of death) adventure. After another boring summer with the Dursleys, the wizardly Weasleys family take him to Triwizard Cup. Three students form three different wizard school will compete in the tournament. But the Goblet of Fire appoints another fourth student: Harry.

Selection of edition:

Harry Potter Books have been so successful that for the moment, they are translated into more than 30 languages. Here we offer you a list of all the publishing houses according to the country where the novels are available (in alphabetical order).

Brazil: Editora Rocco Ltda, translated by Lia Wyler
Canada: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, illustrated by Thomas Taylor
China: Crown Publishing Company Ltd
Croatia: Algoritam
Czech Republic: Albatros
Denmark: Gyldendal Tiden, translated by Hanna Lutzen and illustrated by Per Jorgensen
Estonia: Varrak Publishers Ltd
Findland: Tammi Publishers, translated by Jaana Kapari and illustrated by Mika Lauris
France: Editions Gallimard, translated by Jean-François Ménard and illustrated by Jean-Claude Götting
Germany: Carlsen Verlag GmgH, translated by Klaus Fritz
Greece: Psichogios Publications SA
Holland: Vitgeverij De Harmonie
Hungary: Animus Publishing
Iceland: Bjatur, translated by Helgu Haraldsdottur
Indonesia: Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Israel: Books in the Attic/Miskal
Italy: Adriano Salani Editore
Japan: Say-Zan-Sha Publications Ltd, translated by Yuko Matsuoka
Korea: Moonhak Soodrup Publishing CO
Norway: Exlibris
Poland: Media Rodzina of Poznan
Portugal: Editorial Presença, translated by Isabel Fraga, Isabel Nunes and Manuela Madureira
Romania and Bulgaria: Egmont
Spain and Sout-America (in Spanish): Emecé Editores, translated by Sandra Marulanda and illustrated by Arthur Dorros
Spain (in Catalan): Editorial Empuries, translated by Laura Escorihuela
South-Africa: Human & Rousseau Ltd, translated by Janie Oosthuysen
Sweden: Tyden Young Books
UK & Commonwealth: Bloomsbury Publishing, illustrated by Thomas Taylor
USA: Scholastic Press, illustrated by Mary Grandpré

Adaptations:

Warner Bros has bought the copyright for Harry Potter's first film adventure. Its release schedule is planned for 2001. The film will be directed by Chris Columbus (Gremlins, Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire) and the casting is supposed to be fully British. The main role of Harry will be given to the eleven-year-old Daniel Radcliffe. Nick the Nearly Headless Ghost will be played by the ex-Monthy Python John Cleese, also famous for his hilarious role in Fawlty Towers.

Harry Potter on the Internet:

There are hundred of different pages with different information on Harry Potter Books, but the oficial one is at Bloombury's