Enid Blyton: Difference between revisions
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} | ||
{{Infobox writer | {{Infobox writer | ||
| name | | name = Enid Blyton | ||
| image | | image = Enid Blyton c. 1923.jpg | ||
| caption | | caption = Blyton c. 1923 | ||
| pseudonym | | pseudonym = Mary Pollock | ||
| birth_name | | birth_name = Enid Mary Blyton | ||
| birth_date | | birth_date = {{Birth date|1897|08|11|df=y}} | ||
| birth_place | | birth_place = London, England | ||
| death_date | | death_date = {{Death date and age|1968|11|28|1897|08|11|df=y}} | ||
| death_place | | death_place = London, England | ||
| resting_place = [[Golders Green Crematorium]] | | resting_place = [[Golders Green Crematorium]] | ||
| occupation | | occupation = {{cslist|Novelist|poet|teacher|short story writer}} | ||
| period | | period = 1922–1968 | ||
| genre | | genre = Children's literature: {{cslist|adventure|mystery|fantasy}} | ||
| notableworks | | notableworks = {{cslist|''[[Noddy (character)|Noddy]]''|''[[The Famous Five]]''|''[[The Secret Seven]]''|''[[The Adventure Series]]''|''[[Five Find-Outers]]''|''[[Malory Towers]]''}} | ||
| spouse | | spouse = {{Plainlist| | ||
* {{Marriage|[[Hugh Alexander Pollock|Hugh Pollock]]|28 August 1924|1942|end=div}} | * {{Marriage|[[Hugh Alexander Pollock|Hugh Pollock]]|28 August 1924|1942|end=div}} | ||
* {{Marriage|Kenneth Waters|20 October 1943|15 September 1967|end=died}}}} | * {{Marriage|Kenneth Waters|20 October 1943|15 September 1967|end=died}}}} | ||
| children | | children = 2, including [[Gillian Baverstock]] | ||
| relatives | | relatives = [[Carey Blyton]] (nephew) | ||
| signature | | signature = Enid Blyton signature.png | ||
| website | | website = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Enid Mary Blyton''' (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English [[children's writer]]. She is | |||
'''Enid Mary Blyton''' (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English [[children's writer]]. She is one of the best selling and most prolific writers of all time, particularly in the realm of [[children's literature]]. Blyton's books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies, and have been translated into ninety languages.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-14 |title=Enid Blyton: The most comforting children’s books ever |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220809-enid-blyton-the-british-author-loved-in-india |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-11 |title=On Enid Blyton’s 125th birthday, a look at her immense popularity, controversial legacy |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/enid-blyton-author-controversial-legacy-popularity-explained-8084627/ |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> As of June 2019, Blyton was the fourth-most translated author. She wrote on a wide range of topics, including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives. She is best remembered for her ''[[Noddy (character)|Noddy]]'', ''[[Famous Five]]'', ''[[Secret Seven]]'', the ''[[Five Find-Outers]]'', and ''[[Malory Towers]]'' books, although she also wrote many others, including ''[[St. Clare's (series)|St. Clare's]]'', ''[[The Naughtiest Girl]]'', and ''[[The Faraway Tree]]'' series. | |||
Her first book, ''[[Child Whispers]]'', a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. Following the commercial success of her early novels, such as ''[[The Wishing-Chair (series)|Adventures of the Wishing-Chair]]'' (1937) and ''[[The Enchanted Wood (novel)|The Enchanted Wood]]'' (1939), Blyton went on to build a literary empire, sometimes producing fifty books a year in addition to her prolific magazine and newspaper contributions. Her writing was unplanned and sprang largely from her [[unconscious mind]]; she typed her stories as events unfolded before her. The sheer volume of her work and the speed with which she produced it led to rumours that Blyton employed an army of [[ghost writers]], a charge she vehemently denied. | Her first book, ''[[Child Whispers]]'', a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. Following the commercial success of her early novels, such as ''[[The Wishing-Chair (series)|Adventures of the Wishing-Chair]]'' (1937) and ''[[The Enchanted Wood (novel)|The Enchanted Wood]]'' (1939), Blyton went on to build a literary empire, sometimes producing fifty books a year in addition to her prolific magazine and newspaper contributions. Her writing was unplanned and sprang largely from her [[unconscious mind]]; she typed her stories as events unfolded before her. The sheer volume of her work and the speed with which she produced it led to rumours that Blyton employed an army of [[ghost writers]], a charge she vehemently denied. | ||
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==Early life and education== | ==Early life and education== | ||
Enid Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 in [[East Dulwich]], south London, United Kingdom, the eldest of three children, to Thomas Carey Blyton (1870–1920), a cutlery salesman (recorded in the 1911 census with the occupation of "Mantle Manufacturer dealer [in] women's suits, skirts, etc.") and his wife Theresa Mary (''née'' Harrison; 1874–1950). Enid's younger brothers, Hanly (1899–1983) and Carey (1902–1976), were born after the family had moved to a semi-detached house in [[Beckenham]], then a village in [[Kent]].{{R|EBSChrono}} A few months after her birth, Enid almost died from [[whooping cough]] but was nursed back to health by her father, whom she adored.{{Sfnp|Baverstock|1997|p=5|ps=none}} Thomas Blyton ignited Enid's interest in nature; in her autobiography she wrote that he "loved flowers and birds and wild animals, and knew more about them than anyone I had ever met".{{Sfnp|Blyton|1952|p=54|ps=none}} He also passed on his interest in gardening, art, music, literature, and theatre, and the pair often went on nature walks, much to the disapproval of Enid's mother, who showed little interest in her daughter's pursuits.{{R|EBSBio}} Enid was devastated when her father left the family shortly after her 13th birthday to live with another woman. Enid and her mother did not have a good relationship | Enid Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 in [[East Dulwich]], south London, United Kingdom, the only daughter and eldest of three children, to Thomas Carey Blyton (1870–1920), a cutlery salesman (recorded in the 1911 census with the occupation of "Mantle Manufacturer dealer [in] women's suits, skirts, etc.") and his wife Theresa Mary (''née'' Harrison; 1874–1950). Enid's younger brothers, Hanly (1899–1983) and Carey (1902–1976), were born after the family had moved to a semi-detached house in [[Beckenham]], then a village in [[Kent]].{{R|EBSChrono}} A few months after her birth, Enid almost died from [[whooping cough]] but was nursed back to health by her father, whom she adored.{{Sfnp|Baverstock|1997|p=5|ps=none}} Thomas Blyton ignited Enid's interest in nature; in her autobiography she wrote that he "loved flowers and birds and wild animals, and knew more about them than anyone I had ever met".{{Sfnp|Blyton|1952|p=54|ps=none}} He also passed on his interest in gardening, art, music, literature, and theatre, and the pair often went on nature walks, much to the disapproval of Enid's mother, who showed little interest in her daughter's pursuits.{{R|EBSBio}} Enid was devastated when her father left the family shortly after her 13th birthday to live with another woman, with whom he had more children. Enid and her mother did not have a good relationship; in fact Enid despised her mother so much that after she left home, she never saw her mother again and she gave people the impression that her mother was dead. Enid did not attend either of her parents' funerals.{{Sfnp|Thompson|Keenan|2006|p=77|ps=none}} | ||
From 1907 to 1915, Blyton attended St Christopher's School in Beckenham, where she enjoyed physical activities and became school tennis champion and [[lacrosse]] captain.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=9|ps=none}} She was not keen on all the academic subjects but excelled in writing and, in 1911, entered [[Arthur Mee]]'s children's poetry competition. Mee offered to print her verses, encouraging her to produce more.{{R|EBSChrono}} Blyton's mother considered her efforts at writing to be a "waste of time and money", but she was encouraged to persevere by Mabel Attenborough, the aunt of school friend [[Mary Potter (painter)|Mary Potter]].{{R|EBSBio}} | From 1907 to 1915, Blyton attended St Christopher's School in Beckenham, where she enjoyed physical activities and became school tennis champion and [[lacrosse]] captain.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=9|ps=none}} She was not keen on all the academic subjects but excelled in writing and, in 1911, entered [[Arthur Mee]]'s children's poetry competition. Mee offered to print her verses, encouraging her to produce more.{{R|EBSChrono}} Blyton's mother considered her efforts at writing to be a "waste of time and money", but she was encouraged to persevere by Mabel Attenborough, the aunt of school friend [[Mary Potter (painter)|Mary Potter]].{{R|EBSBio}} | ||
[[File:Seckford Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1000225.jpg|thumb|right|[[Seckford Hall]] in [[Woodbridge, Suffolk|Woodbridge]], Suffolk, was an inspiration to Blyton with its haunted room, secret passageway, and sprawling gardens.]] | [[File:Seckford Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1000225.jpg|thumb|right|[[Seckford Hall]] in [[Woodbridge, Suffolk|Woodbridge]], Suffolk, was an inspiration to Blyton with its haunted room, secret passageway, and sprawling gardens.]] | ||
