Sir, - As a proud member of the worldwide Potter family, I was perturbed to see my surname disparaged in your article, "What's So Good About Harry Potter?" (EL, 20th November). The offending quotation reads: "Harry is a perfectly unlikely hero. Even his name reeks of English suburban nonentity status."
On behalf of all my fellow Potters, I wish to protest at this slur on our good name. To paraphrase Voltaire's remark on the Holy Roman Empire, we are neither English nor suburban nor nonentities. To take these points in order, I would first point out that we are not an English family. The name originated in France (Le Potar), and the largest population of Potters in the world today is found in the US (75,000). Substantial numbers of Potters also live in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and, of course, Ireland.
Secondly, we are not confined to the suburbs. Leaving aside the pejorative manner in which the term "suburban" is used in the article, it is simply incorrect to apply it to the Potter clan. We are found in every possible habitat, urban and rural, and in Ireland, Potters live in 20 out of the 32 counties. In my own county of Limerick, we are predominantly a rural family.
However, it is the appellation "nonentity status" which is the greatest travesty of all. Potters are not and have never been nonentities. We are musical - A.J. Potter was one of Ireland's greatest composers. We are religious, having produced John, Archbishop of Canterbury, (1737-47), and the two most distinguished Anglican Bishops of New York, who successively held office in America's most important city from 1854 to 1908. (These two were responsible for founding the Cathedral of St John the Divine, the third largest church in the world.)
We have contributed to the cinema, where directors H.C. Potter (1904-77), and more recently Sally Potter (who directed Orlando in 1992), have brought lustre to their name and craft. Above all, we have adorned literature. A quick survey produces Beatrix, (1866-1945), beloved of children all over the globe; Dennis (1935-94), the most prominent television playwright of his time (Pennies From Heaven, anyone?); and Stephen (1900-69), who wrote about "one-upmanship", "lifemanship" and "gamesmanship". Finally, who can forget our own Maureen, arguably Ireland's greatest female entertainer of the past hundred years?
No, Pottermania did not start with Harry. The boy wizard is merely carrying on an old and distinguished tradition. - Yours, etc.,
Dr Matthew Potter, Meadowvale, Raheen, Limerick.