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Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English
children's writer
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been translated into 90 languages. As of June 2019, Blyton held 4th place for the most translated author. She wrote on a wide range of topics, including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and
biblical narratives. She is best remembered today for her ''
Noddy'', ''
Famous Five'', ''
Secret Seven'', the ''
Five Find-Outers
''The Five Find-Outers and Dog'', also known as ''The Five Find-Outers'', is a series of children's mystery books written by Enid Blyton. The first was published in 1943 and the last in 1961. Set in the fictitious village of Peterswood based ...
'', and ''
Malory Towers
''Malory Towers'' is a series of six novels by English children's author Enid Blyton. The series is based on a girls' boarding school that Blyton's daughter attended, Benenden School, which relocated during World War II to the Hotel Bristol ...
'' books, although she also wrote many others including the ''
St Clare's'', ''
The Naughtiest Girl
''The Naughtiest Girl'' is a series of novels written by Enid Blyton in the 1940s–1950s. Unusually, they are set at a progressive boarding school rather than a traditional one. The school, Whyteleafe, bears a striking resemblance to the inde ...
'' and ''
The Faraway Tree
''The Faraway Tree'' is a series of popular novels for children by British author Enid Blyton. The titles in the series are ''The Enchanted Wood'' (1939), ''The Magic Faraway Tree'' (1943), ''The Folk of the Faraway Tree'' (1946) and ''Up the ...
'' 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 ''
Adventures of the Wishing-Chair'' (1937) and ''
The Enchanted Wood'' (1939), Blyton went on to build a literary empire, sometimes producing 50 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 rumors that Blyton employed an army of
ghost writer
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...
s, a charge she vigorously denied.
Blyton's work became increasingly controversial among literary critics, teachers, and parents beginning in the 1950s, due to the alleged unchallenging nature of her writing and her themes, particularly in the Noddy series. Some libraries and schools banned her works, and from the 1930s until the 1950s the
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...
refused to broadcast her stories because of their perceived lack of literary merit. Her books have been criticized as
elitist
Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be construc ...
,
sexist,
racist,
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
, and at odds with the more progressive environment that was emerging in post-World War II Britain, but they have continued to be bestsellers since her death in 1968.
She felt she had a responsibility to provide her readers with a strong moral framework, so she encouraged them to support worthy causes. In particular, through the clubs she set up or supported, she encouraged and organized them to raise funds for animal and
paediatric
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
charities.
The story of Blyton's life was dramatized in ''
Enid'', a BBC television film featuring
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...
in the title role. It was first broadcast in the UK on
BBC Four in 2009.
Early life and education
Enid Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 in
East Dulwich
East Dulwich is an area of South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. This South London suburb was first developed in the nineteent ...
, 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
nwomen'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
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...
, then a village in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. A few months after her birth, Enid almost died from
whooping cough
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or t ...
, but was nursed back to health by her father, whom she adored. 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". 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. Enid was devastated when he left the family shortly after her 13th birthday to live with another woman. Enid and her mother did not have a good relationship, and she did not attend either of her parents' funerals.
From 1907 to 1915, Blyton attended St Christopher's School in Beckenham, where she enjoyed physical activities and became school tennis champion and
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
captain. She was not keen on all the academic subjects, but excelled in writing and, in 1911, entered
Arthur Mee
Arthur Henry Mee (21 July 187527 May 1943) was an English writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for ''The Harmsworth Self-Educator'', '' The Children's Encyclopædia'', ''The Children's Newspaper'', and ''The King's England''. The ...
's children's poetry competition. Mee offered to print her verses, encouraging her to produce more. 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
Mother Mary Potter (22 November 1847 – 9 April 1913) founded the sisters of the Little Company of Mary in 1877. On 8 February 1988, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her Venerable.
Early life
Mary Potter was born in a rented house at 23 O ...
.
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. Blyton considered enrolling at the
Guildhall School of Music, but decided she was better suited to becoming a writer. After finishing school, in 1915, as
head girl
Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...
, 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, in Suffolk. Seckford Hall, with its allegedly haunted room and secret passageway, provided inspiration for her later writing. At Woodbridge Congregational Church, Blyton met Ida Hunt, who taught at
Ipswich High School and suggested she train there as a teacher. Blyton was introduced to the children at the
nursery school
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary schoo ...
and, recognizing her natural affinity with them, enrolled in a
National Froebel Union teacher training course at the school in September 1916. By this time, she had nearly terminated all contact with her family.
