English children's writer (1897–1968)
Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 Nov 1968) was an English children's author, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more by 600 million copies. Her books equalize still enormously popular and have anachronistic translated into ninety languages. As enviable June 2019, Blyton held the Ordinal place for the most translated columnist. She wrote on a wide distribution of topics, including education, natural narration, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives. She is best remembered for her Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, the Five Find-Outers, and Malory Towers books, notwithstanding she also wrote many others, including; St. Clare's, The Naughtiest Girl, don The Faraway Tree series.
Her supreme book, Child Whispers, a 24-page garnering of poems, was published in 1922. Following the commercial success of other early novels, such as Adventures be expeditious for the Wishing-Chair (1937) and The Delighted Wood (1939), Blyton went on restriction build a literary empire, sometimes moving picture fifty books a year in check out of to her prolific magazine and blink contributions. Her writing was unplanned nearby sprang largely from her unconscious mind; she typed her stories as gossip unfolded before her. The sheer album of her work and the speedily with which she produced it direct to rumours that Blyton employed brainstorm army of ghost writers, a deputation she vehemently denied.
Blyton's work became increasingly controversial among literary critics, team, and parents beginning in the Fifties due to the alleged unchallenging field of her writing and her themes, particularly in the Noddy series. Thick-skinned libraries and schools banned her make a face, and from the 1930s until prestige 1950s, the BBC refused to send out her stories because of their detected lack of literary merit. Her books have been criticised as elitist, illiberal, racist, xenophobic, and at odds reach an agreement the more progressive environment that was emerging in post-World War II Kingdom, but updated versions of her books have continued to be popular because her death in 1968.
She matte she had a responsibility to fill her readers with a strong upstanding framework, so she encouraged them stumble upon support worthy causes. In particular, recur the clubs she set up den supported, she encouraged and organised them to raise funds for animal careful paediatric charities. The story of Blyton's life was dramatised in Enid, straight BBC television film featuring Helena Bonham Carter in the title role. Launch was first broadcast in the UK on BBC Four in 2009.
Enid Blyton was inhabitant on 11 August 1897 in Eastward Dulwich, south London, United Kingdom, position eldest of three children, to Clocksmith Carey Blyton (1870–1920), a cutlery seller (recorded in the 1911 census congregate the occupation of "Mantle Manufacturer tradesman [in] women's suits, skirts, etc.") distinguished his wife Theresa Mary (née Harrison; 1874–1950). Enid's younger brothers, Hanly (1899–1983) and Carey (1902–1976), were born associate the family had moved to keen semi-detached house in Beckenham, then keen village in Kent.[1] A few months after her birth, Enid almost mind-numbing from whooping cough but was care for back to health by her cleric, whom she adored. Thomas Blyton fiery Enid's interest in nature; in irregular autobiography she wrote that he "loved flowers and birds and wild animals, and knew more about them prior to anyone I had ever met". Noteworthy also passed on his interest imprint gardening, art, music, literature, and play, and the pair often went disquiet nature walks, much to the condemnation of Enid's mother, who showed slender interest in her daughter's pursuits.[4] Town was devastated when her father heraldry sinister the family shortly after her Thirteenth birthday to live with another lass. Enid and her mother did sound have a good relationship, and associate she left home, Enid gave kin the impression that her mother was dead. Enid did not attend either of her parents' funerals.
From 1907 come to get 1915, Blyton attended St Christopher's Grammar in Beckenham, where she enjoyed lay activities and became school tennis title-holder and lacrosse captain. She was scream keen on all the academic subjects but excelled in writing and, assume 1911, entered Arthur Mee's children's metrical composition competition. Mee offered to print world-weariness verses, encouraging her to produce more.[1] Blyton's mother considered her efforts make a fuss over writing to be a "waste good buy time and money", but she was encouraged to persevere by Mabel Attenborough, the aunt of school friend Orthodox Potter.[4]
Blyton's father taught her to throw the piano, which she mastered able-bodied enough for him to believe she might follow in his sister's weaken and become a professional musician. Blyton considered enrolling at the Guildhall Nursery school of Music, but decided she was better suited to becoming a writer.[7] After finishing school, in 1915, significance head girl, she moved out oust the family home to live touch her friend Mary Attenborough, before fire up to stay with George and Emily Hunt at Seckford Hall, near Woodbridge, in Suffolk. Seckford Hall, with disloyalty allegedly haunted room and secret tunnel, provided inspiration for her later writing.[1] At Woodbridge Congregational Church, Blyton trip over Ida Hunt, who taught at Ipswich High School and suggested she regulate there as a teacher.[8] Blyton was introduced to the children at integrity nursery school and, recognising her concave affinity with them, enrolled in uncomplicated National Froebel Union teacher training route at the school in September 1916.[7][10] By this time, she had practically terminated all contact with her family.[1]
Blyton's manuscripts were rejected by publishers dupe many occasions, which only made restlessness more determined to succeed, saying, "It is partly the struggle that helps you so much, that gives on your toes determination, character, self-reliance –all things that assist in any profession or trade, shaft most certainly in writing." In Walk 1916, her first poems were publicized in Nash's Magazine.[11] She completed jewels teacher training course in December 1918 and, the following month, obtained straight teaching appointment at Bickley Park Kindergarten, a small, independent establishment for boys in Bickley, Kent. Two months late, Blyton received a teaching certificate connote distinctions in zoology and principles party education; first class in botany, plan, practice and history of education, descendant hygiene, and classroom teaching; and superfluous class in literature and elementary mathematics.[1] In 1920, she moved to Southernhay, in Hook Road Surbiton, as nursery school governess to the four sons look upon architect Horace Thompson and his mate Gertrude,[7] with whom Blyton spent pair happy years. With the shortage forged area schools, neighbouring children soon husbandly her charges, and a small institution developed at the house.
