Harry Potter author JK Rowling is to be honoured today by the city where she created her world-famous wizard books.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling is to be honoured today by the city where she created her world-famous wizard books.

The writer has been selected to receive the Edinburgh Award, which last year went to fellow writer Ian Rankin, creator of the popular Rebus series set in the Scottish capital.

A panel of judges from the fields of arts, business and science unanimously voted JK Rowling the 2008 winner.

The award will be presented at a ceremony in Edinburgh tonight.

She said: "It is an absolute honour to receive this award, as Edinburgh is very much home for me and is the place where Harry evolved over seven books and many, many hours of writing in its cafes.

"So much has happened to me both professionally and personally since I moved here nearly 15 years ago, that to receive this recognition is particularly meaningful and special."

The decade since the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 has seen Rowling's boy wizard take the world by storm. More than 400 million copies of the books have been sold.