Blyton's father taught her to play the piano, which she mastered well enough for him to believe she might follow in his sister's footsteps and become a professional musician.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=9|ps=none}} Blyton considered enrolling at the [[Guildhall School of Music]], but decided she was better suited to becoming a writer.{{R|ODNB}} After finishing school, in 1915, as head girl, she moved out of the family home to live with her friend Mary Attenborough, before going to stay with George and Emily Hunt at [[Seckford Hall]], near [[Woodbridge, Suffolk|Woodbridge]], in Suffolk. Seckford Hall, with its allegedly haunted room and secret passageway, provided inspiration for her later writing.{{R|EBSChrono}} At Woodbridge Congregational Church, Blyton met Ida Hunt, who taught at [[Ipswich High School (Suffolk)|Ipswich High School]] and suggested she train there as a teacher.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Goldstein |first1=G. |title=101 Amazing Facts about Enid Blyton – Volume 3 of Classic Authors |date=2014 |publisher=Andrews UK Limited |isbn=9781783336944 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RjS2BAAAQBAJ&q=Ipswich+high+school++UK+training++kindergarten+teachers&pg=PT14 |access-date=5 April 2020 |quote=...enrolled on a teacher training course in September 1916 at IHS}}</ref>{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 377|ps=none}} Blyton was introduced to the children at the nursery school and, recognising her natural affinity with them, enrolled in a [[National Froebel Union]] teacher training course at the school in September 1916.{{R|ODNB}}{{R|BhimaniEdu}} By this time, she had nearly terminated all contact with her family.{{R|EBSChrono}} | Blyton's father taught her to play the piano, which she mastered well enough for him to believe she might follow in his sister May's footsteps and become a professional musician.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=9|ps=none}} Blyton considered enrolling at the [[Guildhall School of Music]], but decided she was better suited to becoming a writer.{{R|ODNB}} After finishing school, in 1915, as head girl, she moved out of the family home to live with her friend Mary Attenborough, before going to stay with George and Emily Hunt at [[Seckford Hall]], near [[Woodbridge, Suffolk|Woodbridge]], in Suffolk. Seckford Hall, with its allegedly haunted room and secret passageway, provided inspiration for her later writing.{{R|EBSChrono}} At Woodbridge Congregational Church, Blyton met Ida Hunt, who taught at [[Ipswich High School (Suffolk)|Ipswich High School]] and suggested she train there as a teacher.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Goldstein |first1=G. |title=101 Amazing Facts about Enid Blyton – Volume 3 of Classic Authors |date=2014 |publisher=Andrews UK Limited |isbn=9781783336944 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RjS2BAAAQBAJ&q=Ipswich+high+school++UK+training++kindergarten+teachers&pg=PT14 |access-date=5 April 2020 |quote=...enrolled on a teacher training course in September 1916 at IHS}}</ref>{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 377|ps=none}} Blyton was introduced to the children at the nursery school and, recognising her natural affinity with them, enrolled in a [[National Froebel Union]] teacher training course at the school in September 1916.{{R|ODNB}}{{R|BhimaniEdu}} By this time, she had nearly terminated all contact with her family.{{R|EBSChrono}} | ||
Blyton's manuscripts were rejected by publishers on many occasions, which only made her more determined to succeed, saying, "It is partly the struggle that helps you so much, that gives you determination, character, self-reliance –all things that help in any profession or trade, and most certainly in writing." In March 1916, her first poems were published in ''Nash's Magazine''.{{R|EBSWriter}} She completed her teacher training course in December 1918 and, the following month, obtained a teaching appointment at Bickley Park School, a small, independent establishment for boys in [[Bickley]], Kent. Two months later, Blyton received a teaching certificate with distinctions in zoology and principles of education; first class in botany, geography, practice and history of education, child hygiene, and classroom teaching; and second class in literature and elementary mathematics.{{R|EBSChrono}} In 1920, she moved to Southernhay, in Hook Road [[Surbiton]], as nursery governess to the four sons of architect Horace Thompson and his wife Gertrude,{{R|ODNB}} with whom Blyton spent four happy years. With the shortage of area schools, neighbouring children soon joined her charges, and a small school developed at the house.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 552|ps=none}} | Blyton's manuscripts were rejected by publishers on many occasions, which only made her more determined to succeed, saying, "It is partly the struggle that helps you so much, that gives you determination, character, self-reliance –all things that help in any profession or trade, and most certainly in writing." In March 1916, her first poems were published in ''Nash's Magazine''.{{R|EBSWriter}} She completed her teacher training course in December 1918 and, the following month, obtained a teaching appointment at Bickley Park School, a small, independent establishment for boys in [[Bickley]] in [[Bromley]], Kent. Two months later, Blyton received a teaching certificate with distinctions in zoology and principles of education; first class in botany, geography, practice and history of education, child hygiene, and classroom teaching; and second class in literature and elementary mathematics.{{R|EBSChrono}} In 1920, she moved to Southernhay, in Hook Road [[Surbiton]], as nursery governess to the four sons of architect Horace Thompson and his wife Gertrude,{{R|ODNB}} with whom Blyton spent four happy years. With the shortage of area schools, neighbouring children soon joined her charges, and a small school developed at the house.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 552|ps=none}} | ||
==Early writing career== | ==Early writing career== | ||
{{further|topic=works by Enid Blyton|Enid Blyton bibliography}} | {{further|topic=works by Enid Blyton|Enid Blyton bibliography}} | ||
In 1920, Blyton moved to [[Chessington]] and began writing in her spare time. The following year, she won the ''Saturday Westminster Review'' writing competition with her essay "On the Popular Fallacy that to the Pure All Things | |||
In 1920, Blyton moved to [[Chessington]] in [[Surrey]] and began writing in her spare time. The following year, she won the ''Saturday Westminster Review'' writing competition with her essay "On the Popular Fallacy that to the Pure All Things Are Pure".{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 624–630|ps=none}} Publications such as ''The Londoner'', ''Home Weekly'' and ''[[The Bystander]]'' began to show an interest in her short stories and poems.{{R|EBSChrono}} | |||
[[File:ChildWhispers.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Child Whispers]]'' (1922)]] | [[File:ChildWhispers.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Child Whispers]]'' (1922)]] | ||
Blyton's first book, ''[[Child Whispers]]'', a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 624–630|ps=none}} Its illustrator, Enid's schoolfriend [[Phyllis Chase]] collaborated on several of her early works.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 645|ps=none}} Also in that year, Blyton began writing in annuals for [[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell]] and [[George Newnes Ltd|George Newnes]], and 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 of [[Rudyard Kipling]], [[Walter de la Mare]], and [[G. K. Chesterton]] in a special issue of ''Teachers' World.'' Blyton's educational texts were influential in the 1920s and 1930s, with her most 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 in the Infant School'' (1932).{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=112|ps=none}} | Blyton's first book, ''[[Child Whispers]]'', a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 624–630|ps=none}} Its illustrator, Enid's schoolfriend [[Phyllis Chase]] collaborated on several of her early works.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 645|ps=none}} Also in that year, Blyton began writing in annuals for [[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell]] and [[George Newnes Ltd|George Newnes]], and 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 of [[Rudyard Kipling]], [[Walter de la Mare]], and [[G. K. Chesterton]] in a special issue of ''Teachers' World.'' Blyton's educational texts were influential in the 1920s and 1930s, with her most 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 in the Infant School'' (1932).{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=112|ps=none}} | ||
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Blyton had an interest in biblical narratives and retold [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]] stories. ''[[The Land of Far-Beyond]]'' (1942) is a Christian parable along the lines of [[John Bunyan]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]'' (1698), with contemporary children as the main characters.{{Sfnp|Murray|2010|p=120|ps=none}} In 1943, she published ''The Children's Life of Christ'', a collection of fifty-nine short stories related to the [[life of Jesus]], with her slant on popular biblical stories, from the [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity]] and the [[Three Wise Men]] through to the [[Sanhedrin trial of Jesus|trial]], the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and the [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].{{R|LifeOfChrist}} ''Tales from the Bible'' was published the following year,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4303 |ps=none}} followed by ''The Boy with the Loaves and Fishes'' in 1948.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4528|ps=none}} | Blyton had an interest in biblical narratives and retold [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]] stories. ''[[The Land of Far-Beyond]]'' (1942) is a Christian parable along the lines of [[John Bunyan]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]'' (1698), with contemporary children as the main characters.{{Sfnp|Murray|2010|p=120|ps=none}} In 1943, she published ''The Children's Life of Christ'', a collection of fifty-nine short stories related to the [[life of Jesus]], with her slant on popular biblical stories, from the [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity]] and the [[Three Wise Men]] through to the [[Sanhedrin trial of Jesus|trial]], the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and the [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].{{R|LifeOfChrist}} ''Tales from the Bible'' was published the following year,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4303 |ps=none}} followed by ''The Boy with the Loaves and Fishes'' in 1948.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4528|ps=none}} | ||
Published in 1943, ''[[The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage]]'' launched the [[Five Find-Outers]] series. That same year saw the release of ''[[The Magic Faraway Tree]]'', which later ranked 66th in the [[BBC]]'s 2003 [[Big Read]] poll.{{R|BigRead}} Several of Blyton's works during this period have seaside themes; ''John Jolly by the Sea'' (1943), a picture book intended for younger readers, was published in a booklet format by [[Evans Brothers]].{{R|JohnJolly}} Other books with a maritime theme include ''The Secret of Cliff Castle'' and ''Smuggler Ben'', both attributed to Mary Pollock in 1943;{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4271|ps=none}} ''[[The Island of Adventure]]'', the first in the [[The Adventure Series|Adventure series]] of eight novels from 1944 onwards;{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=4352|ps=none}} and various novels of the Famous Five series such as ''Five on a Treasure Island'' (1942),{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4226|ps=none}} ''[[Five on Kirrin Island Again]]'' (1947){{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4483|ps=none}} and ''[[Five Go Down to the Sea]]'' (1953).{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 5142|ps=none}} | |||
Capitalising on her success, with a loyal and ever-growing readership,{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=112|ps=none}} Blyton produced a new edition of many of her series such as the Famous Five, the Five Find-Outers and St. Clare's every year in addition to many other novels, short stories and books. In 1946, Blyton launched the first in the [[Malory Towers]] series of six books based around the schoolgirl Darrell Rivers, ''[[First Term at Malory Towers]]'', which became extremely popular, particularly with girls.{{R|MaloryTowers}} | Capitalising on her success, with a loyal and ever-growing readership,{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=112|ps=none}} Blyton produced a new edition of many of her series such as the Famous Five, the Five Find-Outers and St. Clare's every year in addition to many other novels, short stories and books. In 1946, Blyton launched the first in the [[Malory Towers]] series of six books based around the schoolgirl Darrell Rivers, ''[[First Term at Malory Towers]]'', which became extremely popular, particularly with girls.{{R|MaloryTowers}} | ||