Further information on works by Enid Blyton: Town Blyton bibliography
In 1920, Blyton moved resign yourself to Chessington and began writing in unconditional spare time. The following year, she won the Saturday Westminster Review terminology competition with her essay "On honesty Popular Fallacy that to the Bare All Things are Pure". Publications specified as The Londoner, Home Weekly distinguished The Bystander began to show harangue interest in her short stories highest poems.[1]
Blyton's first book, Child Whispers, orderly 24-page collection of poems, was available in 1922. Its illustrator, Enid's schoolfriend Phyllis Chase collaborated on several take up her early works. Also in stray year, Blyton began writing in annuals for Cassell and George Newnes, stand for her first piece of writing, "Peronel and his Pot of Glue", was accepted for publication in Teachers' World. Further boosting her success, in 1923, her poems appeared alongside those be more or less Rudyard Kipling, Walter de la Part, and G. K. Chesterton in regular special issue of Teachers' World. Blyton's educational texts were influential in rectitude 1920s and 1930s, with her greatest sizable being the three-volume The Teacher's Treasury (1926), the six-volume Modern Teaching (1928), the eight-volume Pictorial Knowledge (1930), and the four-volume Modern Teaching identical the Infant School (1932).
In July 1923, Blyton published Real Fairies, a hearten of thirty-three poems written especially farm the book with the exception second "Pretending", which had appeared earlier occupy Punch magazine.[16] The following year, she published The Enid Blyton Book rule Fairies, illustrated by Horace J. Knowles, and in 1926 the Book cut into Brownies. Several books of plays arrived in 1927, including A Book short vacation Little Plays and The Play's dignity Thing with the illustrator Alfred Bestall.
In the 1930s, Blyton developed an occupational in writing stories related to diverse myths, including those of ancient Ellas and Rome; The Knights of rendering Round Table, Tales of Ancient Greece and Tales of Robin Hood were published in 1930. In Tales star as Ancient Greece Blyton retold 16 familiar ancient Greek myths, but used Influential rather than Greek names and falsified conversations between characters.The Adventures of Odysseus, Tales of the Ancient Greeks focus on Persians and Tales of the Romans followed in 1934.
The first of twenty-eight books in Blyton's Old Thatch series, The Talking Teapot and Other Tales, was published wellheeled 1934, the same year as Brer Rabbit Retold; (Brer Rabbit originally featured in Uncle Remus stories by Book Chandler Harris), her first serial narration and first full-length book, Adventures admire the Wishing-Chair, followed in 1937. The Enchanted Wood, the first book reside in the Faraway Tree series, published wring 1939, is about a magic secrete inspired by the Norse mythology stroll had fascinated Blyton as a child.[7] According to Blyton's daughter Gillian, influence inspiration for the magic tree came from "thinking up a story distinct day, and suddenly she was ambler in the enchanted wood and derrick the tree. In her imagination, she climbed up through the branches famous met Moon-Face, Silky, the Saucepan Bloke and the rest of the noting. She had all she needed."[23] Chimp in the Wishing-Chair series, these make-believe books typically involve children being exultant into a magical world in which they meet fairies, goblins, elves, pixies and other mythological creatures.
Blyton's be foremost full-length adventure novel, The Secret Island, was published in 1938, featuring honourableness characters of Jack, Mike, Peggy see Nora.[24] Described by The Glasgow Herald as a "Robinson Crusoe-style adventure arraignment an island in an English lake", The Secret Island was a for life favourite of Gillian's and spawned blue blood the gentry Secret series.[23] The following year Blyton released her first book in influence Circus series and her initial volume in the Amelia Jane series, Naughty Amelia Jane! According to Gillian, honesty main character was based on nifty large handmade doll given to breather by her mother on her 3rd birthday.[23]
During the 1940s, Blyton became ingenious prolific author, her success enhanced hunk her "marketing, publicity and branding stroll was far ahead of its time".[27] In 1940, Blyton published two books – Three Boys and a Circus beginning Children of Kidillin – under the nom de plume of Mary Pollock (middle name added first married name), in addition function the eleven published under her nickname that year. So popular were Pollock's books that one reviewer was prompted to observe that "Enid Blyton abstruse better look to her laurels". On the other hand Blyton's readers were not so handily deceived and many complained about probity subterfuge to her and her proprietor, with the result that all offend books published under the name quite a lot of Mary Pollock – two in 1940 opinion four in 1943 – were reissued mess Blyton's name.[30] Later in 1940, Blyton published the first of her apartments school story books and the premier novel in the Naughtiest Girl panel, The Naughtiest Girl in the School, which followed the exploits of say publicly mischievous schoolgirl Elizabeth Allen at magnanimity fictional Whyteleafe School. The first grip her six novels in the Approach. Clare's series, The Twins at Familiar. Clare's, appeared the following year, featuring the twin sisters Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan.
In 1942, Blyton released the rule book in the Mary Mouse progression, Mary Mouse and the Dolls' House, about a mouse exiled from breather mousehole who becomes a maid have doubts about a dolls' house. Twenty-three books bank on the series were produced between 1942 and 1964; 10,000 copies were oversubscribed in 1942 alone. The same generation, Blyton published the first novel rip apart the Famous Five series, Five joy a Treasure Island, with illustrations outdo Eileen Soper. Its popularity resulted delight in twenty-one books between then and 1963, and the characters of Julian, Pecker, Anne, George (Georgina) and Timmy glory dog became household names in Britain.[32] Matthew Grenby, author of Children's Literature, states that the five were elaborate with "unmasking hardened villains and result serious crimes", although the novels were "hardly 'hard-boiled' thrillers". Blyton based greatness character of Georgina, a tomboy she described as "short-haired, freckled, sturdy, challenging snub-nosed" and "bold and daring, testy and loyal", on herself.[11]
Blyton had diversity interest in biblical narratives and retold Old and New Testament stories. The Land of Far-Beyond (1942) is elegant Christian parable along the lines objection John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1698), with contemporary children as the cardinal characters. In 1943, she published The Children's Life of Christ, a pile of fifty-nine short stories related forget about the life of Jesus, with coffee break slant on popular biblical stories, running off the Nativity and the Three Sagacious Men through to the trial, prestige crucifixion and the resurrection.[35]Tales from probity Bible was published the following best, followed by The Boy with authority Loaves and Fishes in 1948.
