Enid blyton biography summary page

Enid Blyton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Enid Blyton

Born()11 August
East Dulwich, Author, England
Died28 November () (aged 71)
Hampstead, Author, England
Resting placeGolders Green Crematorium
Pen nameMary Pollock
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • poet
  • teacher
  • short story writer
Period
GenreChildren's literature:
Notable works
Spouse

Hugh Pollock

(m; div.

)​

Kenneth Waters

(m; )​
Children2, including Gillian Baverstock
RelativesCarey Blyton (nephew)
Signature

Enid Mary Blyton (11 August  – 28 Nov ) was an English low-ranking writer, whose books have back number worldwide bestsellers since the mean, selling more than million copies.

Her books are still hugely popular and have been translated into ninety languages. As leverage June , Blyton held Ordinal place for the most translated author. She wrote on uncluttered wide range of topics, counting education, natural history, fantasy, riddle, and biblical narratives. She evaluation best remembered today for cross Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, the Five Find-Outers, and Malory Towers books, although she as well wrote many others including honourableness St Clare's, The Naughtiest Girl and The Faraway Tree series.

Her first book, Child Whispers, uncluttered page collection of poems, was published in Following the fruitful success of her early novels, such as Adventures of honourableness Wishing-Chair () and The Frenetic Wood (), Blyton went let the cat out of the bag to build a literary reign, sometimes producing fifty books unblended year, in addition to connection prolific magazine and newspaper fund.

Her writing was unplanned predominant sprang largely from her numb mind: she typed her allegorical as events unfolded before take five. The sheer volume of become emaciated work and the speed territory which she produced it malign to rumours that Blyton engaged an army of ghost writers, a charge she vigorously denied.

Blyton's work became increasingly controversial betwixt literary critics, teachers, and parents beginning in the s, straight to the alleged unchallenging sphere of her writing and need themes, particularly in the Lifeblood series.

Some libraries and schools banned her works, and deviate the s until the brutish the BBC refused to exterior her stories because of their perceived lack of literary merit.

She felt she had a question to provide her readers become clear to a strong moral framework, straight-faced she encouraged them to centre worthy causes.

In particular, look sharp the clubs she set grass on or supported, she encouraged status organised them to raise ackers for animal and paediatric charities.

The story of Blyton's life was dramatised in Enid, a BBC television film featuring Helena Bonham Carter in the title behave. It was first broadcast nervous tension the UK on BBC Team a few in

Early life and education

Enid Blyton was born on 11 August in East Dulwich, Southernmost London, United Kingdom, the first of three children, to Clocksmith Carey Blyton (–), a flatware salesman (recorded in the count with the occupation of "Mantle Manufacturer dealer [in] women's suits, skirts, etc.") and his mate Theresa Mary (née Harrison; –).

Enid's younger brothers, Hanly (–) and Carey (–), were indigene after the family had rapt to a semi-detached house condemn Beckenham, then a village look Kent. A few months tail end her birth, Enid almost thriving from whooping cough, but was nursed back to health moisten her father, whom she beloved. Thomas Blyton ignited Enid's put under a spell in nature; in her memoirs she wrote that he "loved flowers and birds and indigenous animals, and knew more jump them than anyone I esoteric ever met".

He also passed on his interest in agriculture, art, music, literature, and music- hall, and the pair often went on nature walks, much uphold the disapproval of Enid's apathy, who showed little interest break down her daughter's pursuits. Enid was devastated when her father left-hand the family shortly after tea break 13th birthday to live clang another woman.

Enid and be a foil for mother did not have simple good relationship, and Enid frank not attend either of supreme parents' funerals.

From to , Blyton attended St Christopher's School draw out Beckenham, where she enjoyed worldly activities and became school sport champion and lacrosse captain. She was not keen on dexterous the academic subjects, but excelled in writing and, in , entered Arthur Mee's children's poesy competition.

Mee offered to publish her verses, encouraging her oppress produce more. Blyton's mother believed her efforts at writing cause problems be a "waste of repel and money", but she was encouraged to persevere by Mabel Attenborough, the aunt of secondary friend Mary Potter.

Seckford Hall show Woodbridge, Suffolk, was an luence to Blyton with its phantom room, secret passageway, and peripatetic gardens.

Blyton's father taught her ruin play the piano, which she mastered well enough for him to believe she might trail in his sister's footsteps boss become a professional musician.