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The first book in Blyton's [[Barney Mysteries]] series, ''The Rockingdown Mystery'', was published in 1949,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4613|ps=none}} as was the first of her fifteen [[Secret Seven]] novels.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2403|ps=none}} The Secret Seven Society consists of Peter, his sister Janet, and their friends Colin, George, Jack, Pam and Barbara, who meet regularly in a shed in the garden to discuss peculiar events in their local community. Blyton rewrote the stories so they could be adapted into cartoons, which appeared in ''Mickey Mouse Weekly'' in 1951 with illustrations by George Brook. The French author [[Evelyne Lallemand]] continued the series in the 1970s, producing an additional twelve books, nine of which were translated into English by [[Anthea Bell]] between 1983 and 1987.{{Sfnp|Blyton|2013b|p=66|ps=none}} | The first book in Blyton's [[Barney Mysteries]] series, ''The Rockingdown Mystery'', was published in 1949,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 4613|ps=none}} as was the first of her fifteen [[Secret Seven]] novels.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2403|ps=none}} The Secret Seven Society consists of Peter, his sister Janet, and their friends Colin, George, Jack, Pam and Barbara, who meet regularly in a shed in the garden to discuss peculiar events in their local community. Blyton rewrote the stories so they could be adapted into cartoons, which appeared in ''Mickey Mouse Weekly'' in 1951 with illustrations by George Brook. The French author [[Evelyne Lallemand]] continued the series in the 1970s, producing an additional twelve books, nine of which were translated into English by [[Anthea Bell]] between 1983 and 1987.{{Sfnp|Blyton|2013b|p=66|ps=none}} | ||
[[File:Beaconsfield Themed Fencing - geograph.org.uk - 1386378.jpg|thumb|right|Blyton's characters [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]] and [[Big Ears (character)|Big Ears]]]] | [[File:Beaconsfield Themed Fencing - geograph.org.uk - 1386378.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|Blyton's characters [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]] and [[Big Ears (character)|Big Ears]]]] | ||
Blyton's [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]], about a little wooden boy from Toyland, first appeared in the ''Sunday Graphic'' on 5 June 1949, and in November that year ''[[Noddy Goes to Toyland]]'', the first of at least two dozen books in the series, was published. The idea was conceived by one of Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in 1949 arranged a meeting between Blyton and the Dutch illustrator [[Harmsen van der Beek]]. Despite having to communicate via an interpreter, he provided some initial sketches of how Toyland and its characters would be represented. Four days after the meeting, Blyton sent the text of the first two Noddy books to her publisher, to be forwarded to van der Beek.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2444–2463|ps=none}} The Noddy books became one of her most successful and best-known series, and were hugely popular in the 1950s.{{Sfnp|Palmer|2013|p=130|ps=none}} An extensive range of 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 Station of Books'' and ''Noddy's Shop of Books''.{{R|Noddy books}} | Blyton's [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]], about a little wooden boy from Toyland, first appeared in the ''Sunday Graphic'' on 5 June 1949, and in November that year ''[[Noddy Goes to Toyland]]'', the first of at least two dozen books in the series, was published. The idea was conceived by one of Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in 1949 arranged a meeting between Blyton and the Dutch illustrator [[Harmsen van der Beek]]. Despite having to communicate via an interpreter, he provided some initial sketches of how Toyland and its characters would be represented. Four days after the meeting, Blyton sent the text of the first two Noddy books to her publisher, to be forwarded to van der Beek.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2444–2463|ps=none}} The Noddy books became one of her most successful and best-known series, and were hugely popular in the 1950s.{{Sfnp|Palmer|2013|p=130|ps=none}} An extensive range of 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 Station of Books'' and ''Noddy's Shop of Books''.{{R|Noddy books}} | ||
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In a letter to the psychologist Peter McKellar,{{Efn|McKellar had written to Blyton in February 1953 asking for the imagery techniques she employed in her writing, for a research project he had undertaken. The results of his investigation were published in ''Imagination and Thinking'' (1957).{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3390|ps=none}}}} Blyton describes her writing technique: | In a letter to the psychologist Peter McKellar,{{Efn|McKellar had written to Blyton in February 1953 asking for the imagery techniques she employed in her writing, for a research project he had undertaken. The results of his investigation were published in ''Imagination and Thinking'' (1957).{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3390|ps=none}}}} Blyton describes her writing technique: | ||
In another letter to McKellar, she describes how in just five days she wrote the 60,000-word book ''The River of Adventure'', the eighth in her [[Adventure Series]],{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3552|ps=none}} by listening to what she referred to as her "under-mind",{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3452|ps=none}} which she contrasted with her "upper conscious mind".{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3432|ps=none}} Blyton was unwilling to conduct any research or planning before beginning work on a new book, | {{Blockquote|I shut my eyes for a few minutes, with my portable typewriter on my knee – I make my mind a blank and wait – and then, as clearly as I would see real children, my characters stand before me in my mind's eye ... The first sentence comes straight into my mind, I don't have to think of it – I don't have to think of anything.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3412–3418|ps=none}}}} | ||
In another letter to McKellar, she describes how in just five days she wrote the 60,000-word book ''The River of Adventure'', the eighth in her [[Adventure Series]],{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3552|ps=none}} by listening to what she referred to as her "under-mind",{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3452|ps=none}} which she contrasted with her "upper conscious mind".{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 3432|ps=none}} Blyton was unwilling to conduct any research or planning before beginning work on a new book, which—coupled with the lack of variety in her life,{{Efn|In her leisure time Blyton led the life of a typical suburban housewife, gardening, and playing golf or bridge. She rarely left England, preferring to holiday by the English coast, almost invariably in Dorset,{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=29|ps=none}} where she and her husband took over the lease of an 18-hole golf course at [[Studland Bay]] in 1951.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2154|ps=none}}}} according to Druce—almost inevitably presented the danger that she might unconsciously, and did, plagiarise the books she had read, including her own.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=29|ps=none}} Gillian has recalled that her mother "never knew where her stories came from", but that she used to talk about them "coming from her 'mind's eye{{'}}", as did [[William Wordsworth]] and [[Charles Dickens]]. Blyton had "thought it was made up of every experience she'd ever had, everything she's seen or heard or read, much of which had long disappeared from her conscious memory" but never knew the direction her stories would take. Blyton further explained in her biography that "If I tried to think out or invent the whole book, I could not do it. For one thing, it would bore me and for another, it would lack the 'verve' and the extraordinary touches and surprising ideas that flood out from my imagination."{{R|Herald06}} | |||
Blyton's daily routine varied little over the years. She usually began writing soon after breakfast, with her portable typewriter on her knee and her favourite red Moroccan shawl nearby; she believed that the colour red acted as a "mental stimulus" for her. Stopping only for a short lunch break, she continued writing until five o'clock, by which time she would usually have produced 6,000–10,000 words.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 1859|ps=none}} | Blyton's daily routine varied little over the years. She usually began writing soon after breakfast, with her portable typewriter on her knee and her favourite red Moroccan shawl nearby; she believed that the colour red acted as a "mental stimulus" for her. Stopping only for a short lunch break, she continued writing until five o'clock, by which time she would usually have produced 6,000–10,000 words.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 1859|ps=none}} | ||
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==Charitable work== | ==Charitable work== | ||
Blyton felt a responsibility to provide her readers with a positive moral framework, and she encouraged them to support worthy causes.{{R|BiographicalEncyclopedia}} Her view, expressed in a 1957 article, was that children should help animals and other children rather than adults: | Blyton felt a responsibility to provide her readers with a positive moral framework, and she encouraged them to support worthy causes.{{R|BiographicalEncyclopedia}} Her view, expressed in a 1957 article, was that children should help animals and other children rather than adults: | ||
{{ | |||
{{Blockquote|[children] are not interested in helping adults; indeed, they think that adults themselves should tackle adult needs. But they are intensely interested in animals and other children and feel compassion for the blind boys and girls, and for the spastics who are unable to walk or talk.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2219–2225|ps=none}}}} | |||