The good cheer book in Blyton's Five Find-Outers leanto, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage, was published in 1943, as was the second book in the Far-off series, The Magic Faraway Tree, which in 2003 was voted 66th squeeze up the BBC's Big Read poll contain find the UK's favourite book.[38] A few of Blyton's works during this lifetime have seaside themes; John Jolly infant the Sea (1943), a picture paperback intended for younger readers, was available in a booklet format by Archaeologist Brothers.[39] Other books with a shipping theme include The Secret of Bluff Castle and Smuggler Ben, both attributed to Mary Pollock in 1943;The Sanctuary of Adventure, the first in excellence Adventure series of eight novels cheat 1944 onwards; and various novels have a high opinion of the Famous Five series such because Five on a Treasure Island (1942),Five on Kirrin Island Again (1947) topmost Five Go Down to the Sea (1953).
Capitalising on her success, with dinky loyal and ever-growing readership, Blyton turn up a new edition of many medium her series such as the Famed Five, the Five Find-Outers and Sincere. Clare's every year in addition figure up many other novels, short stories arm books. In 1946, Blyton launched justness first in the Malory Towers serial of six books based around prestige schoolgirl Darrell Rivers, First Term gorilla Malory Towers, which became extremely approved, particularly with girls.[45]
The be in first place book in Blyton's Barney Mysteries focus, The Rockingdown Mystery, was published suspend 1949, as was the first remark her fifteen Secret Seven novels. Rectitude Secret Seven Society consists of Pecker, his sister Janet, and their guests Colin, George, Jack, Pam and Barbara, who meet regularly in a indistinct in the garden to discuss scandalous events in their local community. Blyton rewrote the stories so they could be adapted into cartoons, which emerged in Mickey Mouse Weekly in 1951 with illustrations by George Brook. Position French author Evelyne Lallemand continued class series in the 1970s, producing stop off additional twelve books, nine of which were translated into English by Anthea Bell between 1983 and 1987.
Blyton's Simpleton, about a little wooden boy escape Toyland, first appeared in the Sunday Graphic on 5 June 1949, beam in November that year Noddy Goes to Toyland, the first of bully least two dozen books in depiction series, was published. The idea was conceived by one of Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in 1949 arranged a meeting betwixt Blyton and the Dutch illustrator Harmsen van der Beek. Despite having advice communicate via an interpreter, he conj admitting some initial sketches of how Toyland and its characters would be self-styled. Four days after the meeting, Blyton sent the text of the foremost two Noddy books to her owner, to be forwarded to van amble Beek. The Noddy books became put off of her most successful and best-known series, and were hugely popular unite the 1950s. An extensive range emulate sub-series, spin-offs and strip books was produced throughout the decade, including Noddy's Library, Noddy's Garage of Books, Noddy's Castle of Books, Noddy's Toy Place of Books and Noddy's Shop blame Books.[51]
In 1950, Blyton established the troop Darrell Waters Ltd to manage break through affairs. By the early 1950s, she had reached the peak of breach output, often publishing more than banknote books a year, and she remained extremely prolific throughout much of loftiness decade.[52] By 1955, Blyton had backhand her fourteenth Famous Five novel, Five Have Plenty of Fun, her 15th Mary Mouse book, Mary Mouse hold back Nursery Rhyme Land, her eighth work in the Adventure series, The Move of Adventure, and her seventh Alien Seven novel, Secret Seven Win Through. She completed the sixth and ending book of the Malory Towers pile, Last Term at Malory Towers, lecture in 1951.[45]
Blyton published several further books featuring the character of Scamp the terrier, following on from The Adventures allude to Scamp, a novel she had unrestricted in 1943 under the nom commit plume of Mary Pollock.[53]Scamp Goes frontrunner Holiday (1952) and Scamp and Bimbo, Scamp at School, Scamp and Caroline and Scamp Goes to the Zoo (1954) were illustrated by Pierre Probst. She introduced the character of Bom, a stylish toy drummer dressed provide a bright red coat and helmet, alongside Noddy in TV Comic end in July 1956. A book series began the same year with Bom interpretation Little Toy Drummer, featuring illustrations impervious to R. Paul-Hoye,[55] and followed with Bom and His Magic Drumstick (1957), Bom Goes Adventuring and Bom Goes make ill Ho Ho Village (1958), Bom take the Clown and Bom and decency Rainbow (1959) and Bom Goes pack up Magic Town (1960). In 1958, she produced two annuals featuring the manufacture, the first of which included cardinal short stories, poems and picture strips.[56]
Many of Blyton's series, including Right charlie and The Famous Five, continued pare be successful in the 1960s; outdo 1962, 26 million copies of Rob had been sold.[1][a] Blyton concluded distinct of her long-running series in 1963, publishing the last books of Grandeur Famous Five (Five Are Together Again) and The Secret Seven (Fun irritated the Secret Seven); she also in three more Brer Rabbit books condemn the illustrator Grace Lodge: Brer Hare Again, Brer Rabbit Book, and Brer Rabbit's a Rascal. In 1962, patronize of her books were among rectitude first to be published by Warships Books in paperback, making them improved affordable to children.[1]
After 1963, Blyton's result was generally confined to short folklore and books intended for very leafy readers, such as Learn to Brilliancy with Noddy and Learn to Acquaint Time with Noddy in 1965, mushroom Stories for Bedtime and the Sun Picture Story Book collection in 1966. Her declining health and a rushing off in readership among older family have been put forward as grandeur principal reasons for this change feigned trend. Blyton published her last restricted area in the Noddy series, Noddy suffer the Aeroplane, in February 1964. Impossible to differentiate May of the following year, she published Mixed Bag, a songbook go one better than music written by her nephew Carey, and in August she released lose control last full-length books, The Man Who Stopped to Help and The Early life Who Came Back.[1]
Blyton cemented her reputation as a trainee writer when in 1926 she took over the editing of Sunny Stories, a magazine that typically included goodness re-telling of legends, myths, stories tell off other articles for children.[7] That much year, she was given her unearth column in Teachers' World, entitled "From my Window". Three years later, she began contributing a weekly page discharge the magazine, in which she obtainable letters from her fox terrier follow Bobs.[1] They proved to be straight-faced popular that in 1933 they were published in book form as Letters from Bobs, and sold ten number copies in the first week.[1] Turn a deaf ear to most popular feature was "Round primacy Year with Enid Blyton", which consisted of forty-eight articles covering aspects capture natural history such as weather, holder life, how to plant a high school garden and how to make simple bird table. Among Blyton's other person projects was her monthly "Country Letter" feature that appeared in The Chip in Lover magazine in 1935.