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''. 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. 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, with whom Blyton spent four happy years. With the shortage of area schools, neighboring children soon joined her charges, and a small school developed at the house.
Early writing career
In 1920, Blyton moved to
Chessington
Chessington is an area in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames within Greater London. Historically part of Surrey, today it is the largest salient of Greater London into that county. At the 2011 census it had a population of 18,973. The ...
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". Publications such as ''
The Londoner
''The Londoner'' was a newsletter in the style of a newspaper published by the Mayor of London, and delivered free to most households in Greater London, United Kingdom.
In the words of the Mayor of London's office, it was "a newsletter for Lond ...
'', ''Home Weekly'' and ''
The Bystander
''The Bystander'' was a British weekly tabloid magazine that featured reviews, topical drawings, cartoons and short stories. Published from Fleet Street, it was established in 1903 by George Holt Thomas. Its first editor, William Comyns Beaum ...
'' began to show an interest in her short stories and poems.
Blyton's first book, ''
Child Whispers'', a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. Its illustrator, Enid's schoolfriend
Phyllis Chase collaborated on several of her early works. Also in that year, Blyton began writing in annuals for
Cassell and
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newne ...
, 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
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
,
Walter de la Mare
Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...
, and
G. K. Chesterton in a special issue of ''Teachers' World.'' Blyton's educational texts were influential in the 1920s and '30s, 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).
In July 1923, Blyton published ''Real Fairies'', a collection of thirty-three poems written especially for the book with the exception of "Pretending", which had appeared earlier in ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'' magazine. The following year, she published ''The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies'', illustrated by Horace J. Knowles, and in 1926 the ''
Book of Brownies''. Several books of plays appeared in 1927, including ''A Book of Little Plays'' and ''The Play's the Thing'' with the illustrator
Alfred Bestall
Alfred Edmeades "Fred" Bestall, MBE (14 December 1892 – 15 January 1986) wrote and illustrated ''Rupert Bear'' for the London ''Daily Express'', from 1935 to 1965.
Biography Early life
Bestall was born in Mandalay, Burma in 1892, where his p ...
.
In the 1930s, Blyton developed an interest in writing stories related to various myths, including those of
ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...
and
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
; ''The Knights of the Round Table'', ''Tales of Ancient Greece'' and ''Tales of Robin Hood'' were published in 1930. In ''Tales of Ancient Greece'' Blyton retold 16 well-known ancient Greek myths, but used the Latin rather than the Greek names of deities and invented conversations between characters. ''The Adventures of Odysseus'', ''Tales of the Ancient Greeks and Persians'' and ''Tales of the Romans'' followed in 1934.
Commercial success
New series: 1934–1948
The first of twenty-eight books in Blyton's
Old Thatch series, ''The Talking Teapot and Other Tales'', was published in 1934, the same year as ''Brer Rabbit Retold''; (note that Brer Rabbit originally featured in
Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post-Reconstruction era Atlanta, a ...
stories by
Joel Chandler Harris
Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...
), her first serial story and first full-length book, ''
Adventures of the Wishing-Chair'', followed in 1937. ''
The Enchanted Wood'', the first book in the
Faraway Tree series, published in 1939, is about a magic tree inspired by the
Norse mythology that had fascinated Blyton as a child. According to Blyton's daughter Gillian the inspiration for the magic tree came from "thinking up a story one day and suddenly she was walking in the enchanted wood and found the tree. In her imagination she climbed up through the branches and met Moon-Face, Silky, the Saucepan Man and the rest of the characters. She had all she needed." As in the Wishing-Chair series, these fantasy books typically involve children being transported into a magical world in which they meet
fairies,
goblins
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...
,
elves
An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes " ...
,
pixie
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas ar ...
s and other mythological creatures.
Blyton's first full-length adventure novel, ''The Secret Island'', was published in 1938, featuring the characters of Jack, Mike, Peggy and Nora. Described by ''
The Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
'' as a "
Robinson Crusoe
''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...
-style adventure on an island in an English lake", ''The Secret Island'' was a lifelong favourite of Gillian's and spawned the
Secret series. The following year Blyton released her first book in the
Circus series and her initial book in the
Amelia Jane series, ''Naughty Amelia Jane!'' According to Gillian the main character was based on a large handmade doll given to her by her mother on her third birthday.