Blyton and the members of the children's clubs she promoted via her magazines raised a great deal of money for various charities; according to Blyton, membership of her clubs meant "working for others, for no reward". The largest of the clubs she was involved with was the Busy Bees, the junior section of the [[People's Dispensary for Sick Animals]], which Blyton had actively supported since 1933. The club had been set up by [[Maria Dickin]] in 1934,{{R|Timeline}} and after Blyton publicised its existence in the ''Enid Blyton Magazine'', it attracted 100,000 members in three years.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2228–2234|ps=none}} Such was Blyton's popularity among children that after she became Queen Bee in 1952, more than 20,000 additional members were recruited in her first year in office.{{R|Timeline}} The Enid Blyton Magazine Club was formed in 1953.{{R|EBSChrono}} Its primary objective was to raise funds to help those children with [[cerebral palsy]] who attended a centre in [[Cheyne Walk]], in Chelsea, London, by furnishing an on-site hostel among other things.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2262–2268|ps=none}} | Blyton and the members of the children's clubs she promoted via her magazines raised a great deal of money for various charities; according to Blyton, membership of her clubs meant "working for others, for no reward". The largest of the clubs she was involved with was the Busy Bees, the junior section of the [[People's Dispensary for Sick Animals]], which Blyton had actively supported since 1933. The club had been set up by [[Maria Dickin]] in 1934,{{R|Timeline}} and after Blyton publicised its existence in the ''Enid Blyton Magazine'', it attracted 100,000 members in three years.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2228–2234|ps=none}} Such was Blyton's popularity among children that after she became Queen Bee in 1952, more than 20,000 additional members were recruited in her first year in office.{{R|Timeline}} The Enid Blyton Magazine Club was formed in 1953.{{R|EBSChrono}} Its primary objective was to raise funds to help those children with [[cerebral palsy]] who attended a centre in [[Cheyne Walk]], in Chelsea, London, by furnishing an on-site hostel among other things.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2262–2268|ps=none}} | ||
The Famous Five series gathered such a following that readers asked Blyton if they might form a fan club. She agreed, on condition that it serves a useful purpose, and suggested that it could raise funds for the Shaftesbury Society Babies' Home{{Efn|Despite its name, the society provided accommodation for pre-school infants in need of special care.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2247|ps=none}}}} in Beaconsfield, on whose committee she had served since 1948.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2234–2241|ps=none}} The club was established in 1952, and provided funds for equipping a Famous Five Ward at the home, a [[paddling pool]], sun room, summer house, playground, birthday and Christmas celebrations, and visits to the pantomime.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2247|ps=none}} By the late 1950s, Blyton's clubs had a membership of 500,000, and raised £35,000 in the six years of the ''Enid Blyton Magazine'''s run.{{R|EBSBio}} | The Famous Five series gathered such a following that readers asked Blyton if they might form a fan club. She agreed, on condition that it serves a useful purpose, and suggested that it could raise funds for the Shaftesbury Society Babies' Home{{Efn|Despite its name, the society provided accommodation for pre-school infants in need of special care.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2247|ps=none}}}} in Beaconsfield, on whose committee she had served since 1948.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2234–2241|ps=none}} The club was established in 1952, and provided funds for equipping a Famous Five Ward at the home, a [[paddling pool]], sun room, summer house, playground, birthday and Christmas celebrations, and visits to the pantomime.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2247|ps=none}} By the late 1950s, Blyton's clubs had a membership of 500,000, and raised £35,000 (roughly {{Inflation|UK|35000|1956|r=-3|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) in the six years of the ''Enid Blyton Magazine'''s run.{{R|EBSBio}} | ||
By 1974, the Famous Five Club had a membership of 220,000 and was growing at the rate of 6,000 new members a year.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|pp=16–17|ps=none}}{{Efn|The Famous Five Club was run by the publisher of Blyton's Famous Five series.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2269|ps=none}}}} The Beaconsfield home that was set up to support was closed in 1967, but the club continued to raise funds for other paediatric charities, including an Enid Blyton bed at [[Great Ormond Street Hospital]] and a mini-bus for disabled children at [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital]].{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2249–2256|ps=none}} | By 1974, the Famous Five Club had a membership of 220,000 and was growing at the rate of 6,000 new members a year.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|pp=16–17|ps=none}}{{Efn|The Famous Five Club was run by the publisher of Blyton's Famous Five series.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2269|ps=none}}}} The Beaconsfield home that was set up to support was closed in 1967, but the club continued to raise funds for other paediatric charities, including an Enid Blyton bed at [[Great Ormond Street Hospital]] and a mini-bus for disabled children at [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital]].{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2249–2256|ps=none}} | ||
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On 28 August 1924, Blyton married [[Major (British Army)|Major]] [[Hugh Alexander Pollock]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] (1888–1971) at [[Bromley]] Register Office, without inviting her family.{{R|EBSChrono}} They married shortly after his divorce from his first wife, with whom he had two sons, one of them already deceased. Pollock was an editor of the book department in the publishing firm George Newnes, which became Blyton's regular publisher. It was he who requested her to write a book about animals, resulting in ''The Zoo Book'', completed in the month before their marriage.{{R|EBSChrono}} They initially lived in a flat in Chelsea before moving to Elfin Cottage in [[Beckenham]] in 1926, and then to Old Thatch in [[Bourne End, Buckinghamshire|Bourne End]] (called Peterswood in her books) in 1929.{{R|ODNB}}{{R|OldThatchGardens}} Blyton's first daughter, [[Gillian Mary Baverstock|Gillian]], was born on 15 July 1931, and after a miscarriage in 1934,{{R|EBSBio}} she gave birth to a second daughter, Imogen, on 27 October 1935.{{R|EBSChrono}} | On 28 August 1924, Blyton married [[Major (British Army)|Major]] [[Hugh Alexander Pollock]], [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] (1888–1971) at [[Bromley]] Register Office, without inviting her family.{{R|EBSChrono}} They married shortly after his divorce from his first wife, with whom he had two sons, one of them already deceased. Pollock was an editor of the book department in the publishing firm George Newnes, which became Blyton's regular publisher. It was he who requested her to write a book about animals, resulting in ''The Zoo Book'', completed in the month before their marriage.{{R|EBSChrono}} They initially lived in a flat in Chelsea before moving to Elfin Cottage in [[Beckenham]] in 1926, and then to Old Thatch in [[Bourne End, Buckinghamshire|Bourne End]] (called Peterswood in her books) in 1929.{{R|ODNB}}{{R|OldThatchGardens}} Blyton's first daughter, [[Gillian Mary Baverstock|Gillian]], was born on 15 July 1931, and after a miscarriage in 1934,{{R|EBSBio}} she gave birth to a second daughter, Imogen, on 27 October 1935.{{R|EBSChrono}} | ||
In 1938, she and her family moved to a house in [[Beaconsfield]], named [[Green Hedges]] by Blyton's readers, following a competition in her magazine. By the mid-1930s, Pollock had become a secret alcoholic, withdrawing increasingly from public life{{R|Ayrshire}}—possibly triggered through his meetings, as a publisher, with [[Winston Churchill]], which may have reawakened the trauma Pollock suffered during World War I. With the outbreak of World War II, he became involved in the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]]{{R|Ayrshire}} and also re-encountered [[Ida Crowe]], an aspiring writer 19 years his junior, whom he had first met years earlier. He made her an offer to join him as a secretary in his posting to a Home Guard training | In 1938, she and her family moved to a house in [[Beaconsfield]], named [[Green Hedges]] by Blyton's readers, following a competition in her magazine. By the mid-1930s, Pollock had become a secret alcoholic, withdrawing increasingly from public life{{R|Ayrshire}}—possibly triggered through his meetings, as a publisher, with [[Winston Churchill]], which may have reawakened the trauma Pollock suffered during World War I. With the outbreak of World War II, he became involved in the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]]{{R|Ayrshire}} and also re-encountered [[Ida Crowe]], an aspiring writer 19 years his junior, whom he had first met years earlier. He made her an offer to join him as a secretary in his posting to a Home Guard training centre at [[Denbies]], a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] mansion in Surrey belonging to [[Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe|Lord Ashcombe]], and they began a romantic relationship.{{R|Telegraph02}} | ||
Blyton's marriage to Pollock was troubled for years, and according to Crowe's memoir, she had a series of affairs,{{R|Telegraph02}} including lesbian relationships with one of the children's nannies and with Lola Onslow, an artist who illustrated Blyton's 1924 book, titled ''The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies''.{{R|Telegraph02}}{{R|SMH13}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larman |first=Alexander |date=9 December 2023 |title=Sex and the Famous Five |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sex-and-the-famous-five/ |access-date=8 December 2023 |website=The Spectator}}</ref> In 1941, Blyton met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters, a London surgeon with whom she began a serious affair.{{Sfnp|Matthew|1999|p=70|ps=none}} Pollock discovered the liaison and threatened to initiate divorce proceedings.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2028|ps=none}} Due to fears that exposure of her adultery would ruin her public image,{{R|Telegraph02}} it was ultimately agreed that Blyton would instead file for divorce against Pollock.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2028|ps=none}} According to Crowe's memoir, Blyton promised that if he admitted to infidelity, she would allow him parental access to their daughters; but after the divorce, he was denied contact with them, and Blyton made sure he was subsequently unable to find work in publishing. Pollock, having married Crowe on 26 October 1943, eventually resumed his heavy drinking and was forced to petition for bankruptcy in 1950.{{R|Telegraph02}} | Blyton's marriage to Pollock was troubled for years, and according to Crowe's memoir, she had a series of affairs,{{R|Telegraph02}} including lesbian relationships with one of the children's nannies and with Lola Onslow, an artist who illustrated Blyton's 1924 book, titled ''The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies''.{{R|Telegraph02}}{{R|SMH13}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larman |first=Alexander |date=9 December 2023 |title=Sex and the Famous Five |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sex-and-the-famous-five/ |access-date=8 December 2023 |website=The Spectator}}</ref> In 1941, Blyton met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters, a London surgeon with whom she began a serious affair.{{Sfnp|Matthew|1999|p=70|ps=none}} Pollock discovered the liaison and threatened to initiate divorce proceedings.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2028|ps=none}} Due to fears that exposure of her adultery would ruin her public image,{{R|Telegraph02}} it was ultimately agreed that Blyton would instead file for divorce against Pollock.{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2028|ps=none}} According to Crowe's memoir, Blyton promised that if he admitted to infidelity, she would allow him parental access to their daughters; but after the divorce, he was denied contact with them, and Blyton made sure he was subsequently unable to find work in publishing. Pollock, having married Crowe on 26 October 1943, eventually resumed his heavy drinking and was forced to petition for bankruptcy in 1950.{{R|Telegraph02}} | ||
