A JK Rowling Defender Delivers the Year's Worst Tweet (So Far)

By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | January 7, 2022 |

By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | January 7, 2022 |

I’m not going to deny the entertainment value of the Harry Potter books. They’re very fine novels, and I enjoyed reading them all. I remember pre-ordering the 6th novel before my wife (then girlfriend) took a trip to Paris, where we both ended up buying a copy there because we didn’t want to take turns reading it on the flight home. When we got back, we had another copy waiting for us.

Putting everything else about JK Rowling aside — and that includes the transphobia — she’s a good writer, even if those Cormoran Strike novels failed to keep my attention and Casual Vacancy was middling. What JK Rowling is not, however, is the best female writer of the last 100 years. Not even close.

Cancelling our greatest female author in 100 years. Well done everyone 👏👏 https://t.co/ICfO2PhUkM

— Mark Dolan (@mrmarkdolan) January 4, 2022

Oh boy. There’s so much going on with this tweet. As so many others have noted, it would be a great service to Mr. Dolan if he’d read another book. Any other book. In fact, I initially thought this tweet was directed at Joyce Carol Oates — also recently under fire for gibberish tweets — who at least has a better claim to best female writer of the last 100 years. I don’t want to get into a debate about who is the best female author of the last 100 years, because there are too many ahead of JK Rowling to count: Harper Lee, Atwood, Morrison, Didion, Alice Walker, Le Guin, Lahiri, Kingsolver, among many others.

But also, renaming a schoolhouse hardly counts as cancelation, either, not for the wealthiest female author of the last 100 years, and certainly not for someone who has a platform as large as she has (which she uses to advance her transphobia).

Saying JK Rowling is the greatest female writer in 100 years might be the most offensive thing I've ever read on this website.

— jane, certified non-conformist (by mom) (@JanieGotHerGun) January 7, 2022

The only possible reason to think Just Kidding Rowling is the best woman author of the past 100 years is if she's the only woman author of the past 100 years you've read, which I'm almost positive is what's going on here.

— Zack Budryk (@BudrykZack) January 7, 2022

If you think JK Rowling is the greatest female author in 100 years and are older than 5 you should be deeply ashamed of yourself. https://t.co/xhucEN1rkz

— Serge Gainsbourg (@BKWelles) January 6, 2022

Things I learned today:
- not naming a building after someone is "cancelling"
- JKR is our greatest author in 100 years apparently
- Mark Dolan clearly doesn't read much

As someone who has had buildings not named after them every day of my life, I understand the struggle.

— Generic Idle (@DavidOM35667282) January 5, 2022

Calling Jk the greatest female author of any time frame has big "Tell me you haven't read a book since 6th grade without telling me you haven't read a book since 6th grade" energy

— Brandon (@ArmchairRobot) January 6, 2022

Find a library, Mr. Dolan. Pick up another book. Any other book.