'Sleep Tight, Evangeline,' Miniature Psalters, and the Head of Persephone: A Conversation with Dimitra Fimi

'Sleep Tight, Evangeline,' Miniature Psalters, and the Head of Persephone: A Conversation with Dimitra Fimi

February 17, 2026 · 1h 23m

About this episode

Dimitra Fimi returns to discuss J.K. Rowling's use of mythology and the significance of the upcoming Cormoran Strike title.

Last November Nick and John introduced Dimitra Fimi, the magnificent maven of Tolkien Studies and Professor of Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow, to students of J. K. Rowling’s work. In that discussion, ‘ Reading Rowling as Myth Maker and Myth Re-Writer: A Conversation with Dr Dimitra Fimi, ’ she shared her thoughts about Rowling’s creative use of mythology in Harry Potter but especially in the Cormoran Strike series. The Hogwarts Professor team asked her to join us again because of Rowling’s yuletide charm bracelet gift to Strike fandom and the recent announcement of the Strike 9 title, Sleep Tight, Evangeline . Her insights about the Longfellow poem as a possible even likely source of the next book’s epigraphs are engaging, but it is her expertise in the arcane area of miniature books as well as mythology and the light each shines on the two items attached to the last link of the charm bracelet that open up exciting possibilities . Her idea is that the Psalter on the ninth link of the charm bracelet may actually be, unlike the other tokens on the bracelet’s nine links, an object that will play a part in the story, a miniature book. It turns out that…

People in this episode

Host: John Granger

Guest: Dimitra Fimi

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Glasgow

Books & works: Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, Sleep Tight, Evangeline, Longfellow poem, miniature books

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