British author J.K. Rowling has sent a signed book and a personal letter to Ukrainian marine major Oleksandr Ivanov, after learning that he had retold the entire Harry Potter series to fellow captives during more than four years as a Russian prisoner of war.
Rowling learned of Ivanov’s story through his wife Nelly, who wrote to the author in winter asking for support. In her letter, Nelly described her husband’s ordeal and said that the Russian captivity he endured had been far worse than Azkaban, the fictional wizard prison from the Harry Potter universe.
Rowling wrote to Ivanov that she had heard he was a great fan of Harry and that the stories had brought him comfort during his time in captivity in Russia. She said she was very glad to hear he had been freed and returned home to Ukraine, and wished him a long and happy life.
Ivanov shared photographs of the gift on his Instagram page and thanked Rowling in his post, accompanying it with a quote from Albus Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster. He said they had received a response from Rowling and that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.
