Potter's magic spell hits Jakarta's streets

Potter's magic spell hits Jakarta's streets

A magical mood filled the air on Saturday around midnight when
publisher Gramedia Pustaka Utama geared up for the first midnight
launch in the country of the Indonesian translation of Harry
Potter dan Orde Phoenix (Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix) by British author J.K. Rowling.

Around 100 people, including members of the media, wore black
clothes and witches' hats, while some even carried broomsticks
before they set off in a convoy of 15 vans along Jakarta's
streets.

Some Gramedia bookstores in Greater Jakarta also staged
special events to welcome the book launch. The event was
scheduled to continue from midnight until 3 a.m. on Sunday before
the books go on sale nationwide.

Those buying three copies were entitled to a special Harry
Potter bag. The book is available in hardback (Rp 140,000) and
paperback versions (Rp 95,000) -- cash only.

Following the success of the previous four books in the
series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tells of
Potter's fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. Helped by friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley,
Potter's encounter with nemesis Lord Voldemort is more thrilling
than the other books in the series.

Rowling's local fans read the English-language edition when it
appeared in bookstores in June 2003.

The series, created by Rowling on board a train on her way
from Manchester to London, became a instant hit worldwide when
the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone appeared
in bookstores in 1997. It was followed by Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Azkaban and
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The first two books have been made into a film and reaped a
great profit, while the third is due to be released in June this
year. -- JP