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Last update - 21:00 08/12/2008 With a wave of her magic pen By Ronit Roccas Tags: israel news On Thursday, J.K. Rowling sat in a giant leather chair in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, holding a copy of her latest book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," which has been published in 28 different languages, including Hebrew. Around 200 children aged 8 to 11 sat before the author who, like a queen, waved to them and flashed a smile. Rowling told the children that it was only because of them that she had decided to publish the book, of which just seven handwritten copies were released last year. Six of the copies were given to close friends involved in the Harry Potter series. Just two of the names of those who received the books are known: Arthur Levine, Rowling's U.S.-based publisher, and Barry Cunningham, her first editor and the man who basically discovered her. She donated the seventh copy, which, like the others, was bound in brown leather and mounted with silver and semiprecious stones, to her charity, the Children's High Level Group, which is dedicated to helping abused and abandoned children. In a public auction, the book was sold to Amazon for a sum that nobody could have anticipated: Two million pounds sterling. "There was quite a lot of high feeling from Harry Potter fans that only someone who had 2 million pounds could afford to read the book," Rowling told the children at the "tea party." "I thought 'fair point,' so I thought I'll publish it and then the charity can have that money, too." The charity will reportedly receive 1.61 pounds for every copy sold in Britain and the equivalent sum everywhere else it is published. Advertisement If the reports are accurate, the charity will receive NIS 10 for every copy sold in Israel, which might explain the relatively high price - NIS 88, no discount. The book's Israeli publishers, Aliyat Hagag and Yedioth Books, refused to cite a specific number while sticking to the following statement: "A respectable percentage of profits is being transferred to the fund as specified by Rowling's publisher." What percentage? "A considerable percentage," the publishers repeated. 'A sort of memento' Numbers have played a key role in Rowling's career. Her series on the scar-bearing sorcerer was translated into 67 languages and sold 400 million copies. The first edition of the seventh and final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," sold 12 million copies in the United States alone. The initial American publication of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," on the other hand, sold 3.5 million copies. A total of 7.5 million copies were printed worldwide, including in China and Japan. The numbers are staggering, yet "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is clearly no Harry Potter - not in its generated sales, in the measure of its importance or in terms of fans' expectations. "It's not really a book, it's a pamphlet, a sort of memento," said Gili Bar-Hillel, the Hebrew translator, who is viewed as Harry Potter's emissary here. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" features five short fairy tales, which are told to the children of magicians and witches over the course of hundreds of years. This book of fairy tales is first mentioned in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," and it plays a central role. Hermione Jean Granger, Harry's close friend, inherits the book from Prof. Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who is long dead. One fairy tale, "The Tale of the Three Brothers," is mentioned extensively in the seventh Harry Potter book. The legend includes the key to defeating Lord Voldemort, the one whose name mustn't be mentioned. In the introduction which she added to the book, Rowling looks to enhance the intrigue by having Dumbledore write informative, eye-popping comments in the fairy tale some 18 months before his death. They appear in the book as a sort of "parody on academic texts, which analyze folklore stories," as Bar-Hillel puts it. "This book is similar to the two previous guides which Rowling published, which I also translated," she adds. "But most fans don't even know that they were released in Hebrew. It's mainly a gimmick, it's cute. Nothing more." "They feel like folk tales or fairy tales that have been around forever," Levine told USA Today. "They're as good as any Grimm tale that you might have read in your own childhood. But that's just Rowling's incredible skill." Despite the attempt otherwise, the main function, almost the only function, of "Tales of Beedle" is to continue sustaining the Harry Potter brand, which doesn't seem to know when to run its course. "This is material for die-hard fans," Bar-Hillel said. "Those who examine every little detail at meetings and conventions. The book provides them with new insights into Harry Potter's world. They take great pleasure in such things. Ultimately, part of the huge following is based on the structure of this community, children who, thanks to the books, built for themselves a common, imaginary world." But they could also be disappointed by the little book, no? "There could be disappointment, especially if they think this is going to be the eighth Harry Potter book." But most fans know this is not a sequel. "It's hard to know. What is certain is that there is less buzz compared to each and every one of the books in the series. I booked a vacation on precisely the day the book comes out. The interest in it surprised me." Bar-Hillel says the new book is Rowling's way of once again passing her worldview onto children, especially through Dumbledore's notes which preach tolerance and love of man, every man. But a recent post by the translator on her blog, "One more page and that's it" (notes.co.il/gili), highlighted some conflicts with the author, or at least with her agents and associates. Bar-Hillel wrote how she was twice forced to sign documents waiving her rights as a translator. The second time was after she had finished translating "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Since she had already finished her work, she herself was not adversely affected, at least not economically, she says. But the author's agents "held the Israeli publisher's contract on the book as hostage. I didn't want to be the reason preventing the book from being published." Bar-Hillel comes to the author's defense. "She's very naive, she doesn't want to be involved," she said. "Many of the marketing and legal decisions are not hers." Her words imply that she knows Rowling on a personal basis, but this is not the case. "Her relationship with the translators has always been through go-betweens. She has never replied to my solicitations to her. I feel like the ambassador of Rowling's world in Israel. Here I receive a lot of respect and attention, but from Rowling's standpoint, she has no idea who I am." It seems as if you are genuinely hurt. "Three years ago, there was a group gathering of Harry Potter translators from 12 different countries, and we sent Rowling a letter with a few questions. We wanted to correspond with her, to consult with her on the translation, to get in touch. Her secretary said Rowling received the letter, but she did not even reply." Not only do fans maintain an emotional connection with the series and the author, but you do as well. "I've been tied to these books for the last 10 years. I planned my life around these books when I became pregnant, I checked whether I would give birth at exactly the time that one of the books came out. I planned my academic career according to the Harry Potter translations. Obviously I have a personal connection to them." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Back in the Mideast Carter may meet with Hezbollah officials during his visit in Lebanon. Bush's final days Olmert has a thing or two to learn from Bush about an exit strategy.   1.   ArtScroll? 00:32  |  Motic 09/12/08   2.   Reply to # 1 15:28  |  Danny 10/12/08

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