• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Login/ Register
  • Editorial Team
  • Get Involved

Exeposé Online

Making the headlines since 1987

Exeposé Online
  • Home
  • News
      • Local
      • COVID-19
      • University News
  • Comment
  • Features
      • National
      • Worldwide
      • Politics
      • Interviews
  • Science
      • News
      • Lite Science
      • Common Misconceptions
      • Environment
      • Health
      • Technology
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
      • Fashion and Beauty
      • Features
      • Food
      • Wellbeing
      • Sustainability
  • Music
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Single Reviews
  • Screen
      • Reviews
      • Features
      • Interviews
      • Festivals and Awards
  • Arts + Lit
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Reviews
      • Creative Writing
  • Amplify
  • International
  • Multilingual
  • News
  • Comment
  • Features
  • Science
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
  • Music
  • Screen
  • Arts + Lit
  • Amplify
  • International
  • Multilingual
Home / Arts & Lit

Finally, a Rowling interview…lol J.K

Josh Mines, Deputy Editor, gossips with J.K Rowling about her inspirations (sort of)….

Exeter isn’t without its share of famous alumni. From the musical genius of Thom Yorke to the trolling talent of Katie Hopkins, few other Unis can boast such an extensive repertoire of celebrity ex-students. However, often one name is mentioned before anyone else’s on this list: J K Rowling. Not only is she probably the most famous face to have graced Exeter’s campus, but the Harry Potter series, and the locations that Harry and his chums frequent are often rumoured to be based on places we all know and love down here in Devon.

Though many have speculated about the likeness of the leaky cauldron to firehouse, or Diagon Alley to Gandhi Street, I wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery once and for all. So I got in touch with J K herself to get the low down on which places are witch in Exeter.

We began discussing her experiences as a fresher. “Most of my best nights in first year were spent down at Moz for sure. In fact, most of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was written in a booth by the second floor bar. That was the year I earned the nickname ‘V. K. Rowling, if I can recall correctly’”. Intrigued to know more, I pried further. Could Mosaic really be the basis for some of Rowling’s most loved literary locations? “Well I guess the Three Broomsticks was inspired from Moz. They’re both loud and sweaty, although I reckon the Three Broomsticks would probably smell more of Fire whiskey than jager bombs. I can imagine Ron and Harry enjoying a cheeky butter beer bolt from time to time though”.

Joshua Meeks-Rayvon Williams Photography
Joshua Meeks-Rayvon Williams Photography

Sites on campus, Rowling told me, were also influential in inspiring some of the most well-known places in her fictional universe. “I remember first going into old Lafrowda and thinking it was pretty much exactly like a prison cell. The whitefish, the bare bricks and the labyrinthine walls gave me the perfect image for what Azkaban would be like. As for the dementors, well I think we’ve all felt like sucking someone’s soul out of their mouth after a particularly heavy night on the lash from time to time”.

There was even mention of Duryard being like the forbidden forest: a mysterious place away from campus that students never visit unless they absolutely have to (although Duryard has a striking lack of centaurs and fawns gambling about its forest).

So it seems even some of the most inconspicuous campus buildings hold some kind of importance in J K’s head. As our conversation came to a close, I couldn’t help wondering about the truth behind what she was saying. Why does an imaginary place in a fictional world have to bear any resemblance to somewhere that actually does exist? Perhaps it’s best to just enjoy the illusion of literature and not be so concerned about where places in the story could be rooted in the real world. Saying that, I don’t think I’ll ever look at Mosaic in the same way again.

Josh Mines

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Jun 5, 2015 By Joshua Mines Filed Under: Arts & Lit, Arts Interviews, Creative Writing Tagged With: interview, Satire, duryard, Inspiration, Firehouse, alumni, harrypotter, JKRowling, Mozz, VKs

Primary Sidebar

exepose_arts_lit

Arts and literature section of the University of Exeter's student newspaper 🎨📚 artsandlit@exepose.com

Local artist, Molly Rooke talks to Exeposé about Local artist, Molly Rooke talks to Exeposé about her postponed exhibition at Exeter Phoenix and how the environment is at the top of her artistic agenda. Read more with the link below! 

https://exepose.com/2021/01/21/a-local-artists-perspective-molly-rooke-on-covid-climate-and-creativity-in-lockdown/

#lockdown #exeter #localartist #mollyrooke #exeterphoenix
Read about the benefit of diary writing in Rhian H Read about the benefit of diary writing in Rhian Hutching’s latest article exploring how diaries have come to embody feminist practice #virginiawoolf #sashaswire #annefrank
We’re getting meta here on the arts+lit Instagra We’re getting meta here on the arts+lit Instagram page..

Check out Sardelli Constanza and Megan Frost’s definitive guide on the art accounts of Instagram!

Find the full guide on the Arts + Lit website.
“Visual art alongside literature has historicall “Visual art alongside literature has historically been used as both a political tool and an emotional outlet...”

Before the US election result is announced on 3rd November, check out what Rhian Hutchings has to say about the role of art in voting.
Imogen Williams shares her autumn short story abou Imogen Williams shares her autumn short story about the beauty of seasonal change.

Read more on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit website.
Max Ingleby delves into the subtle art of the illu Max Ingleby delves into the subtle art of the illustration, and reflects on the impacts they can have on our imaginations as children.

“The illustrated books that most commanded my attention were not those that shied away from the dark, scary aspects of childhood, but those that explored them…”

Read the full article on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit webpage.
Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga rises from the g Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga rises from the grave with the latest addition to the series, Midnight Sun.

Paige Insalaco sinks her teeth into this new read, and tells us the secret to the book series’s eternal life...

Read the article on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit webpage.
Tori Sharp briefs us on her top summer reads of 20 Tori Sharp briefs us on her top summer reads of 2020, from neapolitan novels to the best biographies 

https://exepose.com/2020/09/07/what-i-read-this-summer/
The sensational musical, Hamilton, is now availabl The sensational musical, Hamilton, is now available to stream online, featuring its original broadway cast.

Music Editor, Bridie Adams, reviews the hit musical and the experience of viewing it from the comfort of your own home.

Read the full article on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit webpage.
Load More… Follow on Instagram
Tweets by Arts + Lit

Contact Us: editors@exepose.com

Since 1987, Exeposé has given a voice to Exeter students. Over the years, the determination and political fervour exhibited by students through Exeposé have helped shape the University we study at today. We have received national recognition for our award-winning campaigns, investigations and surveys, and always strive to provide students with high-quality news, comment and features.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in articles and comments do not reflect the views of Exeposé Online or the University of Exeter Student's Guild.

        


© 2021
Website design: Harry Caton and Ellie Cook
Webdesign & development: Harry Caton