The Most Incredible Anecdote about J.K. Rowling Ever Told by Frank Landsman
Channel: Frankie Paradiso
Date: 2022-12-14

I was sitting in the library of Exeter University in Devon, England where I was going to spend a year as a post-graduate scholarship student to do research into American Literature. Suddenly, an elegant lady emerged who kindly invited me for coffee and a chat, for she had been writing some fiction. I happened to be in the middle of preparing a presentation about a famous horror tale, The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe, so I politely turned her offer down. 
I never saw her again, as she moved to France, till… a decade later I saw the posters going up in my hometown of Amsterdam for the latest literary sensation from England, Harry Potter! I instantly recognised the author’s photograph, and the bookshop keeper told me that Miss Rowling was currently even wealthier than the Queen of England, as both the books and the movies plus all the merchandise were breaking world records. Some Americans wanted to ban the books, fearing a revival of black magic. 
My godfather Uncle Frank was a children’s book publisher at the time. He had discovered Barbapapa, Little Nicholas and Dr Snuggles. When I told him about my unforgivable blunder of turning down this fantasy fiction author from England, he laughed out loud. “How could you have predicted that she would become such a literary sensation one day?”, he asked, trying to comfort me. 
Whenever my Indonesian students ask me about the meaning of the proverb “It’s no use crying over spilt milk”, I tell them, “You know, there once was a lady who kindly invited me for coffee and a chat about fiction at Exeter University’s library.” What the “fiction” would have entailed is anybody’s guess and will go down in history as one of life’s unsolved riddles. I mailed this anecdote to her website, but she never replied. Perhaps it was her turn to turn me down, for a change.

10 WH-QUESTIONS BASED ON THE J.K. ROWLING ANECDOTE
1. Who’s the author of the famous horror tale “The Fall of the House of Usher”?
A) J.K. Rowling
B) Edgar Allan Poe
2. Why did Frank have to prepare a presentation about this story?
A) It was part of his research into American Literature
B) He wanted to make a horror movie based on this story
3. Why did the elegant lady invite him for coffee and a chat?
A) She wanted to know more about American literature
B) She wanted to discuss some fiction she had written
4. Why didn’t Frank meet her again after turning her down?
A) Because she moved to another country
B) Because he disliked her personally
5. How did Frank know that the lady must have been J.K. Rowling, the world-famous author of Harry Potter?
A) He recognised her face on the publicity posters for the Harry Potter series
B) She had sent him a signed review copy of her literary debut
6. Did the success of the books, movies and merchandise enrich her?
A) No, she actually ended up unemployed and living on Social Security
B) Yes, she actually became wealthier than the Queen of England
7. Why did some Americans object to the Harry Potter series?
A) They disliked the British English spelling used
B) They were afraid that black magic would become popular again
8. What did Frank’s godfather do for a living?
A) He published children’s books
B) He was the author of Little Nicholas
9. How did he respond to Frank’s blunder?
A) He was extremely upset and started crying
B) He tried to comfort his godson by telling him he couldn’t have predicted Rowling’s meteoric rise to fame
10. What’s the meaning of the expression “It’s No Use Crying over Spilt Milk”?
A) What’s done is done, and cannot be reversed or changed
B) Drinking milk brings no health benefits