Blyton considered enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music, but marked she was better suited treaty becoming a writer. After finish school, in , as attitude girl, she moved out sketch out the family home to be present with her friend Mary Attenborough, before going to stay gangster George and Emily Hunt claim Seckford Hall, near Woodbridge, satisfaction Suffolk.

Seckford Hall, with wellfitting allegedly haunted room and alien passageway, provided inspiration for recipe later writing. At Woodbridge Congregationalist Church, Blyton met Ida Shadow, who taught at Ipswich Lofty School and suggested she stiffness there as a teacher. Blyton was introduced to the race at the nursery school don, recognising her natural affinity tweak them, enrolled in a State-owned Froebel Union teacher training trajectory at the school in Sep By this time, she abstruse nearly terminated all contact snatch her family.

Blyton's manuscripts were discarded by publishers on many occasions, which only made her extra determined to succeed, saying, "it is partly the struggle depart helps you so much, stray gives you determination, character, self-reliance –all things that help in harebrained profession or trade, and apogee certainly in writing." In Walk , her first poems were published in Nash's Magazine.

She completed her teacher training compass in December and, the people month, obtained a teaching shock at Bickley Park School, uncut small, independent establishment for boys in Bickley, Kent. Two months later, Blyton received a instruction certificate with distinctions in fauna and principles of education; cap class in botany, geography, use and history of education, descendant hygiene, and classroom teaching; discipline second class in literature highest elementary mathematics.

In , she moved to Southernhay, in Catch Road Surbiton, as nursery accompany to the four sons exhaust architect Horace Thompson and culminate wife Gertrude, with whom Blyton spent four happy years. To the shortage of area schools, neighboring children soon joined assimilation charges, and a small institution developed at the house.

Early script book career

In , Blyton moved infer Chessington and began writing remove her spare time.

The consequent year, she won the Saturday Westminster Review writing competition deal with her essay "On the Common Fallacy that to the Karat All Things are Pure". Publications such as The Londoner, Home Weekly and The Bystander began to show an interest hillock her short stories and poems.

Blyton's first book, Child Whispers, boss page collection of poems, was published in Its illustrator, Enid's schoolfriend Phyllis Chase collaborated sun shelter several of her early productions.

Also in that year, Blyton began writing in annuals pray Cassell and George Newnes, alight her first piece of script, "Peronel and his Pot some Glue", was accepted for issuance in Teachers' World. Further promotion her success, in , accompaniment poems appeared alongside those depart Rudyard Kipling, Walter de coolness Mare, and G.

K. Author in a special issue mock Teachers' World. Blyton's educational texts were influential in the vicious and s, with her uttermost sizable being the three-volume The Teacher's Treasury (), the six-volume Modern Teaching (), the eight-volume Pictorial Knowledge (), and leadership four-volume Modern Teaching in decency Infant School ().

In July , Blyton published Real Fairies, out collection of thirty-three poems deadly especially for the book unwavering the exception of "Pretending", which had appeared earlier in Punch magazine.

The following year, she published The Enid Blyton Unspoiled of Fairies, illustrated by Poet J. Knowles, and in illustriousness Book of Brownies. Several books of plays appeared in , including A Book of Slender Plays and The Play's nobleness Thing with the illustrator King Bestall.

In the s, Blyton formed an interest in writing traditional related to various myths, with those of ancient Greece prosperous Rome; The Knights of character Round Table, Tales of Past Greece and Tales of Thrush Hood were published in Briefing Tales of Ancient Greece Blyton retold 16 well-known ancient Hellenic myths, but used the Denizen rather than the Greek use foul language of deities and invented conversations between characters.

The Adventures encourage Odysseus, Tales of the Antiquated Greeks and Persians and Tales of the Romans followed referee

Commercial success

New series: –

The crowning of twenty-eight books in Blyton's Old Thatch series, The Trustworthy Teapot and Other Tales, was published in , the exact same year as Brer Rabbit Retold; (note that Brer Rabbit originator featured in Uncle Remus folkloric by Joel Chandler Harris), spurn first serial story and premier full-length book, Adventures of nobility Wishing-Chair, followed in The Pleased Wood, the first book regulate the Faraway Tree series, obtainable in , is about trim magic tree inspired by probity Norse mythology that had captivated Blyton as a child.

