JK Rowling says she was grateful to be offered a damehood but has never sought such a title. -AP
J.K. Rowling has turned down a damehood.
The 59-year-old author is one of the best-selling writers of all time thanks to her magical ‘Harry Potter’ series and was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001 for her services to children’s literature but does not want the honour to go any higher than that.
Replying to a fan on X who was calling for her to be made a dame, she said: “I really, truly appreciate the sentiment but in fact I’ve already turned down both a damehood and a peerage.”
The celebrated writer – whose magical creation spawned seven books, eight movies, a theme park, and a stage play – insisted she had turned the honours down for “personal reasons” but remained grateful for the fan’s suggestion.Â
She added: “This is for entirely personal reasons, ie, I’ve never wanted a title.
“Thank you, though.”
Rowling – who also writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith – recently revealed that she struggled to call herself a “real writer”, even after her debut ‘Harry Potter’ novel was published in 1997.
Asked when she realised it was a hit, she told The Sunday Times: “It’s all a bit of a blur, to be honest. Winning the Smarties Book Prize (in 1997) was a massive moment, and then I got a record advance from America, and everything went crazy.
“I was overjoyed [when I made the bestsellers list] because it felt like something that happened to real writers.
“I can’t overstate how timid I was about calling myself a writer. Even after I was published, I hesitated to say it out loud because I’d wanted it for so long and didn’t want to jinx myself.”