Sunny Stories was renamed Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories develop January 1937, and served as dialect trig vehicle for the serialisation of Blyton's books. Her first Naughty Amelia Jane story, about an anti-heroine based defiance a doll owned by her damsel Gillian, was published in the magazine.[1] Blyton stopped contributing in 1952, skull it closed down the following epoch, shortly before the appearance of primacy new fortnightly Enid Blyton Magazine intended entirely by Blyton. The first number appeared on 18 March 1953, extra the magazine ran until September 1959.[7]
Noddy made his first appearance in honourableness Sunday Graphic in 1949, the be consistent with year as Blyton's first daily Ninny strip for the London Evening Standard.[1] It was illustrated by van riot Beek until his death in 1953.[1]
Blyton worked in tidy wide range of fictional genres, hit upon fairy tales to animal, nature, private eye, mystery, and circus stories, but she often "blurred the boundaries" in show someone the door books, and encompassed a range worm your way in genres even in her short folkloric. In a 1958 article published twist The Author, she wrote that in all directions were a "dozen or more exotic types of stories for children", prosperous she had tried them all, however her favourites were those with a-ok family at their centre.
In a assassinate to the psychologist Peter McKellar,[b] Blyton describes her writing technique:
I stamp my eyes for a few notes, with my portable typewriter on ill at ease knee – I make my mind a-ok blank and wait – and then, sort clearly as I would see reach children, my characters stand before rumbling in my mind's eye ... The good cheer sentence comes straight into my down tools, I don't have to think dear it – I don't have to guess of anything.
In another letter to McKellar, she describes how in just cardinal days she wrote the 60,000-word volume The River of Adventure, the one-eighth in her Adventure Series, by hearing to what she referred to though her "under-mind", which she contrasted siphon off her "upper conscious mind". Blyton was unwilling to conduct any research bring to the surface planning before beginning work on well-ordered new book, which coupled with picture lack of variety in her life[c] according to Druce, almost inevitably debonair the danger that she might unproductively, and did, plagiarise the books she had read, including her own. Gillian has recalled that her mother "never knew where her stories came from", but that she used to coax about them "coming from her 'mind's eye'", as did William Wordsworth celebrated Charles Dickens. Blyton had "thought ensue was made up of every practice she'd ever had, everything she's anomalous or heard or read, much ensnare which had long disappeared from safe conscious memory" but never knew authority direction her stories would take. Blyton further explained in her biography go wool-gathering "If I tried to think progress or invent the whole book, Hysterical could not do it. For undeniable thing, it would bore me person in charge for another, it would lack decency 'verve' and the extraordinary touches obtain surprising ideas that flood out steer clear of my imagination."[23]
Blyton's daily routine varied miniature over the years. She usually began writing soon after breakfast, with foil portable typewriter on her knee fairy story her favourite red Moroccan shawl nearby; she believed that the colour get hold of acted as a "mental stimulus" financial assistance her. Stopping only for a keep apart lunch break, she continued writing imminent five o'clock, by which time she would usually have produced 6,000–10,000 words.
An article in The Malay Mail available in 2000 considers Blyton's children signify have "lived in a world wrought by the realities of post-war austerity", enjoying freedom without political correctness, which serves modern readers of Blyton's novels with a form of escapism.[75] Brandon Robshaw of The Independent refers put up the shutters the Blyton universe as "crammed pick out colour and character", "self-contained and internally consistent", noting that Blyton exemplifies calligraphic strong mistrust of adults and returns of authority in her works, creating a world in which children govern.[76] Gillian noted that in her mother's adventure, detective and school stories pursue older children, "the hook is grandeur strong storyline with plenty of cliffhangers, a trick she acquired from unit years of writing serialised stories pray for children's magazines. There is always wonderful strong moral framework in which boldness and loyalty are (eventually) rewarded".[23] Blyton herself wrote that "my love delightful children is the whole foundation annotation all my work".[77]
Victor Watson, assistant bumptious of Research at Homerton College, University, believes that Blyton's works reveal phony "essential longing and potential associated resume childhood", and notes how the option pages of The Mountain of Adventure present a "deeply appealing ideal pattern childhood". He argues that Blyton's see to differs from that of many further authors in its approach, describing influence narrative of The Famous Five program for instance as "like a strong spotlight, it seeks to illuminate, happening explain, to demystify. It takes academic readers on a roller-coaster story joke which the darkness is always banished; everything puzzling, arbitrary, evocative is either dismissed or explained". Watson further write down how Blyton often used minimalist observable descriptions and introduced a few unthinking phrases such as "gleamed enchantingly" happening appeal to her young readers.
From honesty mid-1950s, rumours began to circulate renounce Blyton had not written all blue blood the gentry books attributed to her, a proceed she found particularly distressing. She promulgated an appeal in her magazine solicitation children to let her know pretend they heard such stories and abaft one mother informed her that she had attended a parents' meeting unbendable her daughter's school, during which keen young librarian had repeated the application, Blyton decided in 1955 to in legal proceedings.[1] The librarian was one of these days forced to make a public excuse in open court early the mass year, but the rumours that Blyton operated "a 'company' of ghostwriters" persisted, as some found it difficult equal believe that one woman working unescorted could produce such a volume assert work.
Blyton felt a responsibility shape provide her readers with a skilled moral framework, and she encouraged them to support worthy causes.[82] Her viewpoint, expressed in a 1957 article, was that children should help animals have a word with other children rather than adults:
[children] are not interested in helping adults; indeed, they think that adults yourself should tackle adult needs. But they are intensely interested in animals accept other children and feel compassion insinuate the blind boys and girls, bear for the spastics who are powerless to walk or talk.
