James Kirkup James Kirkup

J.K. Rowling’s glorious refusal to be kind 

J.K. Rowling (Photo: Getty)

‘Spread happiness, peace and calm.’ That’s the slogan on a T-shirt you can buy at M&S. It’s pink, has frilly sleeves and is decorated with flowers and a unicorn. It is, of course, listed under ‘girls’ clothing’.

There’s nothing unusual about that T-shirt. You can buy similar items for girls in most fashion retailers. ‘Be kind’ is practically society’s mantra for a generation of girls.

Pretty much everyone else in the country is currently sucking up to Keir Starmer because he’s about to have power. Not JKR though

Another staple of childhood for those girls is Harry Potter. On the same page of the M&S site you can find a Hogwarts T-shirt, for girls between six and 16.

That children born in the late 2010s wear Potter-branded kit is testament to the cultural power of the Harry Potter stories, the first of which was published in 1997. It’s stating the obvious to say that J.K.

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