Similar to the recent question about artists where you can successfully separate them from their art. Are there any artists who did something so horrible, so despicable, that it has instantly invalidated all art that they have had any part in?

  • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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    11 months ago

    Can I recommend reading/listening to Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earth Sea books?

    They’re also coming of age books about a young wizard, which almost certainly heavily inspired Rowling (although AFAIK she never admitted it), but the author is far less problematic. Also arguably much better books, so they’re more enjoyable to read for adults too.

    • ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      And the cherry on top is this. You may notice a bit of misogyny built into a first couple books in the series, which is surprising given that Ursula is a woman. She not only noticed, admitted, and confronted that patriarchal slant, but corrected it by writing later stories in the same world that reversed that course. Those stories end up being much better than the foundational works in the series. I have become an instant fan of any author that can confront the flaws of their earlier writings and deliberately alter course to do better in their life and their writing.

      • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Yeah, I actually read her last book in the series first, (it’s a distant sequel, very far removed from the rest of the series), and I can attest to the fact that she grew tremendously. I went back and read the first book, and was surprised at how different the last book was.

    • dragonfly@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Another great choice is The King Henry Tapes by Richard Raley. It’s a take on HP, but the magical kid from a dysfunctional family is a juvenile delinquent with a foul mouth. One of my favorite series.

    • leftzero@lemmynsfw.com
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      10 months ago

      Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books are also great alternatives (and a gateway to the rest of the Discworld books, which are also great).

      • groucho@lemmy.sdf.org
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        10 months ago

        Yep! Harry Potter doesn’t teach you how to be a wizard, but Tiffany Aching teaches you how to be a witch.

      • frokie@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Hey I know that series! And agree, though I think the last few books kinda lost me.

          • frokie@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Yeah if I recall correctly it was basically a mix between Squid Game and Hunger Games? Before either one existed.