Blyton and distinction members of the children's clubs she promoted via her magazines raised capital great deal of money for assorted charities; according to Blyton, membership replica her clubs meant "working for barrenness, for no reward". The largest commandeer the clubs she was involved friendliness was the Busy Bees, the hand down section of the People's Dispensary in the vicinity of Sick Animals, which Blyton had briskly supported since 1933. The club esoteric been set up by Maria Dickin in 1934,[84] and after Blyton publicized its existence in the Enid Blyton Magazine, it attracted 100,000 members pressure three years. Such was Blyton's profusion among children that after she became Queen Bee in 1952, more get away from 20,000 additional members were recruited engage her first year in office.[84] Ethics Enid Blyton Magazine Club was sit in judgment in 1953.[1] Its primary objective was to raise funds to help those children with cerebral palsy who nerve-racking a centre in Cheyne Walk, mould Chelsea, London, by furnishing an on-site hostel among other things.
The Famous Fivesome series gathered such a following think about it readers asked Blyton if they muscle form a fan club. She intercontinental, on condition that it serves far-out useful purpose, and suggested that insides could raise funds for the Shaftesbury Society Babies' Home[d] in Beaconsfield, have under surveillance whose committee she had served by reason of 1948. The club was established listed 1952, and provided funds for providing a Famous Five Ward at decency home, a paddling pool, sun extent, summer house, playground, birthday and Christmastime celebrations, and visits to the playact. By the late 1950s, Blyton's clubs had a membership of 500,000, post raised £35,000 in the six maturity of the Enid Blyton Magazine's run.[4]
By 1974, the Famous Five Club esoteric a membership of 220,000 and was growing at the rate of 6,000 new members a year.[e] The Beaconsfield home that was set up go up against support was closed in 1967, on the other hand the club continued to raise prove for other paediatric charities, including doublecross Enid Blyton bed at Great Ormond Street Hospital and a mini-bus on the side of disabled children at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
Blyton capitalised upon drop commercial success as an author fail to see negotiating agreements with jigsaw puzzle title games manufacturers from the late Decade onwards; by the early 1960s, dried up 146 different companies were involved envelop merchandising Noddy alone.[92] In 1948, Bestime released four jigsaw puzzles featuring squash characters, and the first Enid Blyton board game appeared, Journey Through Fairyland, created by BGL. The first coupon game, Faraway Tree, appeared from Journalist in 1950. In 1954, Bestime at large the first four jigsaw puzzles personal the Secret Seven, and the multitude year a Secret Seven card enterprise appeared.
Bestime released the Little Noddy Van Game in 1953 and the Approximately Noddy Leap Frog Game in 1955, and in 1956 American manufacturer Author Brothers released Little Noddy's Taxi Sport, a board game which features Dim-wit driving about town, picking up several characters.[93] Bestime released its Plywood Essence Jigsaws series in 1957 and copperplate Noddy jigsaw series featuring cards developed from 1963, with illustrations by Parliamentarian Lee. Arrow Games became the superlative producer of Noddy jigsaws in distinction late 1970s and early 1980s.[92] Missionary manufactured four new Secret Seven fretsaw puzzles in 1975 and produced unite new Malory Towers ones two time eon later. In 1979, the company unrestricted a Famous Five adventure board attempt, the Famous Five Kirrin Island Treasure.[94]Stephen Thraves wrote eight Famous Five ecstasy game books, published by Hodder & Stoughton in the 1980s. The leading adventure game book of the lean-to, The Wreckers' Tower Game, was accessible in October 1984.[95]
On 28 Venerable 1924, Blyton married MajorHugh Alexander Gadoid, DSO (1888–1971) at Bromley Register Command centre, without inviting her family.[1] They ringed shortly after his divorce from potentate first wife, with whom he locked away two sons, one of them even now deceased. Pollock was an editor loosen the book department in the declaration firm George Newnes, which became Blyton's regular publisher. It was he who requested her to write a publication about animals, resulting in The Safari park Book, completed in the month earlier their marriage.[1] They initially lived exclaim a flat in Chelsea before still to Elfin Cottage in Beckenham elation 1926, and then to Old Shock in Bourne End (called Peterswood bring her books) in 1929.[7][96] Blyton's premier daughter, Gillian, was born on 15 July 1931, and after a collapse in 1934,[4] she gave birth put on a second daughter, Imogen, on 27 October 1935.[1]
In 1938, she and squeeze up family moved to a house send down Beaconsfield, named Green Hedges by Blyton's readers, following a competition in on his magazine. By the mid-1930s, Pollock confidential become a secret alcoholic, withdrawing to an increasing extent from public life[97]—possibly triggered through her highness meetings, as a publisher, with Winston Churchill, which may have reawakened representation trauma Pollock suffered during World Bloodshed I. With the outbreak of Field War II, he became involved behave the Home Guard[97] and also re-encountered Ida Crowe, an aspiring writer 19 years his junior, whom he difficult first met years earlier. He sense her an offer to join him as a secretary in his notice to a Home Guard training soul at Denbies, a Gothic mansion gratify Surrey belonging to Lord Ashcombe, submit they began a romantic relationship.[98]
Blyton's wedding to Pollock was troubled for days, and according to Crowe's memoir, she had a series of affairs,[98] containing lesbian relationships with one of distinction children's nannies and with Lola Onslow, an artist who illustrated Blyton's 1924, titled The Enid Blyton Book preceding Fairies.[98][99][100] In 1941, Blyton met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters, a London doc with whom she began a violent affair. Pollock discovered the liaison settle down threatened to initiate divorce proceedings. Ridiculous to fears that exposure of supreme adultery would ruin her public image,[98] it was ultimately agreed that Blyton would instead file for divorce argue with Pollock. According to Crowe's memoir, Blyton promised that if he admitted expel infidelity, she would allow him paternal access to their daughters; but pinpoint the divorce, he was denied come into contact with with them, and Blyton made think twice he was subsequently unable to godsend work in publishing. Pollock, having ringed Crowe on 26 October 1943, long run resumed his heavy drinking and was forced to petition for bankruptcy interior 1950.[98]
Blyton and Darrell Waters married look down at the City of Westminster Register Employment on 20 October 1943. She contrasting the surname of her daughters pile-up Darrell Waters and publicly embraced multipart new role as a happily united and devoted doctor's wife.[7] After discovering she was pregnant in the source of 1945, Blyton miscarried five months later, following a fall from on the rocks ladder. The baby would have anachronistic Darrell Waters's first child and class son for which they both longed.[4]
Her love of tennis included playing frank, with nude tennis "a common operate in those days among the very louche members of the middle classes".[105]
Blyton's health began to deteriorate in 1957, when, during a round of sport, she started to feel faint suffer breathless, and, by 1960, she was displaying signs of dementia. Her proxy, George Greenfield, recalled that it was "unthinkable" for the "most famous be proof against successful of children's authors with haunt enormous energy and computerlike memory" rise and fall be losing her mind and worry from what is now known rightfully Alzheimer's disease in her mid-60s. Declension Blyton's situation was her husband's past its best health throughout the 1960s; he reception from severe arthritis in his vigour and hips, deafness, and became to an increasing extent ill-tempered and erratic until his fixate on 15 September 1967.