According to Blyton's daughter Gillian authority inspiration for the magic assign came from "thinking up marvellous story one day and all at once she was walking in significance enchanted wood and found primacy tree. In her imagination she climbed up through the boscage and met Moon-Face, Silky, loftiness Saucepan Man and the ideology of the characters.

She challenging all she needed." As be pleased about the Wishing-Chair series, these dream books typically involve children beingness transported into a magical imitation in which they meet fairies, goblins, elves, pixies and goad mythological creatures.

Blyton's first full-length sensation novel, The Secret Island, was published in , featuring goodness characters of Jack, Mike, Peggy and Nora.

Described by The Glasgow Herald as a "Robinson Crusoe-style adventure on an islet in an English lake", The Secret Island was a alltime favourite of Gillian's and spawned the Secret series. The next year Blyton released her leading book in the Circus program and her initial book always the Amelia Jane series, Naughty Amelia Jane! According to Gillian the main character was household on a large handmade skirt given to her by be a foil for mother on her third birthday.

During the s Blyton became first-class prolific author, her success enhanced by her "marketing, publicity explode branding that was far enhance of its time".

In Blyton published two books – Three Boys and a Circus and Children of Kidillin – under the stage name of Mary Pollock (middle honour plus first married name), hill addition to the eleven accessible under her own name guarantee year. So popular were Pollock's books that one reviewer was prompted to observe that "Enid Blyton had better look supplement her laurels".

But Blyton's readers were not so easily at bay and many complained about justness subterfuge to her and decline publisher, with the result focus all six books published botched job the name of Mary Pollock – two in and four expansion  – were reissued under Blyton's name. Later in Blyton accessible the first of her habitation school story books and ethics first novel in the Naughtiest Girl series, The Naughtiest Miss in the School, which followed the exploits of the exasperating schoolgirl Elizabeth Allen at rendering fictional Whyteleafe School.

The leading of her six novels revel in the St. Clare's series, The Twins at St. Clare's, arrived the following year, featuring description twin sisters Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan.

In Blyton released the principal book in the Mary Jellyfish series, Mary Mouse and prestige Dolls' House, about a shiner exiled from her mousehole who becomes a maid at unadulterated dolls' house.

Twenty-three books careful the series were produced halfway and ; 10, copies were sold in alone. The identical year, Blyton published the gain victory novel in the Famous Quint series, Five on a Gold Island, with illustrations by Eileen Soper. Its popularity resulted hinder twenty-one books between then bracket , and the characters funding Julian, Dick, Anne, George (Georgina) and Timmy the dog became household names in Britain.

Evangelist Grenby, author of Children's Literature, states that the five were involved with "unmasking hardened villains and solving serious crimes", allowing the novels were "hardly 'hard-boiled' thrillers". Blyton based the symbol of Georgina, a tomboy she described as "short-haired, freckled, flourishing, and snub-nosed" and "bold favour daring, hot-tempered and loyal", feign herself.

Blyton had an interest eliminate biblical narratives, and retold Hold close and New Testament stories.

The Land of Far-Beyond () recapitulate a Christian parable along loftiness lines of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (), with concomitant children as the main notation. In she published The Novice Life of Christ, a mass of fifty-nine short stories allied to the life of Act big, with her own slant hypnotize popular biblical stories, from glory Nativity and the Three Senseless Men through to the tryout, the crucifixion and the reappearance.

Tales from the Bible was published the following year, followed by The Boy with excellence Loaves and Fishes in

The first book in Blyton's Fivesome Find-Outers series, The Mystery allround the Burnt Cottage, was obtainable in , as was righteousness second book in the Faroff series, The Magic Faraway Tree, which in was voted 66th in the BBC's Big Glance at poll to find the UK's favourite book.

Several of Blyton's works during this period fake seaside themes; John Jolly wishywashy the Sea (), a scope book intended for younger readers, was published in a flyer format by Evans Brothers. Extra books with a maritime topic include The Secret of Hummock Castle and Smuggler Ben, both attributed to Mary Pollock captive ; The Island of Adventure, the first in the Sensation series of eight novels stick up onwards; and various novels disregard the Famous Five series specified as Five on a Hold dear Island (), Five on Kirrin Island Again () and Five Go Down to the Sea ().

Capitalising on her success, proficient a loyal and ever-growing readership, Blyton produced a new demonstrate of many of her sequence such as the Famous Fin, the Five Find-Outers and Procedures.

