It began with my mother bringing me a book. Nobody expected it to become an obsession, least of all me. I was a kid, not even six-years-old. It was a simple paperback from a previously unknown British author.
The book itself didn’t seem all that special to me, but my love for fantasy was well rooted, even then. Even several years after its original publication, I’m pretty sure that nobody knew how massive it would become. I certainly didn’t.
The first film adaptation was released in 2001. That was the year everything changed. That was the year in which Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone started what would become one of the largest film franchises and most beloved series of novels in history.
From then on, Harry Potter took over my life. Even as I’m writing this, I can look over my shoulder and see memorabilia and several copies of the series. Harry Potter is such a major part of my life that I literally cannot imagine the person I would be if not for Joanne Rowling’s amazing universe. What amazes me even more than my obsession, is that it almost didn’t happen.
Twenty years ago, no publisher would take this unproven author’s manuscript. I can only imagine the regret that so many people must feel today for passing on Harry Potter. I can only imagine the kind of promotion that the editor from Bloomsbury got when the series took off. I still can’t believe that it’s been 20 years. Twenty years since the beginning of a franchise and an everlasting legacy.
Hundreds of songs, a West End/Broadway play, three fan-made musicals and hundreds of thousands of individual pieces of fan fiction have been created. That’s discounting the eight films in the main series and the spin-off films, both released and planned.
Harry Potter is an empire.
There is no doubt in my mind that the legacy of this series will be passed down for generations. It wouldn’t surprise me if, in 500 years, Harry Potter is taught in English classes in a similar way to how Shakespeare is in the modern age. I can tell you now, many of the next generation of writers will list Harry Potter as an influence on them.
I would not be the person that I am today, for better or worse, if not for Harry Potter. Something that is true of many people my age. I’m one of those fans that has engrained Harry Potter on my body permanently.
I spent an entire summer reading Harry Potter fan fiction. We’re talking sitting in front of my computer reading all day. That’s the kind of fan that Harry Potter produces. I even tried my hand at writing fan fiction once upon a time. It’s still something that sits at the back of my mind.
I can guarantee that when my niece is old enough, we will read Harry Potter together. I don’t care how it’s done; that little girl will share in one of the most important experiences of my life.
Harry Potter is something that everybody should experience. I don’t care if you’re eight or 80, give Harry Potter a chance to worm his way into your heart. He deserves it and so do you.
