MuggleNet and TLC's interview with JK Rowling, Part I

  July 19, 2005 at 11:55 AM ET
  Geri     HPANA (via MuggleNet/The Leaky Cauldron)
  harry potter and the half-blood prince, half-blood prince, book 6, jk rowling

By now we all know that Emerson from MuggleNet and Melissa from TLC were invited to interview Harry Potter author JK Rowling the weekend of the book launch. They have now posted part I of their interview as well as their own weekend reports, with the remainder to be published later in the week.

Transcript of interview with JK Rowling, Part 1:

Emerson: I know Dumbledore likes to see the good in people but he seems trusting almost to the point of recklessness sometimes.

[Laughter] Yes, I would agree. I would agree.

Emerson: How can someone so -

JKR: Intelligent -

Emerson: be so blind with regard to certain things?

JKR: Well, there is information on that to come, in seven. But I would say that I think it has been demonstrated, particularly in books five and six that immense brainpower does not protect you from emotional mistakes and I think Dumbledore really exemplifies that. In fact, I would tend to think that being very, very intelligent might create some problems and it has done for Dumbledore, because his wisdom has isolated him, and I think you can see that in the books, because where is his equal, where is his confidante, where is his partner? He has none of those things. He’s always the one who gives, he’s always the one who has the insight and has the knowledge. So I think that, while I ask the reader to accept that McGonagall is a very worthy second in command, she is not an equal. You have a slightly circuitous answer, but I can't get much closer than that.

Emerson: No, that was a good answer.

Melissa: It's interesting about Dumbledore being lonely.

JKR: I see him as isolated, and a few people have said to me rightly I think, that he is detached. My sister said to me in a moment of frustration, it was when Hagrid was shut up in his house after Rita Skeeter had published that he was a half-breed, and my sister said to me, “Why didn't Dumbledore go down earlier, why didn't Dumbledore go down earlier?” I said he really had to let Hagrid stew for a while and see if he was going to come out of this on his own because if he had come out on his own he really would have been better. "Well he's too detached, he's too cold, it's like you,” she said!" [Laughter] By which she meant that where she would immediately rush in and I would maybe stand back a little bit and say, “Let's wait and see if he can work this out.” I wouldn't leave him a week. I'd leave him maybe an afternoon. But she would chase him into the hut.

From Emerson’s weekend report:

I just happened to be sitting right next to the CEO of Bloomsbury and his daughter Alice (you know, "the girl who saved Harry Potter"?). I pestered them both with questions all night… real nice people.

From Melissa’s weekend report:

Before I knew it I had been joined by three smiley people, all from Bloomsbury, with their arms full of Potter merchandise, including the first signed Braille HBP (for a blind cub reporter), which was two boxes, each the size of a large television set.

More from their interview will be released on Wednesday and Friday.