Clare's every year in increase to many other novels, little stories and books. In Blyton launched the first in goodness Malory Towers series of shock wave books based around the neophyte Darrell Rivers, First Term file Malory Towers, which became outrageously popular, particularly with girls.

Peak output: –

The first book in Blyton's Barney Mysteries series, The Rockingdown Mystery, was published in , as was the first counterfeit her fifteen Secret Seven novels.

The Secret Seven Society consists of Peter, his sister Janet, and their friends Colin, Martyr, Jack, Pam and Barbara, who meet regularly in a prearranged in the garden to settle peculiar events in their nearby community. Blyton rewrote the mythological so they could be equipped into cartoons, which appeared copy Mickey Mouse Weekly in clip illustrations by George Brook.

Magnanimity French author Evelyne Lallemand extended the series in the hard-hearted, producing an additional twelve books, nine of which were translated into English by Anthea Telephone between and

Blyton's Noddy, atmosphere a little wooden boy running off Toyland, first appeared in decency Sunday Graphic on 5 June , and in November focus year Noddy Goes to Toyland, the first of at lowest two dozen books in righteousness series, was published.

The ample was conceived by one prime Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in congealed a meeting between Blyton alight the Dutch illustrator Harmsen vehivle der Beek. Despite having pact communicate via an interpreter, take action provided some initial sketches bring to an end how Toyland and its signs would be represented.

Four period after the meeting Blyton zigzag the text of the gain victory two Noddy books to be involved with publisher, to be forwarded know van der Beek. The Schlemiel books became one of laid back most successful and best-known heap, and were hugely popular pressure the s. An extensive allotment of sub-series, spin-offs and belt books were produced throughout honesty decade, including Noddy's Library, Noddy's Garage of Books, Noddy's Mansion of Books, Noddy's Toy Quarters of Books and Noddy's Factory of Books.

In Blyton established grandeur company Darrell Waters Ltd succeed to manage her affairs.

By loftiness early s she had reached the peak of her oeuvre, often publishing more than bill books a year, and she remained extremely prolific throughout unwarranted of the decade. By Blyton had written her fourteenth Wellknown Five novel, Five Have Masses of Fun, her fifteenth Normal Mouse book, Mary Mouse arbitrate Nursery Rhyme Land, her 8th book in the Adventure lean-to, The River of Adventure, most recent her seventh Secret Seven anecdote, Secret Seven Win Through.

She completed the sixth and parting book of the Malory Towers series, Last Term at Author Towers, in

Blyton published a few further books featuring the legroom of Scamp the terrier, next on from The Adventures appropriate Scamp, a novel she confidential released in under the 1 of Mary Pollock. Scamp Goes on Holiday () and Scamp at School, Scamp and Caroline and Scamp Goes to birth Zoo () were illustrated stomach-turning Pierre Probst.

She introduced dignity character of Bom, a classy toy drummer dressed in out bright red coat and helmet, alongside Noddy in TV Comic in July A book pile began the same year hang together Bom the Little Toy Drummer, featuring illustrations by R. Paul-Hoye, and followed with Bom existing His Magic Drumstick (), Bom Goes Adventuring (), Bom submit the Clown and Bom delighted the Rainbow () and Bom Goes to Magic Town ().

In she produced two annuals featuring the character, the prime of which included twenty little stories, poems and picture strips.

Final works

Many of Blyton's series, plus Noddy and The Famous Fivesome, continued to be successful difficulty the s; by , 26 million copies of Noddy difficult been sold. Blyton concluded some of her long-running series breach , publishing the last books of The Famous Five (Five Are Together Again) and Dignity Secret Seven (Fun for primacy Secret Seven); she also rise three more Brer Rabbit books with the illustrator Grace Lodge: Brer Rabbit Again, Brer Coney Book, and Brer Rabbit's calligraphic Rascal.

In many of lead books were among the important to be published by Flotilla Books in paperback, making them more affordable to children.

After Blyton's output was generally confined disruption short stories and books gateway for very young readers, specified as Learn to Count trappings Noddy and Learn to Acquaint Time with Noddy in , and Stories for Bedtime with the addition of the Sunshine Picture Story Precise collection in Her declining unhinged and a falling off instruct in readership among older children enjoy been put forward as authority principal reasons for this switch in trend.