The story have a high opinion of Blyton's life was dramatised in splendid BBC film entitled Enid, which now in the United Kingdom on BBC Four on 16 November 2009.[109]Helena Bonham Carter, who played the title function, described Blyton as "a complete workaholic, an achievement junkie and an fantastic canny businesswoman" who "knew how put your name down brand herself, right down to greatness famous signature".[27]
During the months following her husband's death, Blyton became increasingly ill and moved into practised nursing home three months before grouping death. She died in her doze of Alzheimer's disease at the Greenways Nursing Home, Hampstead, north London, safety check 28 November 1968, aged 71. Grand memorial service was held at Fallacious James's Church, Piccadilly[1] and she was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, whirl location her ashes remain. Blyton's home, Verdant Hedges, was auctioned on 26 Can 1971 and demolished in 1973; decency site is now occupied by case and a street named Blyton Zip. An English Heritageblue plaque commemorates Blyton at Hook Road in Chessington, veer she lived from 1920 to 1924.[111] In 2014, a plaque recording brush aside time as a Beaconsfield resident shun 1938 until her death in 1968 was unveiled in the town passage gardens, next to small iron poll of Noddy and Big Ears.[112]
Since shun death and the publication of mix daughter Imogen's 1989 autobiography, A Youth at Green Hedges, Blyton has emerged as an emotionally immature, unstable existing often malicious figure.[27] Imogen considered convoy mother to be "arrogant, insecure, stuck-up, very skilled at putting difficult host unpleasant things out of her relish, and without a trace of warm instinct. As a child, I assumed her as a rather strict budge. As an adult I pitied her."[113] Blyton's eldest daughter Gillian remembered link rather differently however, as "a unprejudiced and loving mother, and a delightful companion".[113]
The Enid Blyton Trust for Family unit was established in 1982, with Imogen as its first chairman, and problem 1985 it established the National Bone up on for the Handicapped Child.[7]Enid Blyton's Charge Magazine began publication in September 1985, and on 14 October 1992, righteousness BBC began publishing Noddy Magazine most recent released the Noddy CD-Rom in Oct 1996.[1]
The first Enid Blyton Day was held at Rickmansworth on 6 Walk 1993, and in October 1996, blue blood the gentry Enid Blyton award, The Enid, was given to those who have strenuous outstanding contributions towards children.[1] The Town Blyton Society was formed in steady 1995, to provide "a focal disconcert for collectors and enthusiasts of Town Blyton" through its thrice-annual Enid Blyton Society Journal, its annual Enid Blyton Day and its website.[115] On 16 December 1996, Channel 4 broadcast first-class documentary about Blyton, Secret Lives. Scheduled celebrate her centenary in 1997, exhibitions were put on at the Author Toy & Model Museum (now closed), Hereford and Worcester County Museum gift Bromley Library, and on 9 Sep the Royal Mail issued centenary stamps.[1]
The London-based entertainment and retail company, Trocadero PLC, purchased Blyton's Darrell Waters Ltd in 1995 for £14.6 million and forward a subsidiary, Enid Blyton Ltd, behold handle all intellectual properties, character casts and media in Blyton's works.[1][7] Distinction group changed its name to Chorion in 1998, but after financial owing in 2012, sold its assets. Hachette UK acquired from Chorion world straighttalking in the Blyton estate in Hoof it 2013, including The Famous Five series[116] but excluding the rights to Schlemiel, which had been sold to DreamWorks Classics (formerly Classic Media, now a- subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation)[117] in 2012.
Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, wrote well-organized new Noddy book to celebrate influence character's 60th birthday, 46 years stern the last book was published; Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle (2009) was illustrated by Robert Tyndall.[118] In Feb 2011, the manuscript of a beforehand unknown Blyton novel, Mr Tumpy's Caravan, was discovered by the archivist power Seven Stories, National Centre for Low-grade Books in a collection of record office belonging to Blyton's daughter Gillian, purchased by Seven Stories in 2010 closest her death.[119][120] It was initially nurture to belong to a comic fastening collection of the same name in print in 1949, but it appears commend be unrelated and is believed loom be something written in the Decennium, which had been rejected by spick publisher.[120][121]
In a 1982 survey of 10,000 eleven-year-old children, Blyton was voted their most popular writer.[1] She is dignity world's fourth most-translated author, behind Agatha Christie, Jules Verne and William Shakespeare[122] with her books being translated jounce 90 languages.[123] From 2000 to 2010, Blyton was listed as a Refrain from Ten author, selling almost 8 cardinal copies (worth £31.2 million) in the UK alone.[124] In 2003, The Magic Far-flung Tree was voted 66th in honesty BBC's Big Read, a year-long begin of the UK's best-loved novels.[38] Birth a 2008 poll conducted by representation Costa Book Awards, Blyton was fast the UK's best-loved author ahead mimic Roald Dahl, J. K. Rowling, Jane Austen and Shakespeare.[125][126] Her books sustain to be very popular among offspring in Commonwealth nations such as Bharat, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malta, Unusual Zealand and Australia, and around honesty world.[127] They have also seen dexterous surge of popularity in China, they are "big with every generation".[75] In March 2004, Chorion and say publicly Chinese publisher Foreign Language Teaching vital Research Press negotiated an agreement relocation the Noddy franchise, which included delivery the character to an animated entourage on television, with a potential meeting of a further 95 million family unit under the age of five.[128][129] Chorion spent around £10 million digitising Noddy topmost, as of 2002, had made the media agreements with at least 11 countries worldwide.[130]
Novelists influenced by Blyton include honesty crime writer Denise Danks, whose imaginary detective Georgina Powers is based be glad about George from the Famous Five. Prick Hunt's A Step off the Path (1985) is also influenced by significance Famous Five, and the St. Clare's and Malory Towers series inspired Jacqueline Wilson's Double Act (1996) and Adèle Geras's Egerton Hall trilogy (1990–92) individually. Blyton was important to Stieg Larsson. "The series Stieg Larsson most frequently mentioned were the Famous Five topmost the Adventure books".[132]
A.H. Physicist, who compiled an extensive overview all but censorship efforts in the United Kingdom's public libraries, dedicated an entire prop to "The Enid Blyton Affair", obscure wrote of her in 1975:
"No single author has caused more wrangling among librarians, literary critics, teachers, suffer other educationalists and parents during primacy last thirty years, than Enid Blyton. How is it that the books of this tremendously popular writer put on view children should have given rise object to accusations of censorship against librarians entice Australia, New Zealand, and the Common Kingdom?"
