NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Enid Blyton

Enid Mary Blyton (August 11, 1897–November 28, 1968) was a popular English children's writer. She was one of the most successful children's storytellers of the twentieth century. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... This article concerns the British newspaper. ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about work. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Look up adventure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up mystery in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... This is a list of important childrens literature authors and their most famous works. ...

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 sold over 400 million copies. By one measure, Blyton is the sixth most popular author worldwide: over 3400 translations of her books are available in 2007 according to UNESCO's Index Translationum;^[1] she is behind Lenin and almost equal to Shakespeare. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... The Index Translationum is an index of translated authors kept by UNESCO. Since the advent of the printing press, books had been translated at the initiative of individual publishers and booksellers, with no central record of such translations. ... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин listen?), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) ( April 22 (April 10 ( O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a... Shakespeare redirects here. ...

One of her most widely known characters is Noddy, intended for beginning readers. However, her main forte are the young readers' novels, where children ride out their own adventures with minimal adult help. In this genre, particularly popular series include the Famous Five (consisting of 21 novels, 1942–1963, based on four children and their dog), the Five Find-Outers and Dog, (15 novels, 1943-1961, where five children regularly outwit the local police) as well as the Secret Seven (15 novels, 1949–1963, a society of seven children who solve various mysteries). For other uses, see Noddy (disambiguation). ... The Famous Five is a fictional group of child detectives, composed of four children (Julian, Dick, Anne and George) and their dog Timmy, created by Enid Blyton. ... The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944) The Five Find-Outers and Dog (not to be confused with The Famous Five), also known as the Enid Blyton Mystery Series, is a series of childrens mystery books written by Enid Blyton and first published between 1943 and 1961. ... The Secret Seven are a group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton, one of several such detective series written by Blyton. ...

Her work involves children's adventure stories, and fantasy, sometimes involving magic. Her books were and still are enormously popular in Britain, Malta, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Singapore, and Australia, and as translations, in former Yugoslavia, Japan, and across most of the globe. Her work has been translated into nearly 90 languages. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, ÐˆÑƒÐ³Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ñ˜Ð° in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ...

Personal life

Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 at 354 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, London, the eldest child of Thomas Carey Blyton (1870–1920), a salesman of cutlery, and his wife, Theresa Mary, née Harrison (1874–1950). There were two younger brothers, Hanly (b. 1899), and Carey (b. 1902), who were born after the family had moved to the nearby suburb of Beckenham. From 1907 to 1915, Blyton was educated at St. Christopher's School in Beckenham, where she excelled at her endeavours, leaving as head girl. She enjoyed physical activities along with the academic work, but not maths. Image File history File linksMetadata Famous-five-13-1954. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Famous-five-13-1954. ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Lordship Lane is an ancient thoroughfare, once rural, in East Dulwich, a southern suburb of London within the London Borough of Southwark, England. ... , Dulwich Library East Dulwich is an area in the London Borough of Southwark. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. ... Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system. ...

Blyton was a talented pianist, but gave up her musical studies when she trained as a teacher. She taught for five years at Bickley, Surbiton and Chessington, writing in her spare time. Her first book, Child Whispers, a collection of poems, was published in 1922. For other uses, see Bickley (disambiguation). ... , Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is a commuter town next to the river Thames, populated with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, spacious and grand late-19th century town houses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Child Whispers (published in 1922) is the first published work of the British childrens author Enid Blyton. ...

On 28 August 1924 Blyton married Major Hugh Alexander Pollock DSO (1888–1971), editor of the book department in the publishing firm of George Newnes, which published two of her books that year. The couple moved to Buckinghamshire. Eventually they moved to a house in Beaconsfield, the house was named Green Hedges by Blyton's readers following a competition in 'Sunny Stories'. They had two children: Gillian Mary Baverstock (15 July 1931–24 June 2007) and Imogen Mary Smallwood (27 October 1935–). is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... Beaconsfield is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England lying almost 25 miles NW of London. ... Gillian Mary Baverstock (b. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

In the mid-1930s Blyton had an experience of a spiritual crisis, but she decided against converting to Roman Catholicism from the Church of England because she had felt it was "too constricting." Although she rarely attended church services, she saw that her two daughters were baptised into the Anglican faith and went to the local Sunday School. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

By 1939 her marriage to Pollock was in difficulties, and in 1941 she met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters (1892–1967), a London surgeon, with whom she began a friendship which quickly developed into something deeper. After each had divorced, they married at the City of Westminster register office on 20 October 1943, and she subsequently changed the surname of her two daughters to Darrell Waters. Pollock remarried and had little contact with his daughters thereafter. Blyton's second marriage was very happy and, as far as her public was concerned, she moved smoothly into her role as a devoted doctor's wife, living with him and her two daughters at Green Hedges. is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Blyton's husband died in 1967. During the following months, she became increasingly ill. Afflicted by Alzheimer's disease, Blyton was moved into a nursing home three months before her death; she died at the Greenways Nursing Home, 11 Fellows Road, Hampstead, London, on 28 November 1968, and was cremated at Golders Green. is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Blyton's literary output was of an estimated 800 books over roughly 40 years. Chorion Limited of London now owns and handles the intellectual properties and character brands of Blyton's Noddy and the Famous Five. Chorion is an entertainment company based in the United Kingdom. ...