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Blyton and Darrell Waters married at the [[City of Westminster]] Register Office on 20 October 1943. She changed the surname of her daughters to Darrell Waters{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2028–2040|ps=none}} and publicly embraced her new role as a happily married and devoted doctor's wife.{{R|ODNB}} After discovering she was pregnant in the spring of 1945, Blyton miscarried five months later, following a fall from a ladder. The baby would have been Darrell Waters's first child and the son for which they both longed.{{R|EBSBio}} | Blyton and Darrell Waters married at the [[City of Westminster]] Register Office on 20 October 1943. She changed the surname of her daughters to Darrell Waters{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2028–2040|ps=none}} and publicly embraced her new role as a happily married and devoted doctor's wife.{{R|ODNB}} After discovering she was pregnant in the spring of 1945, Blyton miscarried five months later, following a fall from a ladder. The baby would have been Darrell Waters's first child and the son for which they both longed.{{R|EBSBio}} | ||
Blyton's health began to deteriorate in 1957, when, during a round of golf, she started to feel faint and breathless,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2683|ps=none}} and, by 1960, she was displaying signs of [[dementia]].{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=127|ps=none}} Her agent, George Greenfield, recalled that it was "unthinkable" for the "most famous and successful of children's authors with her enormous energy and computerlike memory" to be suffering from what is now known as [[Alzheimer's disease]] in her mid-60s.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=127|ps=none}} Worsening Blyton's situation was her husband's declining health throughout the 1960s; he suffered from severe [[arthritis]] in his neck and hips, deafness, and became increasingly ill-tempered and erratic until his death on 15 September 1967.{{Sfnp|Matthew|1999|p=70|ps=none}}{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=129|ps=none}} | |||
Blyton's health began to deteriorate in 1957, when, during a round of golf, she started to feel faint and breathless,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2683|ps=none}} and, by 1960, she was displaying signs of [[dementia]].{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=127|ps=none}} Her agent, George Greenfield, recalled that it was "unthinkable" for the "most famous and successful of children's authors with her enormous energy and computerlike memory" to be | |||
The story of Blyton's life was dramatised in a BBC film entitled ''[[Enid (film)|Enid]]'', which aired in the United Kingdom on [[BBC Four]] on 16 November 2009.{{R|DigitalSpy}} [[Helena Bonham Carter]], who played the title role, described Blyton as "a complete workaholic, an achievement junkie and an extremely canny businesswoman" who "knew how to brand herself, right down to the famous signature".{{R|Telegraph09}} | The story of Blyton's life was dramatised in a BBC film entitled ''[[Enid (film)|Enid]]'', which aired in the United Kingdom on [[BBC Four]] on 16 November 2009.{{R|DigitalSpy}} [[Helena Bonham Carter]], who played the title role, described Blyton as "a complete workaholic, an achievement junkie and an extremely canny businesswoman" who "knew how to brand herself, right down to the famous signature".{{R|Telegraph09}} | ||
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==Death and legacy== | ==Death and legacy== | ||
[[File:Blyton blue plaque.jpg|thumb|right|[[Blue plaque]] on Blyton's childhood home in Ondine Road, [[East Dulwich]], South London]] | [[File:Blyton blue plaque.jpg|thumb|right|[[Blue plaque]] on Blyton's childhood home in Ondine Road, [[East Dulwich]], South London]] | ||
During the months following her husband's death, Blyton became increasingly ill and moved into a nursing home three months before her death. She died in her sleep of [[Alzheimer's disease]] at the Greenways Nursing Home, Hampstead, north London, on 28 November 1968, aged 71. A memorial service was held at [[St James's Church, Piccadilly]]{{R|EBSChrono}} and she was cremated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]], where her ashes remain. Blyton's home, Green Hedges, was auctioned on 26 May 1971 and demolished in 1973;{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 117|ps=none}} the site is now occupied by houses and a street named Blyton Close. An [[English Heritage]] [[blue plaque]] commemorates Blyton at Hook Road in [[Chessington]], where she lived from 1920 to 1924.{{R|EngHet}} In 2014, a plaque recording her time as a Beaconsfield resident from 1938 until her death in 1968 was unveiled in the town hall gardens, next to small iron figures of Noddy and Big Ears.{{R|BeaconsfieldPlaque}} | During the months following her husband's death, Blyton became increasingly ill and moved into a nursing home three months before her death. She died in her sleep of [[Alzheimer's disease]] at the Greenways Nursing Home, Hampstead, north London, on 28 November 1968, aged 71. A memorial service was held at [[St James's Church, Piccadilly]],{{R|EBSChrono}} and she was cremated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]], where her ashes remain. Blyton's home, Green Hedges, was auctioned on 26 May 1971 and demolished in 1973;{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 117|ps=none}} the site is now occupied by houses and a street named Blyton Close. An [[English Heritage]] [[blue plaque]] commemorates Blyton at Hook Road in [[Chessington]], where she lived from 1920 to 1924.{{R|EngHet}} In 2014, a plaque recording her time as a Beaconsfield resident from 1938 until her death in 1968 was unveiled in the town hall gardens, next to small iron figures of Noddy and Big Ears.{{R|BeaconsfieldPlaque}} | ||
Since her death and the publication of her daughter Imogen's 1989 autobiography, ''A Childhood at Green Hedges'', Blyton has | Since her death and the publication of her daughter Imogen's 1989 autobiography, ''A Childhood at Green Hedges'', Blyton's legacy has remained divisive amongst her family.{{R|Telegraph09}} Imogen considered her mother to be "arrogant, insecure, pretentious, very skilled at putting difficult or unpleasant things out of her mind, and without a trace of maternal instinct. As a child, I viewed her as a rather strict authority. As an adult I pitied her."{{R|Brandreth}} Blyton's eldest daughter Gillian remembered her rather differently, however, as "a fair and loving mother, and a fascinating companion".{{R|Brandreth}} | ||
The Enid Blyton Trust for Children was established in 1982, with Imogen as its first chairman,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2910–2916|ps=none}} and in 1985 it established the National Library for the Handicapped Child.{{R|ODNB}} ''Enid Blyton's Adventure Magazine'' began publication in September 1985, and on 14 October 1992, the BBC began publishing ''Noddy Magazine'' and released the Noddy CD-Rom in October 1996.{{R|EBSChrono}} | The Enid Blyton Trust for Children was established in 1982, with Imogen as its first chairman,{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2910–2916|ps=none}} and in 1985 it established the National Library for the Handicapped Child.{{R|ODNB}} ''Enid Blyton's Adventure Magazine'' began publication in September 1985, and on 14 October 1992, the BBC began publishing ''Noddy Magazine'' and released the Noddy CD-Rom in October 1996.{{R|EBSChrono}} | ||
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The London-based entertainment and retail company, Trocadero PLC, purchased Blyton's Darrell Waters Ltd in 1995 for £14.6 million and established a subsidiary, Enid Blyton Ltd, to handle all intellectual properties, character brands and media in Blyton's works.{{R|EBSChrono}}{{R|ODNB}} The group changed its name to [[Chorion (company)|Chorion]] in 1998, but after financial difficulties in 2012, sold its assets. [[Hachette UK]] acquired from Chorion world rights in the Blyton estate in March 2013, including The Famous Five series{{R|Bookseller}} but excluding the rights to Noddy, which had been sold to [[DreamWorks Classics]] (formerly Classic Media, now a subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation){{R|HollywoodReporter}} in 2012. | The London-based entertainment and retail company, Trocadero PLC, purchased Blyton's Darrell Waters Ltd in 1995 for £14.6 million and established a subsidiary, Enid Blyton Ltd, to handle all intellectual properties, character brands and media in Blyton's works.{{R|EBSChrono}}{{R|ODNB}} The group changed its name to [[Chorion (company)|Chorion]] in 1998, but after financial difficulties in 2012, sold its assets. [[Hachette UK]] acquired from Chorion world rights in the Blyton estate in March 2013, including The Famous Five series{{R|Bookseller}} but excluding the rights to Noddy, which had been sold to [[DreamWorks Classics]] (formerly Classic Media, now a subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation){{R|HollywoodReporter}} in 2012. | ||
Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, wrote a new Noddy book to celebrate the character's 60th birthday, 46 years after the last book was published; ''Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle'' (2009) was illustrated by Robert Tyndall.{{R|Noddys60th}} In February 2011, the manuscript of a previously unknown Blyton novel, ''Mr Tumpy's Caravan'', was discovered by the archivist at [[Seven Stories]], National Centre for Children's Books in a collection of papers belonging to Blyton's daughter Gillian, purchased by | Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, wrote a new Noddy book to celebrate the character's 60th birthday, 46 years after the last book was published; ''Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle'' (2009) was illustrated by Robert Tyndall.{{R|Noddys60th}} In February 2011, the manuscript of a previously unknown Blyton novel, ''Mr Tumpy's Caravan'', was discovered by the archivist at [[Seven Stories]], National Centre for Children's Books in a collection of papers belonging to Blyton's daughter Gillian, purchased by Seven Stories in 2010 following her death.{{R|StoryFound}}{{R|BBCTumpy}} It was initially thought to belong to a comic strip collection of the same name published in 1949, but it appears to be unrelated and is believed to be something written in the 1930s, which had been rejected by a publisher.{{R|BBCTumpy}}{{R|Unseen}} | ||
