LOCKDOWN LEADER: J K Rowling
Author J.K. Rowling OBE is a known philanthropist with a long history of charitable giving – and magical penmanship. The founder of children’s charity Lumos and the Volant Charitable Trust, Rowling is as famous for her big heart as her celebrated Harry Potter book series. And while her writing and philanthropy work has mostly remained separate, her latest project, The Ickabog, which raises money for people affected by Covid-19, brings both passions together.
The idea for The Ickabog came to Rowling while she was writing Harry Potter. In those moments when she needed to take a break from the magical world, she dipped in and out of writing this story, reading it to her children. Rowling intended on printing The Ickabog after her wizarding series came to a close, but when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, the mother-of-three decided to take a five-year break from publishing. The Ickabog was moved to her attic where it sat gathering dust.
“Over time, I came to think of it as a story that belonged to my two younger children, because I’d read it to them in the evenings when they were little, which has always been a happy family memory,” the author says.
The Ickabog remained a family secret until the Covid-19 pandemic hit and Rowling found herself thinking of all the children around the world stuck at home in isolation in need of entertainment.
“A few weeks ago, at dinner, I tentatively mooted the idea of getting The Ickabog down from the attic and publishing it for free, for children in lockdown. My now teenagers were touchingly enthusiastic, so downstairs came the very dusty box, and for the last few weeks I’ve been immersed in a fictional world I thought I’d never enter again,” Rowling says.
“As I worked to finish the book, I started reading chapters nightly to the family again. This was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my writing life, as The Ickabog’s first two readers told me what they remember from when they were tiny, and demanded the reinstatement of bits they’d particularly liked (I obeyed).”
Every weekday between 26 May and 10 July, Rowing will publish at least one chapter of the story on The Ickabog website for free, with translations to follow so children around the world can join the fun. She’s also launched an illustration competition encouraging young readers to get creative during lockdown and submit their most imaginative drawings – winning entries will be included the finished book.
But The Ickabog has a purpose that goes beyond entertainment. All author royalties from the story, which will be published in November 2020, will go to groups who’ve been particularly affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
As for what to expect, Rowling teases: “It isn’t Harry Potter and it doesn’t include magic. This is an entirely different story.”