Is J.K. Rowling Writing About a Tiger Reserve Guide?

News reports out of India suggested that a guide working at a tiger reserve in the state of West Bengal could be the main character in a new J.K. Rowling novel, according to the New Indian Express and other outlets. Netraprasad Sharma, who works as a tour guide in Buxa Tiger Reserve, was reported to have received a call from the author, who explained that she wanted him to be the main character in her next novel.

Although Rowling recently completed the next Cormoran Strike novel, Sharma will not be the protagonist, as quotes such as the following suggested.

After the call, she sent Sharma a 272-page draft of the novel with a request to meet her in California to discuss the finer details about his life and work. ‘She helped me to get a passport and my visa application approved. I am California bound this July,’ said Sharma.

According to reports, Sharma was interviewed by a group of PhD students from the United States a year ago. That interview was recorded on camera and included Sharma’s financial difficulties and life story, which was said to have inspired Rowling to write about him.

An update from the Times of India, however, stated that the story was the result of “a series of mistranslations.”

So will J.K. Rowling’s next book be titled What’s Left of the Jungle Book? Probably not. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, as a look around The Department of MYTHteries will tell you.

If you are interested in learning more about Buxa Tiger Reserve, you can visit this website.