In a 1982 survey of 10,000 eleven-year-old children, Blyton was voted their most popular writer.{{R|EBSChrono}} She is the | In a 1982 survey of 10,000 eleven-year-old children, Blyton was voted their most popular writer.{{R|EBSChrono}} She is the world's fourth-most-translated author, behind [[Agatha Christie]], [[Jules Verne]] and [[William Shakespeare]],{{R|UNESCOTranslation}} with her books being translated into 90 languages.{{R|Times2012}} From 2000 to 2010, Blyton was listed as a top-ten author, selling almost 8 million copies (worth £31.2 million) in the UK alone.{{R|MacArthur}} In 2003, ''[[The Magic Faraway Tree]]'' was voted 66th in the BBC's [[Big Read]], a year-long survey of the UK's best-loved novels.{{R|BigRead}} In a 2008 poll conducted by the Costa Book Awards, Blyton was voted the UK's best-loved author ahead of [[Roald Dahl]], [[J. K. Rowling]], [[Jane Austen]] and Shakespeare.{{R|MostLoved}}{{R|BestLoved}} Her books continue to be very popular among children in [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] nations such as [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Singapore]], [[Malta]], [[New Zealand]] and [[Australia]], and around the world.{{R|SundayObserver}} They have also seen a surge of popularity in China, where they are "big with every generation".{{R|MM00}} In March 2004, Chorion and the Chinese publisher Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press negotiated an agreement over the Noddy franchise, which included bringing the character to an animated series on television, with a potential audience of a further 95 million children under the age of five.{{R|NoddyInChina}}{{R|Mirror}} Chorion spent around £10 million digitising Noddy and, as of 2002, had made television agreements with at least 11 countries worldwide.{{R|Scotsman2002}} | ||
Novelists influenced by Blyton include the crime writer [[Denise Danks]], whose fictional detective Georgina Powers is based on George from the Famous Five. [[Peter Hunt (literary critic)|Peter Hunt]]'s ''A Step off the Path'' (1985) is also influenced by the 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) respectively.{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=114|ps=none}} Blyton was important to [[Stieg Larsson]]. "The series Stieg Larsson most often mentioned were the Famous Five and the Adventure books".<ref>John-Henri Holmberg, "The Man Who Inhaled Crime Fiction," in Dan Burstein, Arne de Keijzer, and John Henri Holmberg (2011), ''The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of Our Time'', New York: St. Martin's Griffin, pp. 99–100.</ref> | Novelists influenced by Blyton include the crime writer [[Denise Danks]], whose fictional detective Georgina Powers is based on George from the Famous Five. [[Peter Hunt (literary critic)|Peter Hunt]]'s ''A Step off the Path'' (1985) is also influenced by the 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) respectively.{{Sfnp|Rudd|2004|p=114|ps=none}} Blyton was important to [[Stieg Larsson]]. "The series Stieg Larsson most often mentioned were the Famous Five and the Adventure books".<ref>John-Henri Holmberg, "The Man Who Inhaled Crime Fiction," in Dan Burstein, Arne de Keijzer, and John Henri Holmberg (2011), ''The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of Our Time'', New York: St. Martin's Griffin, pp. 99–100.</ref> | ||
==Critical backlash== | ==Critical backlash== | ||
A.H. Thompson, who compiled an extensive overview of censorship efforts in the United Kingdom's public libraries, dedicated an entire chapter to "The Enid Blyton Affair", and wrote of her in 1975: {{ | A. H. Thompson, who compiled an extensive overview of censorship efforts in the United Kingdom's public libraries, dedicated an entire chapter to "The Enid Blyton Affair", and wrote of her in 1975: | ||
{{Blockquote|No single author has caused more controversy among librarians, literary critics, teachers, and other educationalists and parents during the last thirty years, than Enid Blyton. How is it that the books of this tremendously popular writer for children should have given rise to accusations of censorship against librarians in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom?{{Sfnp|Thompson|1975|pp=137|ps=none}}}} | |||
Blyton's range of plots and settings has been described as limited, repetitive and continually recycled.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=29|ps=none}} Many of her books were critically assessed by teachers and librarians, deemed unfit for children to read, and removed from | Blyton's range of plots and settings has been described as limited, repetitive and continually recycled.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=29|ps=none}} Many of her books were critically assessed by teachers and librarians, deemed unfit for children to read, and removed from syllabi and public libraries.{{R|ODNB}} Responding to claims that her moral views were "dependably predictable",{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=213|ps=none}} Blyton commented that "most of you could write down perfectly correctly all the things that I believe in and stand for – you have found them in my books, and a writer's books are always a faithful reflection of himself".{{Sfnp|Blyton|1952|p=104|ps=none}} | ||
From the 1930s to the 1950s, the BBC operated a ''de facto'' ban on dramatising Blyton's books for radio, considering her to be a "second-rater" whose work was without literary merit.{{R|AdamsTelegraph}}{{R|SmallBeer}}{{Efn|Blyton submitted her first proposal to the BBC in 1936.{{R|SmallBeer}}}} The children's literary critic, [[Margery Fisher]], likened Blyton's books to "slow poison",{{R|ODNB}} and Jean E. Sutcliffe of the BBC's schools broadcast department wrote of Blyton's ability to churn out "mediocre material", noting that "her capacity to do so amounts to genius ... anyone else would have died of boredom long ago".{{R|SutcliffeMemo}} [[Michael Rosen (author)|Michael Rosen]], Children's Laureate from 2007 until 2009, wrote that "I find myself flinching at occasional bursts of snobbery and the assumed level of privilege of the children and families in the books".{{R|Times2012}} The children's author [[Anne Fine]] presented an overview of the concerns about Blyton's work and responses to them on [[BBC Radio 4]] in November 2008, in which she noted the "drip, drip, drip of disapproval" associated with the books.{{R|Fine}} Blyton's response to her critics was that she was uninterested in the views of anyone over the age of 12, stating that half the attacks on her work were motivated by jealousy and the rest came from "stupid people who don't know what they're talking about because they've never read any of my books".{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2567–2573|ps=none}} | From the 1930s to the 1950s, the BBC operated a ''de facto'' ban on dramatising Blyton's books for radio, considering her to be a "second-rater" whose work was without literary merit.{{R|AdamsTelegraph}}{{R|SmallBeer}}{{Efn|Blyton submitted her first proposal to the BBC in 1936.{{R|SmallBeer}}}} The children's literary critic, [[Margery Fisher]], likened Blyton's books to "slow poison",{{R|ODNB}} and Jean E. Sutcliffe of the BBC's schools broadcast department wrote of Blyton's ability to churn out "mediocre material", noting that "her capacity to do so amounts to genius ... anyone else would have died of boredom long ago".{{R|SutcliffeMemo}} [[Michael Rosen (author)|Michael Rosen]], Children's Laureate from 2007 until 2009, wrote that "I find myself flinching at occasional bursts of snobbery and the assumed level of privilege of the children and families in the books".{{R|Times2012}} The children's author [[Anne Fine]] presented an overview of the concerns about Blyton's work and responses to them on [[BBC Radio 4]] in November 2008, in which she noted the "drip, drip, drip of disapproval" associated with the books.{{R|Fine}} Blyton's response to her critics was that she was uninterested in the views of anyone over the age of 12, stating that half the attacks on her work were motivated by jealousy and the rest came from "stupid people who don't know what they're talking about because they've never read any of my books".{{Sfnp|Stoney|2011|loc=loc. 2567–2573|ps=none}} | ||
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===Revisions to later editions=== | ===Revisions to later editions=== | ||
To address criticisms levelled at Blyton's work, some later editions have been altered to reflect | To address criticisms levelled at Blyton's work, some later editions have been altered to reflect changing attitudes towards issues such as race, gender, violence between young persons, the treatment of children by adults, and legal changes in Britain as to what is allowable for young children to do (e.g. purchasing fireworks) in the years since the stories were originally written; modern reprints of the Noddy series substitute teddy bears or goblins for [[golliwogs]], for instance.{{R|Geoghegan}} The golliwogs who steal Noddy's car and dump him naked in the Dark Wood in ''Here Comes Noddy Again'' are replaced in the 1986 revision by goblins, who strip Noddy only of his shoes and hat and return at the end of the story to apologise.{{Sfnp|Druce|1992|p=230|ps=none}} | ||
''[[The Faraway Tree]]'''s Dame Slap, who made regular use of corporal punishment, was changed to Dame Snap, who no longer did so, and the names of Dick and Fanny in the same series (respective slang terms in some dialects for male and female genitals) were changed to Rick and Frannie.{{R|BradburyTelegraph}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.freerangekids.com/when-dick-and-fannie-became-rick-and-frannie-guest-post/ |title="When Dick and Fannie became Rick and Frannie" – Guest Post! |last= Browne |first=Kate |date=29 May 2012 |website=Free-Range Kids |access-date=30 July 2024}}</ref> Characters in the [[Malory Towers]] and [[St. Clare's (series)|St. Clare's]] series are no longer spanked or threatened with a spanking but are instead scolded. References to George's short hair making her look like a boy were removed in revisions to ''[[Five on a Hike Together]]'', reflecting the idea that girls need not have long hair to be considered feminine or normal,{{R|MorningHerald2012}} as was Anne's remark in ''The Famous Five'' that boys cannot wear pretty dresses or like girls' dolls.{{R|Spectator}} In ''[[The Adventurous Four]]'', the names of the young twin girls were updated from Jill and Mary to Pippa and Zoe, among changes prompting the Enid Blyton Society's organiser to argue that they were akin to having "a Virgin Express rushing past [[the Railway Children]] because the age of steam is over…. [W]e don't want to ruin the charm of something that was written in a particular setting."<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7591648.stm |title = The mystery of Enid Blyton's revival|date = 5 September 2008}}</ref> | ''[[The Faraway Tree]]'''s Dame Slap, who made regular use of corporal punishment, was changed to Dame Snap, who no longer did so, and the names of Dick and Fanny in the same series (respective slang terms in some dialects for male and female genitals) were changed to Rick and Frannie.{{R|BradburyTelegraph}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.freerangekids.com/when-dick-and-fannie-became-rick-and-frannie-guest-post/ |title="When Dick and Fannie became Rick and Frannie" – Guest Post! |last= Browne |first=Kate |date=29 May 2012 |website=Free-Range Kids |access-date=30 July 2024}}</ref> Characters in the [[Malory Towers]] and [[St. Clare's (series)|St. Clare's]] series are no longer spanked or threatened with a spanking but are instead scolded. References to George's short hair making her look like a boy were removed in revisions to ''[[Five on a Hike Together]]'', reflecting the idea that girls need not have long hair to be considered feminine or normal,{{R|MorningHerald2012}}{{failed verification|date=February 2026}} as was Anne's remark in ''The Famous Five'' that boys cannot wear pretty dresses or like girls' dolls.{{R|Spectator}} In ''[[The Adventurous Four]]'', the names of the young twin girls were updated from Jill and Mary to Pippa and Zoe, among changes prompting the Enid Blyton Society's organiser to argue that they were akin to having "a Virgin Express rushing past [[the Railway Children]] because the age of steam is over…. [W]e don't want to ruin the charm of something that was written in a particular setting."<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7591648.stm |title = The mystery of Enid Blyton's revival|date = 5 September 2008}}</ref> | ||
