With the premiere of the final movie of the Harry Potter series, the 8th film from the 7 book series, the Harry Potter era has come to an end. Or has it?
Remember how small they were?
Joanne Rowling (She used J.K. because her publisher didn’t want people to know the books were written by a woman, if you can believe that shit in this day and age) has said again and again that there will be no more Potter books, and the last one had a pretty final ending. There will not be a Conan-Doyle type revival. That’s fine by me.
They were great books, but all good things must come to an end, and I think she timed it pretty well. Better than Brett Favre, better than Mohammed Ali, better than, to pick a literary example, Tom Robbins, who is probably my favorite writer of all time. If I were asked “What famous writer would you like to write like?,” I would say Robbins, but from “Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas” onward, it’s been all crap. I’ve talked to a lot of people who tried to tell me that “Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates” was a good book, but I just want to ask them “Did you read ‘Still Life With Woodpecker?’; Did you read ‘Jitterbug Perfume?'” The older Tom Robbins is a shadow of his younger self.
No, Rowling’s quitting while she’s ahead and that’s a good move. Actually, I’d like to see her try her hand at something completely different, like a crime novel or a romance novel, but that’s up to her. Lord knows she doesn’t need the money.
She’s still milking it, though, and that’s O.K., too. The decision to split the last book into 2 movies is justifiable, given the length of the book, but I’m sure the fact that 2 movies will make twice as much money as one movie was a consideration.
Anyway, Rowlings latest project is Pottermore, and I’m curious what that’s going to be. It’s a website and she says it will have a lot of reader input. I’m not sure exactly what the goal of Pottermore is, or what it will look like. It could be a revolutionary development in literature, as the fans begin to create a world of their own, or it could just be a way to flog Harry Potter merchandise. I’m sure there will be at least a bit of the latter. I hope that the emphasis is on the former.
It will launch in October, but they’re already collecting people’s e-mail addresses for ‘early membership.’ www.pottermore.com
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