Frances Wilson argues Rowling was right to embrace the BBC's changes to The Casual Vacancy and all authors should allow adaptors a free hand
A new life: J K Rowling's novel was given a new ending in BBC adaptation Photo: Ian West/PA
Books, as every writer knows, are like babies. The author must give birth to them, nurture them, and then release them into the world. There, books must adapt, find success, and make their mark, but what if other people want to tweak their narratives, change the endings? The writer must still stand by them.
Books grow up. No one understands this more than J K Rowling, who watched Harry Potter leave home. When a book is adapted for the screen it is given a new set of parents and a fresh identity because, strange to say, a film or television series is not an illustrated version of the book. An adaptation is an interpretation
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