Tanya Grotter is the heroine of a popular three-book series in
Russia. She has magic powers and a scar on her face; she studies at a
school for wizards and fights against an evil wizard (named Zuma Del Tort)
who killed her parents.
Sound familiar? Harry Potter thinks so, too. J.K. Rowling's lawyers are considering legal actions against Dimitri Jemetz, the Russian author of the Tanya Grotter series, and his publisher. So far, more then 100,000 copies of the Grotter adventures have been sold in Russia. Jemetz claims his work represents Russian society's values, and that there are clear differences between the stories. He added that he would be glad if his books would be translated into English, so that readers could see for themselves.
Russia isn't the only country seeing samizdat Harry Potter. Although Potter fans are still waiting for the next volume, Chinese readers were treated to a fake fifth installment in the series this summer, Harry
Potter and Leopard Walk Up to Dragon".