In 2010, the publisher of the Famous Five series, [[Hodder & Stoughton|Hodder]], announced its intention to update the language used in the books, of which it sold more than half a million copies a year. The changes, which Hodder described as "subtle", mainly affect the dialogue rather than the narrative. For instance, "school tunic" becomes "uniform", "mother and father" and "mother and daddy" (this latter one used by young female characters and deemed sexist) become "mum and dad",{{R|Horn2010}} and "bathing" is replaced by "swimming" and "jersey" and "pullover" by "jumper".{{R|BradburyTelegraph}}{{R|Guardian Sept 2016}} Some commentators see the changes as necessary to encourage modern readers,{{R|Horn2010}} whereas others regard them as unnecessary and patronising.{{R|BradburyTelegraph}} In 2016, Hodder's parent company, [[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]], announced that they would abandon the revisions, as readers' reaction showed they had not been a success.{{R|Guardian Sept 2016}} | In 2010, the publisher of the Famous Five series, [[Hodder & Stoughton|Hodder]], announced its intention to update the language used in the books, of which it sold more than half a million copies a year. The changes, which Hodder described as "subtle", mainly affect the dialogue rather than the narrative. For instance, "school tunic" becomes "uniform", "mother and father" and "mother and daddy" (this latter one used by young female characters and deemed sexist) become "mum and dad",{{R|Horn2010}} and "bathing" is replaced by "swimming" and "jersey" and "pullover" by "jumper".{{R|BradburyTelegraph}}{{R|Guardian Sept 2016}} Some commentators see the changes as necessary to encourage modern readers,{{R|Horn2010}} whereas others regard them as unnecessary and patronising.{{R|BradburyTelegraph}} In 2016, Hodder's parent company, [[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]], announced that they would abandon the revisions, as readers' reaction showed they had not been a success.{{R|Guardian Sept 2016}} | ||
==Stage, film and television adaptations== | ==Stage, film and television adaptations== | ||
In 1954, Blyton adapted Noddy for the stage, producing the ''Noddy in Toyland'' pantomime in just two or three weeks. The production was staged at the 2,660-seat [[Stoll Theatre]] in [[Kingsway (London)|Kingsway]], London at Christmas.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=118|ps=none}} Its popularity resulted in the show running during the Christmas season for five or six years.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=119|ps=none}} Blyton was delighted with its reception by children in the audience and attended the theatre three or four times a week.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=125|ps=none}} [[Noddy (character)#Television adaptations productions and incarnations|TV adaptations of Noddy]] since 1954 include one in the 1970s narrated by [[Richard Briers]].{{R|NoddyTV}} In 1955, a stage play based on the Famous Five was produced, and in January 1997 the [[King's Head Theatre]] embarked on a six-month tour of the UK with ''The Famous Five Musical'', to commemorate Blyton's centenary. On 21 November 1998, ''The Secret Seven Save the World'' was first performed at the [[Sherman Theatre]] in Cardiff.{{R|EBSChrono}} | In 1954, Blyton adapted Noddy for the stage, producing the ''Noddy in Toyland'' pantomime in just two or three weeks. The production was staged at the 2,660-seat [[Stoll Theatre]] in [[Kingsway (London)|Kingsway]], London at Christmas.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=118|ps=none}} Its popularity resulted in the show running during the Christmas season for five or six years.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=119|ps=none}} Blyton was delighted with its reception by children in the audience and attended the theatre three or four times a week.{{Sfnp|Greenfield|1995|p=125|ps=none}} [[Noddy (character)#Television adaptations productions and incarnations|TV adaptations of Noddy]] since 1954 include one in the 1970s narrated by [[Richard Briers]].{{R|NoddyTV}} A Canadian hybrid live-action/animated series entitled [[Noddy (TV series)]] ran for two seasons from 1998 to 1999, airing on [[CBC Television]] in Canada and on [[PBS]] in the US.<ref>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noddy-Toyland-VHS-Colin-Spaull/dp/B00004CYT2/</ref> In 1955, a stage play based on the Famous Five was produced, and in January 1997 the [[King's Head Theatre]] embarked on a six-month tour of the UK with ''The Famous Five Musical'', to commemorate Blyton's centenary. On 21 November 1998, ''The Secret Seven Save the World'' was first performed at the [[Sherman Theatre]] in Cardiff.{{R|EBSChrono}} | ||
There have also been several film and television adaptations of the Famous Five: by the [[Children's Film Foundation]] in [[Five on a Treasure Island (film)|1957]] and [[Five Have a Mystery to Solve (film)|1964]], [[Southern Television]] in [[The Famous Five (1970s TV series)|1978–79]], and [[Zenith Productions]] in [[The Famous Five (1990s TV series)|1995–97]].{{R|ODNB}} The series was also adapted for the German film ''[[Fünf Freunde]]'', directed by Mike Marzuk and released in 2011.{{R|FestivalFocus}} | There have also been several film and television adaptations of the Famous Five: by the [[Children's Film Foundation]] in [[Five on a Treasure Island (film)|1957]] and [[Five Have a Mystery to Solve (film)|1964]], [[Southern Television]] in [[The Famous Five (1970s TV series)|1978–79]], and [[Zenith Productions]] in [[The Famous Five (1990s TV series)|1995–97]].{{R|ODNB}} The series was also adapted for the German film ''[[Fünf Freunde]]'', directed by Mike Marzuk and released in 2011.{{R|FestivalFocus}} | ||
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==Papers== | ==Papers== | ||
Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], holds the largest public collection of Blyton's papers and typescripts.{{R|SevenStoriesCatalogue}} The Seven Stories collection contains a significant number of Blyton's typescripts, including the previously unpublished novel, ''Mr Tumpy's Caravan'', as well as personal papers and diaries.{{R|SevenStoriesBlyton}} The purchase of the material in 2010 was made possible by special funding from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]], the [[Victoria and Albert Museum|MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund]], and two private donations.{{R|GuardianSevenStories}} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Portal|Children's literature|Biography}} | {{Portal|Children's literature|Biography}} | ||
* [[Enid Blyton Society]] | |||
*[[Enid Blyton Society]] | * [[Enid Blyton's illustrators]] | ||
*[[Enid Blyton's illustrators]] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 369: | Line 373: | ||
<ref name="Mangan"> | <ref name="Mangan"> | ||
{{Cite news |last=Mangan |first=Lucy |title=The Famous Five – in their own words |url= | {{Cite news |last=Mangan |first=Lucy |title=The Famous Five – in their own words |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/dec/22/booksforchildrenandteenagers.comment |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 December 2005 |access-date=22 January 2014}} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
| Line 396: | Line 400: | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<ref name="Naturism"> | <nowiki><ref name="Naturism"> | ||
{{Cite web |last1=Carr-Gomm |first1=Philip |title=Naturism: Should I let it all hang out? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zsx2qty |publisher=BBC |access-date=4 September 2016 |mode=cs2}} | {{Cite web |last1=Carr-Gomm |first1=Philip |title=Naturism: Should I let it all hang out? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zsx2qty |publisher=BBC |access-date=4 September 2016 |mode=cs2}} | ||
</ref> | </ref></nowiki> | ||
<ref name="Noddys60th"> | <ref name="Noddys60th"> | ||
| Line 514: | Line 518: | ||
===Bibliography=== | ===Bibliography=== | ||
{{Refbegin}} | {{Refbegin}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Baverstock |first=Gillian |author-link=Gillian Baverstock |title=Enid Blyton |year=1997 |publisher=Evans Brothers |isbn=978-0-237-51751-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/enidblyton0000bave }} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Bluemel |first=Kristin |title=Intermodernism: Literary Culture in Mid-twentieth-century Britain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNYcW-dF7_4C&pg=PA209 |year=2009 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-3509-2}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Blyton |first=Enid |title=The Story of My Life |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDBXAAAAYAAJ |year=1952 |publisher=Grafton}} Reprint: {{ISBN|978-0-246-12795-2}}. | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Blyton |first=Enid |title=Secret Seven: 13: Shock for the Secret Seven |url=https://archive.org/details/shockforsecretse0000blyt_e7r6 |year=2013a |orig-year=1961 |publisher=Hachette Children's Books |isbn=978-1-4449-1867-0 |url-access=registration}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Blyton |first=Enid |title=Secret Seven: 15: Fun for the Secret Seven |url=https://archive.org/details/funforsecretseve0000blyt |year=2013b |orig-year=1963 |publisher=Hachette Children's Books |isbn=978-1-84456-949-6 |url-access=registration}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Bouson |first=J. Brooks |title=Jamaica Kincaid: Writing Memory, Writing Back to the Mother |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYEpKI2c7uQC&pg=PA207 |year=2012 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-8292-6}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last1=Brazouski| first1=Antoinette |last2=Klatt |first2=Mary J. |title=Children's Books on Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology: