On June 26, 1997, the first volume of the saga of the Harry Potter, designed by JK Rowling. Who would have believed at the time that the adventures of the little wizard would become a worldwide literary, cultural and commercial phenomenon? On the occasion of the 25e novel anniversary, The duty looks back on this unprecedented enthusiasm for a children’s book.
They met Harry, Hermione and Ron as they entered their teens. They grew up with them for almost a decade, sometimes dreaming of being in their shoes. Today adults, millennials – who were the first Harry Potter generation – still have a strong attachment to the literary series, although many feel betrayed by the comments deemed transphobic by its author.
“I waited a long time for my letter from Hogwarts before making up my mind: I’m just a simple Muggle,” laughs Ian Riverin, a big fan of the Harry Potter. The 31-year-old man no longer counts the number of times he has read the seven volumes of the saga. “I have less time to read them all in a row, but once a year I take one at random, I reread the chapters that I like the most,” he confides.
But his passion for the magical world of the wizard with round glasses accompanies him on a daily basis. His hat, his scarf, his bag and his notebook bear the colors and the symbol of the Slytherin house, the one in which he would have entered at Hogwarts, according to one quiz Internet. There are also his board game evenings on the theme of Harry Potter, his Halloween costume in the image of Draco Malfoy and his birthday cakes in a nod to the saga of Harry Potter. Oh yes, and his cat is called Chatlazar Slytherin, in homage to the co-founder of the school of wizards Salazar Slytherin.
“It’s a passion,” he admits. It’s part of my personality. It must be said that Ian Riverin grew up with a book of Harry Potter in the hand. It was at the age of nine that he discovered this universe, when he received the first four volumes for Christmas. “That day, I didn’t move from the armchair and I devoured the first book,” he says. Then I chained the others. I couldn’t stop. And while waiting for the next volume, I reread them all, ad infinitum. »
He remembers begging his mother, at the age of 14, to go to the local bookstore at midnight to buy volume 5 as soon as it came out. “I couldn’t wait any longer, I started it in the car on the way home and didn’t get much sleep that night. »
“These books played a role in the construction of my identity at 9-12 years old,” he continues. I identified with the characters, I imitated some of their behaviors, I learned what awaited me as a teenager thanks to them. »
For his part, Jean-Sébastien Lavoie judges that the Harry Potter above all made him the great reader he is today. “It gave me the sting at 11 years old. Before that, I read few, thin books. It was a turning point. He remembers taking his time to read each volume, at the rate of one a year, in order to always have the age of Harry and his friends during his reading and thus to be able to identify even more with them.
“It’s not just a fluke. There is talent in JK Rowling’s writing. It keeps you in suspense and immerses you in a fascinating imaginary universe whatever your age, ”says the man who is now almost 33 years old.
These books played a role in the construction of my identity at 9-12 years old, he continues. I identified with the characters, I imitated some of their behaviors, I learned what awaited me as a teenager thanks to them.
Shadow on the board
Jean-Sébastien says he has a strong attachment to this series of books, some passages of which he still regularly reads. Her love for Harry’s Adventures was nearly shattered, however, when the controversy surrounding her authorship began in 2020.
Reacting to an opinion piece that used the phrase “menstruating people”, JK Rowling ironically wrote about Twitter “I’m sure there’s already been a word to describe these people. Help me. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? pretending to look up the English word for woman, ” woman “. She followed up with a series of posts defending the concept of biological sex. She thus attracted the wrath of the LGBTQ + community and many fans who found her comments transphobic.
“I thought it was a clumsiness at the start, says Jean-Sébastien. But she persists and signs. His words really disappointed me. He explains that he wondered for a long time: should he throw away his Harry Potter or could he separate the work from its author? “I allow myself to still love the Harry Potter because these are my memories and the books are already in my library, it’s not like I’m encouraging JK Rowling by buying her new works. »
Same story on the side of Ian Riverin, who could not draw a line under his passion and his many memories linked to the universe of the wizard. But he considers himself “betrayed”. “JK Rowling defends minorities in her books, she transforms outcasts into a trio of beloved heroes. And 25 years later, she makes such comments. It’s incoherent,” he said.
Other fans have kept an even more bitter and persistent taste. “In certain circumstances, you can separate the work from the artist. But his words go so far, they are so contrary to the values in his books, that it is impossible”, judge Fanny Tremblay, 35 years old. She gives as examples the messages of self-acceptance, openness to others, or the fight against social injustices that made her love the saga so much.
“I had a child in 2008, who is intersex, and he too grew up with Harry Potter, she continues. At two years old, he learned to speak with Harry Potter cards. His middle name is inspired by a character from the story. […] I had to have a conversation with him, explain to him what JK Rowling was saying. I didn’t want him to find out on his own later. »
If she intends to let her child choose whether he wants to continue reading Harry Potter, for her the answer is categorical: “I have done my mourning. I could never again enjoy reading those books that I loved so much. »