J.K. Rowling's Prince of Asturias acceptance speech
October 24, 2003 at 6:06 PM ET
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The Leaky Cauldron (via FPA Channel)
As reported earlier, Harry Potter author JK Rowling received the 2003 Prince of Asturias Award for Concord
, and now her acceptance speech is available online.
Here are some brief excerpts:
I wanted to depict the ambiguities of a society where bigotry, cruelty, hypocrisy and corruption are rife, the better to show how truly heroic it is, whatever your age, to fight a battle that can never be won. And I also wanted to reflect the fact that life can be difficult and confusing between the ages of eleven and seventeen, even when armed with a wand.
Children need stories because they need to test their imaginations, try on other people's ideas, inhabit other lives, send their minds where their bodies are not yet mature enough to go. No film, no television programme, no computer or video game can ever duplicate the magic that occurs when the reader's imagination meets the author's to create a unique, private kingdom.
JK also announced that she will be donating her prize money to the International Reading Association's Developing Countries Fund, which promotes literacy worldwide.
For those interested, a huge gallery of photos from Rowling's award ceremony has been set up. Many thanks to El Cronista de Salem for again providing a special treat like this.