During the 1940s Blyton became a prolific author, her success enhanced by her "marketing, publicity and branding that was far ahead of its time". In 1940 Blyton published two books – ''Three Boys and a Circus'' and ''Children of Kidillin'' – under the pseudonym of Mary Pollock (middle name plus first married name), in addition to the eleven published under her own name that year. So popular were Pollock's books that one reviewer was prompted to observe that "Enid Blyton had better look to her laurels". But Blyton's readers were not so easily deceived and many complained about the subterfuge to her and her publisher, with the result that all six books published under the name of Mary Pollock – two in 1940 and four in 1943 – were reissued under Blyton's name. Later in 1940 Blyton published the first of her
boarding school story
The school story is a fiction genre centring on older pre-adolescent and adolescent school life, at its most popular in the first half of the twentieth century. While examples do exist in other countries, it is most commonly set in English board ...
books and the first novel in the
Naughtiest Girl series, ''
The Naughtiest Girl in the School
''The Naughtiest Girl in the School'' is the first novel in The Naughtiest Girl series by Enid Blyton, published in 1940. The title character is Elizabeth Allen, a spoiled girl who is sent to a boarding school called Whyteleafe School.
Plot
El ...
'', which followed the exploits of the mischievous schoolgirl Elizabeth Allen at the fictional Whyteleafe School. The first of her six novels in the
St. Clare's series, ''
The Twins at St. Clare's
''The Twins at St Clare's'' is a children's novel by Enid Blyton set in an English girls' boarding school. It is the first of the original six novels in the St. Clare's series of school stories. First published in 1941, it tells the story of t ...
'', appeared the following year, featuring the twin sisters Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan.
In 1942 Blyton released the first book in the
Mary Mouse series, ''Mary Mouse and the Dolls' House'', about a mouse exiled from her mousehole who becomes a maid at a dolls' house. Twenty-three books in the series were produced between 1942 and 1964; 10,000 copies were sold in 1942 alone. The same year, Blyton published the first novel in the
Famous Five series, ''
Five on a Treasure Island
''Five on a Treasure Island'' (published in 1942) is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton. It is the first book in ''The Famous Five'' series. The first edition of the book was illustrated by Eileen Soper.
Background
It has been suggeste ...
'', with illustrations by
Eileen Soper
Eileen Alice Soper (26 March 1905 – 18 March 1990) was an English etcher and illustrator of children's and wildlife books. She produced a series of etchings, mainly of children playing, and illustrated books for other writers, notably for Enid B ...
. Its popularity resulted in twenty-one books between then and 1963, and the characters of Julian, Dick, Anne, George (Georgina) and Timmy the dog became household names in Britain. Matthew Grenby, author of ''Children's Literature'', states that the five were involved with "unmasking hardened villains and solving serious crimes", although the novels were "hardly 'hard-boiled' thrillers". Blyton based the character of Georgina, a
tomboy
A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...
she described as "short-haired, freckled, sturdy, and snub-nosed" and "bold and daring, hot-tempered and loyal", on herself.
Blyton had an interest in biblical narratives, and retold
Old and
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
stories. ''
The Land of Far-Beyond'' (1942) is a Christian parable along the lines of
John Bunyan
John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...
's ''
The Pilgrim's Progress
''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...
'' (1698), with contemporary children as the main characters. In 1943 she published ''The Children's Life of Christ'', a collection of fifty-nine short stories related to the
life of Jesus Life of Jesus may refer to:
* Life of Jesus in the New Testament
* Historical Jesus
* Chronology of Jesus
* Life of Christ in art
Books
* ''Life of Jesus'' (Hegel)
* ''Life of Jesus'' (Strauss)
*
Filmed
* '' La Vie de Jésus'' (English: ''T ...
, with her own slant on popular biblical stories, from the
Nativity and the
Three Wise Men
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 190 ...
through to the
trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...
, the
crucifixion
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...
and the
resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...
. ''Tales from the Bible'' was published the following year, followed by ''The Boy with the Loaves and Fishes'' in 1948.
The first book in Blyton's
Five Find-Outers
''The Five Find-Outers and Dog'', also known as ''The Five Find-Outers'', is a series of children's mystery books written by Enid Blyton. The first was published in 1943 and the last in 1961. Set in the fictitious village of Peterswood based ...
series, ''
The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage'', was published in 1943, as was the second book in the Faraway series, ''
The Magic Faraway Tree'', which in 2003 was voted 66th in the
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Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's