2003

What happened in 2003?
It was a long wait, but on June 21st of 2003, Book 5, entitled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released in the U.K. and the U.S.

Rating 2003 Title & highlights* Links Type
**** February Interview with Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling
Chamber of Secrets DVD
  • Kloves: "There's one thing in Chamber [of Secrets movie] that Jo indicated will play later in the series..."
  • JKR: "Dumbledore often speaks for me."
  • If JKR needs to tell the readers something, she uses Hermione or Dumbledore to say it.
text
video
interview
** February 6 JK Rowling's fame spoils her cafe culture
The Scotsman
text report on an interview
** February 28 JK on Simpsons, show to air at end of year
cBBC Newsround
text report
March 23, 2003: David Gordon Rowling Murray born
** June 16, 17, 18 The J.K. Rowling Story
The Scotsman
text biography (tabloid-ish)
***** June 19 JK's OOTP interview (Jeremy Paxman),
BBC Newsnight
  • JKR: "Yeah. Well I had re-written the death [in book 5], re-written it and that was it. It was definitive. And the person was definitely dead."
  • The Deaths Eaters were once called "the Knights of Walpurgis."

text
video
interview
*** June 20 I'm not writing for the money: It's for me and out of loyalty to fans
The Times
(London)
text interview
*** June 20 Interview with Katie Couric
Dateline NBC (U.S.)
text
video
interview
June 21, 2003: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix published (U.K. & U.S.)
*
NEW!
June 23 The Shy Sorceress
Time Magazine
(U.S.)
text some quotage
***** June 26 Interview with Stephen Fry at Royal Albert Hall
  • JKR: "I think you're all getting far too fond of Draco."
  • 'Mundungus' means 'Tobacco.'
  • SF: Albus Dumbledore is on the side of light and his name means white.
    JKR: Yes, white and wisdom as well
    SF: And wisdom from "Alb." And in Britain, Albion was an old name for a Briton
  • JKR: "I don't want to give too much away, but Dumbledore is a very wise man who [...] has had to step back a little bit from Harry in an effort to teach him some of life's harder lessons."
  • JKR: "I think what I was trying to do with the death in this book [Book 5] was show how very arbitrary and sudden death is.
  • JKR: "Luna is the anti-Hermione because Hermione is so logical and so inflexible whereas Luna is the one who is prepared to believe a thousand mad things before breakfast."
  • JKR: "You shouldn't think [Snape is] too nice. Let me just say that. It is worth keeping an eye on old Severus Snape, definitely."
  • Dumbledore thought the DADA job would "bring out the worst in Snape."
  • Parselmouth is an old word for someone who has a problem with their mouth like a hair lip.
  • Arithmancy is "predicting the future with numbers."
text interview
*** June 30 Her Magic Moment
Newsweek (U.S.)
text interview
**
NEW!
June 23 The Real Magic Of Harry Potter
Time
text report
** July 14 Something About Harry
Newsweek
(U.S.)
text review
* July 7 Harry Potter And The Childish Adult
New York Times
text commentary
** July 8 A.S. Byatt and the Goblet of Bile
Salon
text commentary
** July 10 Harry Potter attack starts war of words Literary feathers fly as Booker prize-winner suggests latest best-seller lacks magic
The Daily Telegraph (London)
text commentary
** October Fighting in a Battle That Will Never Be Won
(Príncipe de Asturias Prize acceptance speech)
text Rowling statement
Rating 2003 Title & highlights* Links Type

*Article highlights created by Deborah Skinner (aka 'Madam Scoop') and Lisa Bunker

Original page date 21 September 2006; last updated 9 July, 2007

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