Rowling's Harry Potter is Entertainer of the Decade

For more than 10 years the wizarding world of Harry Potter has kept audiences spellbound all over the globe. In 1997, British writer Joanne Kathleen Rowling released a book as part of a series that would go on to dominate the bestsellers lists for more than 10 years. And after 13 years since the Harry Potter character was created, the ultimate form of success was enjoyed when US magazine Entertainment Weekly judged the character to be the 'Entertainer of the Decade'.

While Harry Potter fans might think that this is no big achievement, the facts tell us otherwise. Beating popular social networking sites like Facebook, and video sites like YouTube, in addition to a multitude of films, songs and books, Harry Potter clinched the top spot with relative ease. The magazine attributed the success of the series and the award to the simple character that JK Rowling managed to create. 'It is precisely because J.K. Rowling created him [Harry Potter] not as a mighty doer of epic deeds but as a regular kid; a teenager just trying to get by in a crazy, scary world. Who can't relate to that?' The magazine also went on to say that 'Harry Potter lives in our memories more vividly than any other character we've read or seen on screen this decade.' And taking into account the success of the Harry Potter brand, this is undoubtedly true.

The British author enjoyed immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide for the series of 7 books that catapulted her into instant riches and fame. Four books of the series went on to set records for being the fastest selling, with fans queuing up for days before the release to get copies. To date, the Harry Potter series has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and has been translated into a record breaking 67 languages, making JK Rowling one of the most translated authors of all time.

The books were also made into motion pictures which enjoyed similar, if not more, success than the book series. In addition to the books and the movies, various other Harry Potter memorabilia enjoyed immense success in the last decade. With merchandise ranging from apparel to electronic gadgets, Harry Potter has invaded all corners of the world. The teenage wizard also took the gaming world by storm, with several Harry Potter games being released and enjoying huge success.

Taking into account all this, the Entertainment Weekly put Harry Potter above The Sporanos as the greatest entertainer of the decade, and with the Harry Potter brand worth over 15 billion pounds today, I dare say that they are right. YouTube came in third on the list, with the epic movie Lord of the Rings coming in at number 4.

Renowned author Stephen King's comments proved to be true, as he once said 'Harry Potter [books] will indeed stand time's test and wind up on a shelf where only the best are kept; I think Harry will take his place with Alice, Huck, Frodo, and Dorothy and this is one series not just for the decade, but for the ages.'

While all the Potter fans will rejoice at the news, this should be incentive enough for those muggles who have not read the series to give it a read.