An Annotated Bibliography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mkeJTEqs8kC&pg=PA25 |year=1994 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-28973-6}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last1=Briggs |first1=Julia |last2=Butts |first2=Dennis |last3=Orville Grenby |first3=Matthew |title=Popular Children's Literature in Britain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImOE6EaeSnIC&pg=PA265 |year=2008 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=978-1-84014-242-6}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Commire |first=Anne |author-link=Anne Commire |title=Something About the Author |url=https://archive.org/details/somethingaboutau25anne |volume=25 |year=1981 |publisher=Gale Research |isbn=978-0-8103-0087-3 |url-access=registration}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Druce |first=Robert |title=This Day our Daily Fictions: An Enquiry into the Multi-million Bestseller Status of Enid Blyton and Ian Fleming |year=1992 |publisher=Rodopi |isbn=978-90-5183-401-7}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=Owen Dudley |author-link=Owen Dudley Edwards |title=British Children's Fiction in the Second World War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8h87i1OaEgC&pg=PA257 |year=2007 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-1651-0}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Fisher |first=Margery |author-link=Margery Fisher |title=The Bright Face of Danger: An Exploration of the Adventure Story |year=1986 |publisher=Hodder Children's Books |isbn=978-0-34022-993-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/brightfaceofdang0000fish }} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Greenfield |first=George |title=A Smattering of Monsters: A Kind of Memoir |url=https://archive.org/details/smatteringofmons0000gree/ |year=1995|publisher=Camden House |isbn=978-1-57113-071-6 |url-access=registration}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Grenby |first=Matthew |title=Children's Literature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t8jas5ZsTBoC&pg=PA170 |year=2008 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-2274-0}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Inglis |first=Fred |author-link=Fred Inglis |title=The Promise of Happiness: Value and Meaning in Children's Fiction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RE7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA189 |year=1982 |publisher=CUP Archive |isbn=978-0-521-27070-0}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Matthew |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Matthew |title=Brief Lives: Twentieth-century Pen Portraits from the Dictionary of National Biography |year=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-280089-3}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Murray |first=Shannon |chapter=''A Book for Boys and Girls: Or, Country Rhimes for Children'': Bunyan and Literature for Children |title=The Cambridge Companion to Bunyan |year=2010 |pages=120–134 |editor-last=Dunan-Page |editor-first=Anne |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-73308-3}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last1=Naismith |first1=Jon |last2=Garden |first2=Graeme |title=The Unbelievable Truth |year=2013 |publisher=Preface}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alex |title=Literary Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Literature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VMItAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT130 |year=2013 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Company |isbn=978-1-62873-221-4}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Rudd |first=David |contribution=Blytons, Noddies, and Denoddification Centers: The Changing Constructions of a Cultural Icon |pages=111–118 |editor1-last=Walt |editor1-first=Thomas Van der |editor2-last=Fairer-Wessels |editor2-first=Felicité |editor3-last=Inggs |editor3-first=Judith |title=Change and Renewal in Children's Literature |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780275981853 |year=2004 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-275-98185-3 |url-access=registration}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Stoney |first=Barbara |title=Enid Blyton: The Biography |year=2011 |orig-year=2006 |publisher=History Press |edition=Kindle |isbn=978-0-7524-6957-7}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=A. H. |title=Censorship in Public Libraries in the United Kingdom during the Twentieth Century |year=1975 |pages=137–157 |publisher=Bowker (R.R.) (UK) Ltd |edition=First |isbn=978-0-8593-5019-8}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Mary Shine |last2=Keenan |first2=Celia |title=Treasure Islands: Studies in Children's Literature |year=2006 |publisher=Four Courts Press |isbn=978-1-85182-941-5}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Tucker |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Tucker |title=The Child and the Book: A Psychological and Literary Exploration |year=1990 |publisher=CUP Archive |isbn=978-0-521-39835-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/childbookpsychol0000tuck_a9y3 }} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Watson |first=Victor |title=Reading Series Fiction: From Arthur Ransome to Gene Kemp |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PpD1BbY4_AMC&pg=PA85 |year=2000 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-22701-8}} | ||
{{Refend}} | {{Refend}} | ||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Greenfield |first=George |title=Enid Blyton |url=https://archive.org/details/enidblyton0000gree |year=1998 |publisher=Sutton Publishing |isbn=978-0-7509-1633-2 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Mullan |first=Bob |author-link=Robert Mullan |title=The Enid Blyton Story |url=https://archive.org/details/enidblytonstory0000mull |year=1987 |publisher=Boxtree |isbn=978-1-85283-201-8 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Sheila G. |title=The Blyton Phenomenon |url=https://archive.org/details/blytonphenomenon0000rays |year=1982 |publisher=Andre Deutsch |isbn=978-0-233-97441-5 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Smallwood |first=Imogen |title=A Childhood at Green Hedges: A Fragment of Autobiography by Enid Blyton's Daughter |year=1989 |publisher=Methuen Young Books |isbn=978-0-416-12632-7 |ref=none |url=https://archive.org/details/childhoodatgreen00smal }} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=Brian |last2=Summerfield |first2=Tony |title=The Enid Blyton Dossier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JjWvPQAACAAJ| year=1998 |publisher=Hawk Books |isbn=978-1-899441-70-9 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last1=Summerfield |first1=Tony |last2=Wright |first2=Norman| title=Sunny Stories 1942–1953: An Index |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZkgtwAACAAJ |year=1995 |publisher=Norman Wright |ref=none}} | ||
*{{ | * {{Cite book |last=Willey |first=Mason |title=Enid Blyton: A Bibliography of First Editions and Other Collectable Books: with Cross-referenced Publishers, Illustrators and Themes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OWhDNwAACAAJ |year=1993 |publisher=Willey |isbn=978-0-9521284-0-3 |ref=none}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{ | {{Commons category|Enid Blyton}} | ||
{{Wikisource|Author:Enid Blyton|Enid Blyton}} | {{Wikisource|Author:Enid Blyton|Enid Blyton}} | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100201095413/https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/blyton/ Watch and listen to BBC archive programmes about Enid Blyton | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100201095413/https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/blyton/ Watch and listen to BBC archive programmes about Enid Blyton] at the [[Internet Archive]] | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111113233150/https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/blytonandthebbc/ Enid Blyton letters from the BBC archive | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20111113233150/https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/blytonandthebbc/ Enid Blyton letters from the BBC archive] at the Internet Archive | ||
* [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/acc82aad-0de3-3d65-acc5-01da068ccf21 Enid Blyton Collection] | * [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/acc82aad-0de3-3d65-acc5-01da068ccf21 Enid Blyton Collection] | ||
* {{ | * {{Gutenberg author|id=52190}} | ||
* {{FadedPage|id=Blyton, Enid|name=Enid Blyton|author=yes}} | * {{FadedPage|id=Blyton, Enid|name=Enid Blyton|author=yes}} | ||
* {{Librivox author |id=14178}} | * {{Librivox author |id=14178}} | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110307211452/http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=48334 Newsreel footage of Enid Blyton at home with her family, 1946] | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110307211452/http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=48334 Newsreel footage of Enid Blyton at home with her family, 1946] | ||
* [http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/collection/collection-highlights/enid-blyton The Enid Blyton Collection at Seven Stories] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020020033/https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/collection/collection-highlights/enid-blyton |date=20 October 2018 }} | * [http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/collection/collection-highlights/enid-blyton The Enid Blyton Collection at Seven Stories]; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020020033/https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/collection/collection-highlights/enid-blyton |date=20 October 2018 }} | ||
* [http://blytonsevenstories.wordpress.com/ Seven Stories' Enid Blyton Blog] | * [http://blytonsevenstories.wordpress.com/ Seven Stories' Enid Blyton Blog] | ||
* {{ISFDB name|name=Enid Blyton}} | * {{ISFDB name|name=Enid Blyton}} | ||
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[[Category:1968 deaths]] | [[Category:1968 deaths]] | ||
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]] | [[Category:20th-century English novelists]] | ||
[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in England]] | [[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in England]] | ||
[[Category:Deaths from dementia in England]] | [[Category:Deaths from dementia in England]] | ||
[[Category:English children's writers]] | [[Category:English children's writers]] | ||
[[Category:English women novelists]] | [[Category:English mystery writers]] | ||
[[Category:Golders Green Crematorium]] | [[Category:English women children's writers]] | ||
[[Category:English women mystery writers]] | |||
[[Category:20th-century English women novelists]] | |||
[[Category:People cremated at Golders Green Crematorium]] | |||
[[Category:People from Beaconsfield]] | [[Category:People from Beaconsfield]] | ||
[[Category:People from East Dulwich]] | [[Category:People from East Dulwich]] | ||
[[Category:People from Hampstead]] | [[Category:People from Hampstead]] | ||
[[Category:Writers from the London Borough of Southwark]] | [[Category:Writers from the London Borough of Southwark]] | ||