John Granger

Described by TIME as the “Dean of Harry Potter Scholars,” John Granger has been writing and speaking about the artistry and meaning of Joanne Rowling’s Hogwarts Adventures since 2002. In that time, he has consistently been ahead of the pack in understanding and explaining why readers love the Potter Saga. John is well known, for example, as the literary critic who spelled out the Christian content and value of Harry Potter within the tradition of English fantasy literature when others were burning the books because of their supposed “sorcery.” Seven years before Ms. Rowling’s alchemical scaffolding was revealed in an interview, too, John was explaining Shakespearean alchemical drama and its importance for understanding Harry to readers around the world. In The Deathly Hallows Lectures, he has interpreted the predominant and extensive eye symbolism in the series finale in terms of the Romantic and Inkling traditions. Most recently, the original ‘Hogwarts Professor’ has explained the remarkable Ring Composition artistry of the seven book series and of each of the seven novels. If Harry Potter is a gateway to what’s best in English Literature, Granger has been the gatekeeper for the Shared Text of this generation.