Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Article written by Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

The events in this book occur during the Third Year of Harry Potter’s education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Unlike the first two books and every other subsequent book where Lord Voldemort makes an appearance within the story of ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,’ this book is unique in that he never makes an appearance. This book starts off with Harry being given extra protection by the Ministry of Magic and at Hogwarts since a mass murderer named Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban Prison and is rumored to be hunting down Harry.

Key Facts about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Published: 8 July 1999 in the UK, 8 September 1999 in the USA
• Literary Period: Contemporary
• Genre: Fantasy
• Point-of-View: Third Person, omniscient
• Setting: 1990s Great Britain
• Climax: When Harry Potter and Hermione Granger try to save Buckbeak and a prisoner from the Dementor’s Kiss by traveling back in time
• Antagonist: Peter Pettigrew

J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

J. K. Rowling began writing ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ immediately after she completed writing ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. It was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 and on 8 September 1999 in the USA. Rowling later claimed in one of her interviews in 2004 that she enjoyed writing ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ a lot and that it was the best writing experience she ever had. She was financially stable due to the reception of the first two books and had very little to worry about in terms of fame and the paparazzo, as her books were just getting famous. She claimed that the best part of this book was the introduction of the character Remus Lupin, who she really liked.

Books Related to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ is closely related to the other Harry Potter books in terms of plot, style, and characters. This book is the beginning of a slight shift in tone in the book series, from a cheerful children’s series to a slightly darker and grittier one. This book is similar to the first four books in that the antagonist is portrayed to be someone else and only at the end of the book is the actual antagonist of the book revealed.

Other books that are similar to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban include J. R. R. Tolkien’s works like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit.’ The Harry Potter series is also compared to the Narnia series written by C S Lewis. Both Tolkien’s and Lewis’ work feature creatures and characters that are similar to that of the Harry Potter series and have a strong presence of magic throughout them.

Other books that can be considered similar to ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ are ‘Redeeming Justice’ by Jarrett Adams, ‘Getting Life’ by Michael Morton, and ‘Infinite Hope’ by Anthony Graves, as they all tell stories of people who were wrongly convicted of crimes they didn’t commit, just like one of the major characters in ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.’

Every book with the concept of time travel is also similar to this book, as a major part of this book deals with time travel.

The Lasting Impact of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban