First, the winner of the first October Giveaway is Red Rocker! Congratulations, Red Rocker. Send me an E-Owl, and I’ll get it shipped out to you right away.
Everyone stay tuned, because there’s going to be a second October giveaway coming up next week. If you’ve not done so already, subscribe the Hog’s Head by RSS reader or daily email.
Other items of interest:
- HogPro has been very active lately, which is always a treat for the serious reader of Harry Potter. John Granger notes a recent statement by Rowling about the forthcoming Tales of Beedle the Bard (which you can pre-order by clicking here!) being a distillation of the themes of the Potter series. I haven’t read the summaries yet, because I prefer to just read the stories when they’re available. But I intend to spend the majority of November and December focused on Faerie here, and analyzing the Tales will be a huge part of that. Particularly interesting will be the things Rowling mentions about how “magic” in a fairy tale works in a world that is already magical.
- Pete Peterson of The Rabbit Room (a blog I highly recommend) has written a scary story with admitted Lovecraftian influence.
- Apparently, as with the 10th anniversary Sorcerer’s Stone, Melissa Anelli’s book, Harry, A History, has been shipped early. Anyone have it?
- Remember that our final week of Lovecraft stories is coming up, and we’re focusing on a great scary story – one of my favorites – “Haunter of the Dark.” Amy will get us started at the beginning of the week with some intro questions, and I think she has a lengthy analysis planned!
“It would have been a cop out to kill him,” J.K. Rowling says:
In many ways it would have been a neater ending to kill him. For sure, I knew that all along. felt that the books’ overriding message was that love is the most powerful force in this world. My model with Harry really was war veterans, who have seen horrors and are asked to go home and rebuild, and go back to ordinary life and care for a family, be a father – particularly be a father – [it is] a difficult job, in troubled times. I felt it would be a betrayal of my character if I did anything other than show him doing that. And I think it’s an absolutely heroic thing to do, to go home after that, not to become a mercenary, not to live forever frozen in a time of excitement and danger, but to be mentally strong enough, to an extent physically strong enough, to return from war and to raise a new generation with values that you hope will not lead to another war. That’s massive.
Of course you can say, yes, to an extent, as ever in life, that’s the eternal paradox. What’s is most worthwhile may well be seen as slightly dull, but God knows without those people who were prepared to come home and raise the family and rebuild, help rebuild… rebuilding is much more difficult than destroying. So, I felt it was almost a cop-out, morally, to kill him. I wanted to show a man who, yeah, he went back and got his hands dirty and tried to rebuild. I liked that. And again, it made a lot of people were livid, but God knows by that time I was used to that by then!
I’ve heard her explaining this before. Thoughts?
by Travis Prinzi
Despite the fact that the supposed next big Potter event – the release of the Half-Blood Prince film – has been delayed till next summer, the Potterverse will be alive and kicking, with lots of key events, until that film release. Here’s a breakdown, in as close to chronological order as possible. Consider this your magical map to the next 8 months in Potter:
- John Granger’s first books since the release of HP7. How Harry Cast His Spell: The Meaning Behind the Mania for J.K. Rowling’s Bestselling Books is currently available. This is the revised version of the older Looking for God in Harry Potter, and it’s a great starting place for Granger’s indispensable work on Potter. The Deathly Hallows Lectures is on its way! More details on that to come.
- September 21: NYC Wizard Rock Festival – Guess I should have planned my NYC trip for a month later!
- September 23: Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone: 10th Anniversary Edition. It’s available for pre-order now, and since it has new material from Rowling, it will certainly spark some discussion. There will also be a big celebration in NYC on the release day, so if you’re making plans to be in town for the Wizard Rock Festival, you may want to make plans to stick around for this event, too.
- September 23: For those who aren’t going to be in NYC for the release of the 10th anniversary edition, there will be a live webcast of the event! Expect a busy day here at The Hog’s Head.
- Any time now (?): The decision in the Vander Ark/RDR vs. JKR/WB trial. Not to bring up a touchy subject, but that decision, whenever it comes, will make a big splash in the lake next to Hogwarts. Hopefully it won’t upset the grindylows too much.
- October: My Book! Ready for the title? Harry Potter & Imagination: The Way Between Two Worlds. More info, including cover art and release date to come.
- Halloween: Apart from the fact that Halloween is always a good time to celebrate and discuss Harry Potter, there is a conference scheduled for Northern Illinois University on Halloween and the following days: Searching for Platform 9 & 3/4. I’ll be speaking there!
- Halloween: For those in the Redondo Beach, CA area who can’t make it to “Searching for Platform 9 & 3/4,” there is a Halloween Feast.
- November 4: Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli, webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron. With a forward by and interviews with Rowling, this book, which focuses on the Potter phenomenon, is likely to get a lot of attention.
- Later in November (hopefully): A volume of excellent essays on Potter from Zossima, edited by myself. More info to come.
- December 5: The Tales of Beedle the Bard! We’ve discussed it here, and I podcasted on it. I can’t wait.
- Forthcoming: The release of James Thomas’s book from Zossima Press on re-reading Harry Potter. This will be a must-read. Details to come.
- January 9, 2009: HP-Ohio’s ”The Crystal Ball” event – a formal ball with Draco and the Malfoys.
- May 21-24, 2009: LeakyCon. Highly unlikely that I’ll be at this one, but I bet it’ll be pretty big.
- July 17, 2009: Half-Blood Prince film (finally!)
- July 18-21: Azkatraz. The website’s getting active. Should be a really good time. I intend to be at this one.
The Marauder’s Map is alive and magical: there are lots of things I’ve missed (book releases, Wizard Rock events, etc.), so feel free to add events in the comments! [click to continue…]
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Marauder’s Map: Your Guide to Potter Events From Now Till Half-Blood Prince
by Travis Prinzi on August 15, 2008
by Travis Prinzi
Despite the fact that the supposed next big Potter event – the release of the Half-Blood Prince film – has been delayed till next summer, the Potterverse will be alive and kicking, with lots of key events, until that film release. Here’s a breakdown, in as close to chronological order as possible. Consider this your magical map to the next 8 months in Potter:
The Marauder’s Map is alive and magical: there are lots of things I’ve missed (book releases, Wizard Rock events, etc.), so feel free to add events in the comments! [click to continue…]
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