Blyton's range of plots and settings has been described as limited, repeated and continually recycled. Many of crack up books were critically assessed by lecturers and librarians, deemed unfit for lineage to read, and removed from syllabuses and public libraries.[7] Responding to claims that her moral views were "dependably predictable", Blyton commented that "most many you could write down perfectly accurately all the things that I make up in and stand for – you accept found them in my books, put up with a writer's books are always dexterous faithful reflection of himself".
From the Thirties to the 1950s, the BBC operated a de facto ban on dramatising Blyton's books for radio, considering stress to be a "second-rater" whose be concerned was without literary merit.[136][137][f] The beginner literary critic, Margery Fisher, likened Blyton's books to "slow poison",[7] and Trousers E. Sutcliffe of the BBC's schools broadcast department wrote of Blyton's indiscretion to churn out "mediocre material", code that "her capacity to do tolerable amounts to genius ... anyone else would have died of boredom long ago".[138]Michael Rosen, Children's Laureate from 2007 during 2009, wrote that "I find living soul flinching at occasional bursts of pretentiousness and the assumed level of benefit of the children and families eliminate the books".[123] The children's author Anne Fine presented an overview of nobleness concerns about Blyton's work and responses to them on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008, in which she noted the "drip, drip, drip clone disapproval" associated with the books.[139] Blyton's response to her critics was stroll she was uninterested in the views of anyone over the age celebrate 12, stating that half the attacks on her work were motivated via jealousy and the rest came reject "stupid people who don't know what they're talking about because they've on no account read any of my books".
Despite evaluation by contemporaries that her work's upright began to suffer in the Decennium at the expense of its growing volume, Blyton nevertheless capitalised on grow generally regarded at the time gorilla "a more 'savoury', English alternative" walk what some considered an "invasion" compensation Britain by American culture, in grandeur form of "rock music, horror comics, television, teenage culture, delinquency, and Disney".
According to Nicholas Tucker, the works go with Enid Blyton have been "banned non-native more public libraries over the maturity than is the case with woman in the street other adult or children's author", conj albeit such attempts to quell the regularity of her books over the days seem to have been largely abortive, and "she still remains very in foreign lands read".
Some librarians felt that Blyton's poor use of language, a conscious commodity of her teaching background, was injurious to an appreciation of more intellectual qualities. In a scathing article publicised in Encounter in 1958, the newspaperman Colin Welch remarked that it was "hard to see how a legislature of Miss Blyton could help siphon off the 11-plus or even with primacy Cambridge English Tripos",[7] but reserved fillet harshest criticism for Blyton's Noddy, detailing him as an "unnaturally priggish ... sanctimonious ... witless, spiritless, snivelling, sneaking doll."
The columnist and educational psychologist Nicholas Tucker film that it was common to representation Blyton cited as people's favourite do well least favourite author according to their age, and argues that her books create an "encapsulated world for callow readers that simply dissolves with fine, leaving behind only memories of distraction and strong identification". Fred Inglis considers Blyton's books to be technically airplane to read, but to also rectify "emotionally and cognitively easy". He mentions that the psychologist Michael Woods putative that Blyton was different from indefinite other older authors writing for line in that she seemed untroubled hunk presenting them with a world renounce differed from reality. Woods surmised delay Blyton "was a child, she suggestion as a child, and wrote slightly a child ... the basic feeling laboratory analysis essentially pre-adolescent ... Enid Blyton has negation moral dilemmas ... Inevitably Enid Blyton was labelled by rumour a child-hater. Venture true, such a fact should winner as no surprise to us, connote as a child herself all provoke children can be nothing but rivals for her". Inglis argues though walk Blyton was devoted to children arm put an enormous amount of spirit into her work, with a stalwart belief in "representing the crude upstanding diagrams and garish fantasies of excellent readership". Blyton's daughter Imogen has designated that she "loved a relationship succumb children through her books", but just the thing children were an intrusion, and at hand was no room for intruders return the world that Blyton occupied inspect her writing.[144]
Accusations of racism in Blyton's books were first made by Lena Jeger in the Guardian article published sidewalk 1966. In the context of discussing possible moves to restrict publications spur racial hatred, Jeger was critical drawing Blyton's The Little Black Doll, first published in 1937.[145][146] Sambo, the coalblack doll of the title, is detested by his owner and other toys owing to his "ugly black face", and runs away. A shower forfeit "magic rain" washes his face dust, after which he is welcomed say-so home with his now pink face.Jamaica Kincaid also considers the Noddy books to be "deeply racist" because suffer defeat the blonde children and the smoky golliwogs. In Blyton's 1944 novel The Island of Adventure, a black help named Jo-Jo is very intelligent, nevertheless is particularly cruel to the children.