Most popular works

This is a list of books by Enid Blyton. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (826x1114, 77 KB) Summary Scan by Andrew Alder of the cover of The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, published by Budget Books Pty Ltd, ISBN 0868012335. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (826x1114, 77 KB) Summary Scan by Andrew Alder of the cover of The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, published by Budget Books Pty Ltd, ISBN 0868012335. ... The Mountain of Adventure (1949). ... The Barney Mysteries were a series of six childrens books written by British author Enid Blyton. ... Enid Blyton wrote five Circus books; in chronological order they are: Mr. ... The Famous Five is a fictional group of child detectives, composed of four children (Julian, Dick, Anne and George) and their dog Timmy, created by Enid Blyton. ... The Faraway Tree series is a popular series of childrens books written by Enid Blyton. ... Malory Towers is a fictional Cornish seaside boarding school which features in a series of six novels by British childrens author Enid Blyton. ... Mary Mouse is a fictional character imagined by Enid Blyton, a prolific British childrens author, in the mid 20th century. ... The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944) The Five Find-Outers and Dog (not to be confused with The Famous Five), also known as the Enid Blyton Mystery Series, is a series of childrens mystery books written by Enid Blyton and first published between 1943 and 1961. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... For other uses, see Noddy (disambiguation). ... The Secret Seven are a group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton, one of several such detective series written by Blyton. ... St. ... This Enid Blyton series contains two volumes: Adventures of the Wishing-Chair (1939) The Wishing-Chair Again (1950) ...

Other works

Blyton wrote hundreds of other books for young and older children: novels, story collections and some non-fiction. She also filled a large number of magazine pages, particularly the long-running Sunny Stories which were immensely popular among younger children. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (733x993, 44 KB) Summary Scan by Andrew Alder of the cover of Bible Stories, by Enid Blyton, published by Frederick Muller Ltd, London. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (733x993, 44 KB) Summary Scan by Andrew Alder of the cover of Bible Stories, by Enid Blyton, published by Frederick Muller Ltd, London. ...

An estimate puts her total book publication at around 800 titles, not including decades of magazine writing. It is said that at one point in her career she regularly produced 10,000 words a day.

Such prolific output led many to believe that some of her work was ghost-written. Yet, no ghost writers have come forward. She used a pseudonym Mary Pollock for a few titles (middle name plus first married name). The last volumes in her most famous series were published in 1963. Many books still appeared after that, but were mainly story books made up from re-cycled work. This article is about a ghostwriter, the type of writer. ... A pseudonym (Greek: , pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons legal name. ...

Blyton also wrote numerous books on nature and Biblical themes. Her story The Land of Far-Beyond is a Christian parable along the lines of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, with modern children as the central characters. She also produced retellings of Old Testament and New Testament stories. The Land of Far-Beyond is a novel written by Enid Blyton in 1942. ... John Bunyan. ... The Pilgrims Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published 1678) is an allegorical novel. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ...

Enid Blyton was a prolific author of short stories. These were first published, for the most part, in Sunny Stories, an Enid Blyton magazine, or other children's papers.

Subject matter

Blyton's books often referenced the fantasies of pre-pubescent children. Children are free to play and explore without adult interference, more clearly than in most authors before or since. Adult characters are usually either authority figures (such as policemen, teachers, or parents) or adversaries to be conquered by the children. Children are self-sufficient, spending days away from home. This theme is taken to its extreme in two books: Five Run Away Together and The Secret Island: a group of children run away from unpleasant guardians to live on an island together, making a home and fending for themselves until their parents return.

Blyton's books are generally split into three types. One involves ordinary children in extraordinary situations; having adventures, solving crimes, or otherwise finding themselves in unusual circumstances. Examples include the Famous Five and Secret Seven, and the Adventure series.

The second and more conventional type is the boarding school story; the plots of these have more emphasis on the day-to-day life at school. This is the world of the midnight feast, the practical joke, and the social interaction of the various types of character. Examples of this type are the Malory Towers stories, the St Clare's series, and the Naughtiest Girl books. The school story is a genre of fiction, basic to much of the childrens literature of the twentieth century. ...

The third type is the fantastical. Children are typically transported into a magical world in which they meet fairies, goblins, elves, or other fantasy creatures. Examples of this type are the Wishing-Chair books and the Magic Faraway Tree. Alternatively in many of her short stories, toys are shown to come alive when humans are not around.

