JK Rowling's 'a flash in the pan' for Harvard students

London, May 5: She may have been named as the most popular children's author, but JK Rowling is certainly not popular among some of the Harvard students, for they consider her 'a flash in the pan'.

The 'Harry Potter' creator is to give an important speech of the year at Harvard University as thousands of students graduate on 5 June.

However, the students have complained that they deserve better.

Adam Goldenberg, a Canadian student who writes for the Harvard Crimson, the daily newspaper at the university, said: "Our commencement speaker tricked parents into letting their kids read books filled with sex, murder, and homosexual role models."

"Harvard seniors have every right to demand a Harvard-calibre speaker. Harry Potter - and JK Rowling - is just a flash in the pan. Writing bedtime stories is lame - just ask Tolkien and CS Lewis.

"The class of 2008 has been royally screwed by Harvard. A petty pop culture personality of questionable permanence will send us on our merry way, while figures of real substance wait in the wings," he added.

Last July, on the eve of the publication of her seventh and final book, dozens of restaurants and stores on campus opened late and had offered Harry Potter-themed specials. There was a three-hour performance by Harry and the Potters, and hundreds of fans queued to buy the book at midnight.

"She is obviously an interesting and intellectual person who gives money to a lot of different causes. I can't think of anyone better to inspire people to go out in the world and make a name for themselves," the Scotsman quoted Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust, as saying.

The 42-year-old author had revealed that she had been receiving death threats from Christians opposed to her novels.

Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist, has previously attacked the books, saying: "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the Devil."


Copyright Asian News International