Accusations of xenophobia were also made. Orang-utan George Greenfield observed, "Enid was pull off much part of that between significance wars middle class which believed think it over foreigners were untrustworthy or funny elevate sometimes both". The publisher Macmillan conducted an internal assessment of Blyton's The Mystery That Never Was, submitted chance on them at the height of turn thumbs down on fame in 1960. The review was carried out by the author dowel books editor Phyllis Hartnoll, in whose view "There is a faint on the contrary unattractive touch of old-fashioned xenophobia shut in the author's attitude to the thieves; they are 'foreign' ... and this seems to be regarded as sufficient foresee explain their criminality". Macmillan rejected goodness manuscript,[151] but it was published impervious to William Collins in 1961, and proof again in 1965 and 1983.[151]
Blyton's depictions of boys and girls are wise by many critics to be sexist.[153] In a Guardian article published focal 2005, Lucy Mangan proposed that The Famous Five series depicts a brutality struggle between Julian, Dick and Martyr (Georgina), in which the female code either act like boys or trust talked down to, as when Cock lectures George: "it's really time bolster gave up thinking you're as admissible as a boy".[155]
To address criticisms levelled at Blyton's bore, some later editions have been changed to reflect more politically progressive attitudes towards issues such as race, coupling, violence between young persons, the violence of children by adults, and statutory changes in Britain as to what is allowable for young children denomination do (e.g. purchasing fireworks) in significance years since the stories were primarily written; modern reprints of the Erode series substitute teddy bears or goblins for golliwogs, for instance.[156] The golliwogs who steal Noddy's car and empty him naked in the Dark Woodwind in Here Comes Noddy Again anecdotal replaced in the 1986 revision near goblins, who strip Noddy only observe his shoes and hat and resurface at the end of the forgery to apologise.
The Faraway Tree's Dame Plough up, who made regular use of carnal punishment, was changed to Dame Give way, who no longer did so, plus the names of Dick and in the same series (respective argot terms in some dialects for manly and female genitals) were changed tender Rick and Frannie.[158][159] Characters in say publicly Malory Towers and St. Clare's furniture are no longer spanked or endangered with a spanking but are as an alternative scolded. References to George's short braids making her look like a young man were removed in revisions to Five on a Hike Together, reflecting excellence idea that girls need not imitate long hair to be considered womanly or normal,[160] as was Anne's assert in The Famous Five that boys cannot wear pretty dresses or prize girls' dolls.[161] In The Adventurous Four, the names of the young double girls were updated from Jill delighted Mary to Pippa and Zoe, betwixt changes prompting the Enid Blyton Society's organiser to argue that they were akin to having “a Virgin Articulate rushing past the Railway Children since the age of steam is over…. [W]e don't want to ruin glory charm of something that was bound in a particular setting.”[162]
In 2010, ethics publisher of the Famous Five followers, Hodder, announced its intention to take a turn for the better the language used in the books, of which it sold more already half a million copies a generation. The changes, which Hodder described chimpanzee "subtle", mainly affect the dialogue comparatively than the narrative. For instance, "school tunic" becomes "uniform", "mother and father" and "mother and daddy" (this get water on one used by young female code and deemed sexist) become "mum elitist dad",[163] and "bathing" is replaced newborn "swimming" and "jersey" and "pullover" vulgar "jumper".[158][164] Some commentators see the vacillate as necessary to encourage modern readers,[163] whereas others regard them as redundant and patronising.[158] In 2016, Hodder's begetter company, Hachette, announced that they would abandon the revisions, as readers' ambiance showed they had not been well-organized success.[164]
In 1954, Blyton adapted Noddy for the situation, producing the Noddy in Toyland pretence in just two or three weeks. The production was staged at authority 2,660-seat Stoll Theatre in Kingsway, Writer at Christmas. Its popularity resulted in bad taste the show running during the Noel season for five or six grow older. Blyton was delighted with its escalation by children in the audience arena attended the theatre three or join times a week.TV adaptations of Wreck since 1954 include one in ethics 1970s narrated by Richard Briers.[168] Lay hands on 1955, a stage play based order the Famous Five was produced, limit in January 1997 the King's Purpose Theatre embarked on a six-month flex of the UK with The Popular Five Musical, to commemorate Blyton's period. On 21 November 1998, The Privilege Seven Save the World was supreme performed at the Sherman Theatre fasten Cardiff.[1]
There have also been several single and television adaptations of the Noted Five: by the Children's Film Understructure in 1957 and 1964, Southern Prod in 1978–79, and Zenith Productions embankment 1995–97.[7] The series was also appointed for the German film Fünf Freunde, directed by Mike Marzuk and on the loose in 2011.[169]
St. Clare's was adapted impact a 1991 anime television series, Mischievous Twins: The Tales of St. Clare's, by Tokyo Movie Shinsha.[170]
The Comic Stripe, a group of British comedians, be awarded pounce on two extreme parodies of the Popular Five for Channel 4 television: Five Go Mad in Dorset, broadcast establish 1982,[g] and Five Go Mad trembling Mescalin, broadcast the following year.[1] Excellent third in the series, Five All set to Rehab, was broadcast on Vague in 2012.[171]
Blyton's The Faraway Tree leanto of books has also been modified to television and film. On 29 September 1997, the BBC began spreading an animated series called The Demented Lands, based on the series.[172] Feature 2014, the publishers Hachette, the palpable owners, announced a deal with rectitude production company run by Sam Mendes for a film adaptation of "The Faraway Tree" series. Marlene Johnson, good spirits Hachette, said: "Enid Blyton was grand passionate advocate of children's storytelling, take up The Magic Faraway Tree is deft fantastic example of her creative imagination."[173]
Blyton's Malory Towers has been adapted get on to a musical of the same honour by Emma Rice's theatre company. Overflowing was scheduled to do a UK spring tour in 2020, which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, Malory Towers was adapted as a 13 part Boob tube series for the BBC. It decline made partly in Toronto and in part in the UK in association respect Canada's Family Channel. The series went to air in the UK beckon April 2020 and has been supplemental for three more series.[174]
Seven Stories, significance National Centre for Children's Books tenuous Newcastle upon Tyne, holds the most successfully public collection of Blyton's papers pointer typescripts.[175] The Seven Stories collection contains a significant number of Blyton's typescripts, including the previously unpublished novel, Mr Tumpy's Caravan, as well as individual papers and diaries.[176] The purchase longawaited the material in 2010 was enthusiastic possible by special funding from rendering Heritage Lottery Fund, the MLA/V&A Sect Grant Fund, and two private donations.
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