Controversies

"Blyton bans": truth and myths

It was frequently reported (in the 1950s and also from the 1980s onwards) that various children's libraries removed some of Blyton's works from the shelves. The history of such "Blyton bans" is confused. Some librarians certainly at times felt that Blyton's restricted use of language, a conscious product of her teaching background, militated against appreciation of more literary qualities. There was some precedent, in the treatment of L. Frank Baum's Oz books (and the many sequels, by others) by librarians in the U.S. in the 1930s. Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 â€“ May 6, 1919) was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known today as simply... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

A careful account of anti-Blyton attacks is given in Chapter 4 of Robert Druce's This Day Our Daily Fictions. The British Journal of Education in 1955 carried a piece by Janice Dohn, an American children's librarian, considering Blyton's writing together with authors of formula fiction, and making negative comments about Blyton's devices and tone. A 1958 article in Encounter by Colin Welch, directed against the Noddy character, was reprinted in a New Zealand librarians' periodical. This gave rise to the first rumour of a New Zealand "library ban" on Blyton's books, a recurrent press canard. Policy on buying and stocking Blyton's books by British public libraries drew attention in newspaper reports from the early 1960s to the end of the 1970s, as local decisions were made by a London borough, Birmingham, Nottingham and other central libraries. In popular culture, formula fiction defines literature in which the storylines and plots have been reused to the extent that the narratives are predictable. ... Look up canard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

There is no evidence that her books' popularity ever suffered. She was defended by populist journalists, and others.

Dated attitudes and altered reprints

The books are very much of their time, particularly the 1950s titles. They present Britain's class system — that is to say, "rough" versus "well-behaved".^[2] Many of Blyton's children's books similarly popularized negative stereotypes regarding gender, race, and class. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1652x2400, 223 KB) Summary Cover of The Three Golliwogs, by Enid Blyton, copyright George Newnes Limited 1969, published by Dean and Son, London. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1652x2400, 223 KB) Summary Cover of The Three Golliwogs, by Enid Blyton, copyright George Newnes Limited 1969, published by Dean and Son, London. ... Social class describes the relationships between people in hierarchical societies or cultures. ...

Modern reprints of some books have had changes made, such as the replacement of golliwogs with teddy bears or goblins. This response from the publishers to contemporary attitudes on racial stereotypes has itself drawn criticism from those adults who view it as tampering with an important piece of the history of children's literature. The Druce book brings up the case of a story, The Little Black Doll, (the doll wanted to be pink) and which was turned on its head in a reprint (apparently not considered racist). Also removed in deference to modern ethical attitudes are many casual references to slaves and to corporal punishment. The Golliwog or Golliwogg is a blackfaced African American caricature created in the late 19th century. ... For other uses, see Teddy bear (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Goblin (disambiguation). ... An ethnic stereotype may be either (A) an overly-simplified representation of the typical characteristics of members of an ethnic group, or (B) a falsehood that has been repeated so many times that is accepted by many people as generally true. ... Childrens books redirects here. ...

Statistics

The Magic Faraway Tree series is a popular series of childrens books written by Enid Blyton. ... The Big Read was a 2003 survey carried out by the BBC, with the goal of finding the Nations Best-loved Book by way of a viewer vote via the Web, SMS and telephone. ...

Trivia

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Cartoon Network is a digital television channel created by Turner Broadcasting and dedicated to showing animated programming. ... This article is about the novel. ... Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ... Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (November 13, 1850 â€“ December 3, 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. ... For other uses, see Treasure Island (disambiguation). ... This article is about the book. ... This article is about the novel. ... Jasper Fforde (born in London on 11 January 1961) is a novelist and aviator living in Wales. ... The Well of Lost Plots is the third book by Jasper Fforde and the continuation of the adventures of literary detective Thursday Next from The Eyre Affair and Lost In A Good Book. ... Michael Flanders Donald Swann The British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders (1922â€“1975) and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann (1923â€“1994) who collaborated in writing comic songs. ... Michael Henry Flanders (March 1, 1922 â€“ April 14, 1975) was a British actor, broadcaster, and writer and performer of comic songs. ... Donald IbrahÃm Swann (September 30, 1923â€“March 23, 1994) was a British composer, musician and entertainer. ... Light Music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of light orchestral music, which began post-World War One and had its heyday during the mid-20th Century, although arguably lasts to the present day. ... The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. ... This article is about the television series. ... Carey Blyton (14 March 1932- 13 July 2002) was a British composer and writer best known for his song Bananas In Pyjamas which later became a Australian childrens television series, and for his work on Doctor Who. ... Frances with the fairies, taken by Elsie in July 1917. ... This article is about the British comedy group; for the published art form, see comic strip. ... The Famous Five - Julian (Peter Richardson), Anne (Jennifer Saunders), Dick (Adrian Edmondson) and George (Dawn French) Five Go Mad in Dorset was the first of the long-running series of Comic Strip Presents. ...

Contents

Personal life

Most popular works

Other works

Subject matter

Controversies

"Blyton bans": truth and myths

Dated attitudes and altered reprints

Statistics

Trivia

See also

Notes

References

Contents

Personal life var ACE_AR = {Site: '756743', Size: '300250'};

Most popular works

Other works

Subject matter

Controversies

"Blyton bans": truth and myths

Dated attitudes and altered reprints

Statistics

Trivia

See also

Notes

References

Personal life