A New Chapter of the 'Potter' Saga
Scott Simon reads the first lines of the new Harry Potter book, which focus on a distracted prime minister who awaits an important phone call.
Copyright © 2005 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
SCOTT SIMON, host:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.
Today's the day Muggles have been waiting for. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" went on sale at midnight. There have been long lines in bookstores from London to Los Angeles. Security surrounding the story of the book's been so tight not even Bob Novak got an advanced look. But we've been provided with a copy and are pleased to read the opening words.
`It was nearing midnight and the prime minister was sitting alone in his office reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind. He was waiting for a call from the president of a far distant country. And between wondering when the wretched man would telephone and trying to suppress unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring and difficult week, there was not much space in his head for anything else.'
Want more? Buy your own. Coming up later in our show, they rush to publish "Harry Potter" in braille. Stay tuned.
Copyright © 2005 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
More From Books
Comments
You must be signed in to leave a comment. Sign In / Register
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and Terms of Use. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.
