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- February 27, 2020
- Posted by: Professor Penelope Presto
- Category: Books and reading
The popular Harry Potter spin-off book The Tales of Beedle the Bard, published more than a decade ago, has finally been recorded as an audiobook, available on Audible from 31 March. No news yet of a CD version which will disappoint a number of Quizzic Alley fans.
Jude Law, Bonnie Wright and Warwick Davis are among the Harry Potter acting alumni lending their voices to a new audiobook of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Sadly, Emma Watson, who played Hermione in all eight Harry Potter films and read the story in The Deathly Hallows, is not the voice reading that same story in the audiobook. That privilege goes instead to the actor who played Hermione in the original West End production of The Cursed Child.
And wouldn’t it have been grand if Dame Julie Walters could reprise her role as Molly Weasley and read all the stories to us like she did for her own children? Regettably, it wasn’t to be but it will be a real treat to listen to the dulcet tones of Jason Isaacs again. Read on to find out who else got the gig:
Evanna Lynch who played the much-loved Luna Lovegood voices The Fountain of Fair Fortune story. She shared the news on her Instagram account, saying she’s been “bursting to share this news… for almost a year.”
Bonnie Wright, Ginny Weasley in all of the Harry Potter films, reads Babbity Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump.
Davis Warwick, or Professor Flitwick from the films, will read the story The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.
Noma Dumezweni, who played Hermione Granger in the original West End and Broadway runs of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will read The Tale of the Three Brothers.
Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, will read The Warlock’s Hairy Heart.
Sally Mortemore who played Hogwarts’ librarian Madam Pince, reads Rowling’s introduction.
Dumbledore’s annotations are by read by Jude Law who plays the young Hogwarts Headmaster in the Fantastic Beasts series.
The fictional stories played a pivotal role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book is bequeathed to Hermione Grange by Albus Dumbledore, with the The Tale of the Three Brothers laying the groundwork for the novel’s central conflict. The published version is described as being “translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger”.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard was originally handwritten and illustrated by JK Rowling as a limited edition of only seven copies, one of which was sold at auction in 2007 to raise money for her Lumos charity. It was bought by Amazon (who owns Audible) for $AU 3.8 million.
Over the years, Rowling has created full versions of various books from the Hogwarts Library, including Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In creating The Tales of Beedle the Bard, she wrote under the guise of a 15th century wizard who penned fairytales that became popular in the wizarding world.
The stories will be available as an audiobook for the first time on Audible from 31 March 2020 but you can pre-order it now. Proceeds will go to Rowling’s Lumos children’s charity.
Sadly, a CD version seems unlikely. However, if you prefer to turn the pages on a real book, Quizzic Alley has hard cover and paperback versions of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. You can buy them on our website. The special illustrated edition is only available in-store.
