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Rowling apologises for Voldemort's ancestry
Ed Harris04.02.09
France paid homage to Harry Potter author JK Rowling as she was "inducted" into the country's Legion of Honour.
President Nicolas Sarkozy bestowed Rowling with the honorary title of "knight" in the legion during a ceremony in the Elysée presidential palace yesterday.
"I cannot say that I think that I truly deserve it, but the Legion of Honour has a particular and personal meaning," she said. One of her great-grandfathers, who was French, received it in 1924 for his courage in the Battle of Verdun during the First World War. She also thanked her readers in France "for not having held a grudge against me for having given a French name to my evil character" - Lord Voldemort. "I can assure you that no anti-French feeling was at the origin of this choice," she said. "As a Francophile, I have always been proud of my French blood. But I needed a name that evokes both power and exoticism. Voldemort himself is 100 per cent English," she added.
The writer leapt to fame with the 1997 publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of seven. The books have sold more than 400 million copies and been translated into 67 languages.
The Légion d'honneur was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century. Although foreigners cannot be officially inducted, they are routinely made honorary recipients. Other foreign "knights" include actor Jerry Lewis, director Steven Spielberg, singer Barbra Streisand and Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Reader views (8)
Sorry Tom,Watford...I thought she'd written a biography!
- gwaddilove, london,ENGLAND
Marianne, SW France - that's the second post that you've made today suggesting that Mandelson has been knighted. He hasn't; he's been made a peer of the Realm with the title of Baron. Mind you, your general drift is correct - I don't have the first idea why he's been recognised either.
- jonp, Bradford, Yorkshire
Perhaps Sarkozy is a bit confused into thinking that Rowling really killed off a 'French' baddie?
- SMB, London, UK
Get real, Voldemort is a fictional character, so who cares about his fictional ancestry?
- Tom, Watford (UK)
Well at least it beats Peter Mandelson who got a knighthood for what exactly? Being sacked twice - or was it three times?
- Marianne, SW France
Yes, her 'Evil Character' is %100 ENGLISH!!!
- gwaddilove, london,ENGLAND
Bizarre, she's awarded the Légion d'honneur for writing kids books? I'm sure it'll look nice on her mantlepiece with her OBE.
- Bob, Cheam
How tediously 'Bling' - what has this woman done for France, to be ranked alongside men and women who risked their lives?
- Roz, Chamonix, France
