There is something curiously medieval about the modern inquisition against JK Rowling.
An author once lauded for her imaginative portrayal of witches, warlocks and a magical world beyond the comprehension of “muggle” society, now she stands defiantly at the stake of popular culture, unburned despite the furious flames lapping all around her.
If she had tried to release Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone today, she might well not have made it past the publisher: a white, cisgender woman writing about bravery, injustice and a world where good and evil actually held meaning? Not exactly in vogue.
