Harry Potter

It was Christmas time in the year 2000. At that time i was living in London. I was all by myself in the shared apartment, the other people living there were back home to celebrate Christmas with their families.

I had just bought the first four books of the Harry Potter series. I remember lying on my bed reading these books, completely enchanted.

Over the next few years i bought the new books straightaway after they had come out. I loved diving into each new book and read the new story written with such fun and dedication. I remember buying the latest book for my niece. She loved the books as well.

I have been re-reading the books over the years. The last time i read the books was earlier this year.

I love the films as well. The last two weeks i have been watching all the films once again. Each time i see them, i can see them more clearly with more attention for all the details. The final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 i watched yesterday morning.

Until now each time i watched the movies, something new strikes me. It is like the story takes me away with it so i don’t notice all the little details of it. Yesterday i noticed the stone of resurrection very particularly, just before Harry met Voldemort in the forest and was killed. I did notice it before, of course, but i never really thought about it. I love to be swept away by the story. To my own detriment.

I do realize there are many criticisms to these books. Today i read the wikipedia page for Harry Potter, and yes, quite a few people have expressed dislike for certain aspects of the stories. A.S Byatt says: “secondary secondary world, made up of intelligently patchworked derivative motifs from all sorts of children’s literature … written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip.” I understand this. But this is also exactly why i like the books. They are so close to our own world. There is of course no magic in our world, but on the other hand, there are still many wondrous landscapes and mountains and forests and buildings and animals and people in our world. And i know i could never have written stories like the Harry Potter stories. And they do get their inspiration from all over the place, yes, but it is still a wonderfully thought out travel through the teenager years.

So yes, i love the Harry Potter books and movies.