There can’t be many writers capable of filling the
cavern-like auditorium at Cheltenham Racecourse – but JK Rowling is one of
them.
All 2,000 seats for the Cheltenham Literature Festival event at the weekend had been snapped up in a trice, with people travelling from all
over the world to hear their heroine speak. When interviewer James Runcie threw
the session open to questions at the end several tearful young fans stood up
and said “I love you,” while one woman told her: “I hope you know how many
lives you have touched.” “Don’t make me cry,” said Rowling, clearly moved by her
words.
Rowling was ostensibly there to promote The Casual Vacancy, her
first novel for adults, but she proved generous with her time and her
willingness to answer questions about everything from her favourite The Casual Vacancy character (Fats) to
her favourite overall character (Dumbledore).
A tiny, blonde figure in a chic, black jacket, matching
trousers and high heels, she rushed to the side of the stage to accept a letter
from one awestruck young girl, crouched down to talk to her for a couple of
minutes and gave her a hug.
Along the way she revealed that the next book she publishes
will be for children, that Lucy Shepherd, the teacher who taught her A
level English, was in the audience that night and that taking part in the
London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony was the “proudest moment” of her life.
“I was terrified, absolutely terrified,” she said. “Walking
out on to the hillock at the Olympic ceremony was extraordinary. I think I will
see it on my deathbed. It was breathtaking and I felt extraordinarily proud to
be in it.
“When the huge Voldemort grew up out of the middle of the
stage my entire body went cold and I thought ‘how the hell did this happen?’”
Asked about books she read as a teenager she mentioned Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord
of the Flies, while she revealed that the character from children’s
literature she most adored was Jo March from Little Women. One book she’d read recently and loved was the Orange
prizewinning The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Asked which of her own books was her favourite she confessed
to a three-way split. “I love The Casual
Vacancy – it’s what I wanted it to be.” Her favourite Harry Potter title is
Deathly Hallows and “then for obvious
reasons, Philosopher’s Stone – which
changed my life.”
She said she made up stories for her own children but “they
are very much tailored to my children. I don’t think they will be appearing in
book form.”
At one point she also spoke about her own battle with
depression. James Runcie, who described The
Casual Vacancy as “Hardy with heroin,” asked her if she would ever write a
comedy.
“I think this book is comic in places but the humour gets a
little dark,” she replied. “I do have a tendency to walk on the dark side
sometimes. I have suffered from depression. I know how that feels and I
probably have an innate inclination that way. Writing is necessary to me and
does help with that.”
At the end of the evening the queue for JK Rowling to sign copies
of The Casual Vacancy stretched down
the stairs and right round the building. She’d agreed to sign one book per
ticket holder and people stood patiently, clutching their copies of the book
and waiting their turn. Goodness knows what time they all got home.