Enid Mary Blyton (August 11, 1897–November 28, 1968) was a British children’s author. She is noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups. Her books have enjoyed popular success in many parts of the world, and have exceeded sales of 400 million. In 2006, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world, according to the Index Translationum, measured by the volume, over 3300, of translations of her works, after Lenin but ahead of Barbara Cartland.
British writer who published over 600 children’s or juvenile books in her 40-year career. Blyton’s most famous series was The Famous Five. Its central characters were Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and the dog Timmy.
Blyton’s works painted an idyllic vision of rural England, which celebrated good food, spirit of comradeship, and honesty. Her books have been translated into nearly seventy languages and sold up to the 1980s some 60 million volumes.
Enid Blyton was born in London, in a small flat above a shop in East Dulwich, as the eldest of three children. Her father, Thomas Carey Blyton, had many talents: he painted in water colours, wrote poetry, learned to play piano, taught himself foreign languages, and was a photographer. After working as a cutlery salesman, he joined his two older brothers in the family ‘mantle warehousing’ business of Fisher and Nephew. Theresa Mary Hamilton, Enid’s mother, did not share his husband’s interest, and she did not approve, that Enid kept her nose in a book all the time.
After Thomas started an affair with another woman, she moved with her children, Enid, Hanly, and Carey, to Beckenham. Thomas established a successful wholesale clothing business in the City of London. He took care of his children’s private school fees and sent regularly money to support his family.
From her earliest childhood, Blyton had been schooled in the belief that she would eventually be a musician. However, she had also started to write and send stories, articles, and poems to various periodicals. Although he family thought, that most of her writing was a waste of time, she remained undaunted.
Blyton was trained as a kindergarten teacher at Ipswich High School, and opened her own infants’ school. When the literary commitments increased, Blyton devoted herself entirely to writing. In 1926 Blyton took on the editing a new magazine for children, Sunny Stories. Her stories, plays, and songs for Teachers’ World gained popularity among teachers, who used them for their lessons. She also compiled a children’s encyclopedia, but it was not until in the 1930s, when her stories started to attract a wider audience.
In 1953 appeared the first edition of Enid Blyton Magazine. Regular news was given for sponsored clubs. The Famous Five Club originated through a series of book about the ‘Famous Five’. The first story was published in 1942 and was followed by a new title each year. The main object of the magazine was to help the young spastic children and the special centre in London.
Although Blyton’s books have been criticized for racism, sexism, and snobbishness, they have always found readers from new generations. “She was a child, she thought as a child and she wrote as a child,” has the psychologist Michael Woods stated on the secret of her books.
“Anne saw some cows pulling at the grass in a meadow as they passed. ‘It must be awful to be a cow and eat nothing but tasteless grass,’ she called to George. ‘Think what a cow misses – never tastes an egg and lettuce sandwich, never eats a chocolate aclair, never has a boiled egg – and can’t even drink a glass of ginger-beer! Poor cows!'” (from Five Get Into Trouble, 1949)
Well well well…I uesd to think on similar lines..is it because I was made to think like this by reading Enid Blyton – or is it that it was inborn in me to think more about animals or is it that after reading similar thought process as Anne’s – I became doubly sure that I am normal after all and it is quite natural to think like this. Enid’s stories ruled till I was in class 7th ..later Nancy & Hardy took over. But I really enjoyed reading Enids.
The Naughtiest Girl
Elizabeth is indignant at being sent away to boarding school after being taught at home by a governess. She is determined to be as naughty as possible in order to be sent home, but strikes a deal with the headmistress and ends up settling down and enjoying school life. She befriends Joan whose parents never write to her, and soon settles down at school, helping her friend John with the school garden.
In the second book she also shows a talent for music, and plays a duet with Richard in the end-of-term concert.
One of the original ideas in “The Naughtiest Girl” series, is the idea that an elected jury of pupils deal with any reports of misbehaviour or selfishness.
yeah ! same here – I will be as naughty as possible so that people get irritated by me …and assasinate me…like they did to Lord Christ – so that quickly I will go HOME – to My Guru’s lap – Shree mataji Nirmala Devi !
