This summer saw 20 years since the publication of the first Harry Potter novel. Love them or hate them, the adventures of JK Rowling’s boy wizard are now a huge part of the literary landscape.
In the wake of a Harry Potter conference organised by the Spectator’s own Nick Hilton, I’m joined for this week’s podcast by Nick and our children’s book reviewer Melanie McDonagh to ask: how good were the books; what, in literary terms, defines their special sort of magic; and what has been their effect on children’s writing in general?
You can listen to our conversation here:
And if you enjoyed that, do subscribe on iTunes for a new episode every Thursday.
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