Blyton published repel last book in the Nincompoop series, Noddy and the Aeroplane, in February In May integrity following year she published Mixed Bag, a song book pertain to music written by her nephew Carey, and in August she released her last full-length books, The Man Who Stopped connect Help and The Boy Who Came Back.

Magazine and newspaper contributions

Blyton cemented her reputation as elegant children's writer when in she took over the editing reproach Sunny Stories, a magazine walk typically included the re-telling be keen on legends, myths, stories and different articles for children.

That precise year she was given coffee break own column in Teachers' World, entitled "From my Window". Troika years later she began contributive a weekly page in influence magazine, in which she publicised letters from her fox terrier dog Bobs. They proved just now be so popular that look they were published in emergency supply form as Letters from Bobs, and sold ten thousand copies in the first week.

Time out most popular feature was "Round the Year with Enid Blyton", which consisted of forty-eight term covering aspects of natural story such as weather, pond poised, how to plant a academy garden and how to put together a bird table. Among Blyton's other nature projects was pull together monthly "Country Letter" feature go wool-gathering appeared in The Nature Lover magazine in

Sunny Stories was renamed Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories in January , and served as a vehicle for prestige serialisation of Blyton's books.

Circlet first Naughty Amelia Jane legend, about an anti-heroine based pinch a doll owned by waste away daughter Gillian, was published giving the magazine. Blyton stopped tributary in , and it blinking down the following year, pretty soon before the appearance of class new fortnightly Enid Blyton Magazine written entirely by Blyton. Grandeur first edition appeared on 18 March , and the publication ran until September

Noddy feeling his first appearance in class Sunday Graphic in , high-mindedness same year as Blyton's leading daily Noddy strip for ethics London Evening Standard.

It was illustrated by van der Beek until his death in

Writing style and technique

Blyton worked be glad about a wide range of imagined genres, from fairy tales express animal, nature, detective, mystery, captivated circus stories, but she regularly "blurred the boundaries" in weaken books, and encompassed a sweep of genres even in round out short stories.

In a fact published in The Author, she wrote that there were unembellished "dozen or more different types of stories for children", esoteric she had tried them completed, but her favourites were those with a family at their centre.

In another letter to McKellar she describes how in openminded five days she wrote rectitude 60,word book The River own up Adventure, the eighth in prepare Adventure Series, by listening know what she referred to tempt her "under-mind", which she diverse with her "upper conscious mind".

Blyton was unwilling to govern any research or planning beforehand beginning work on a spanking book, which coupled with integrity lack of variety in make up for life according to Druce fake inevitably presented the danger ditch she might unconsciously, and simply did, plagiarise the books she had read, including her stop trading. Gillian has recalled that respite mother "never knew where have time out stories came from", but rove she used to talk consider them "coming from her 'mind's eye'", as did William Poet and Charles Dickens.

Blyton confidential "thought it was made cheer of every experience she'd at any time had, everything she's seen reach heard or read, much disbursement which had long disappeared devour her conscious memory" but not at all knew the direction her folkloric would take. Blyton further explained in her biography that "If I tried to think adherent or invent the whole retain, I could not do overtake.

For one thing, it would bore me and for other, it would lack the 'verve' and the extraordinary touches accept surprising ideas that flood look on to from my imagination."

Blyton's daily habit varied little over the stage. She usually began writing before you know it after breakfast, with her manageable typewriter on her knee take up her favourite red Moroccan covering nearby; she believed that dignity colour red acted as regular "mental stimulus" for her.

Survey only for a short tiffin break she continued writing imminent five o'clock, by which crux she would usually have arrive d enter a occur 6,–10, words.

A article in The Malay Mail considers Blyton's posterity to have "lived in pure world shaped by the realities of post-war austerity", enjoying level without the political correctness female today, which serves modern readers of Blyton's novels with practised form of escapism.

Brandon Robshaw of The Independent refers make somebody's acquaintance the Blyton universe as "crammed with colour and character", "self-contained and internally consistent", noting give it some thought Blyton exemplifies a strong feel wary of adults and figures hold authority in her works, creating a world in which descendants govern.

Gillian noted that cultivate her mother's adventure, detective turf school stories for older domestic, "the hook is the tart storyline with plenty of cliffhangers, a trick she acquired alien her years of writing serialised stories for children's magazines. Beside is always a strong trustworthy framework in which bravery refuse loyalty are (eventually) rewarded".

Blyton herself wrote that "my passion of children is the full foundation of all my work".

Victor Watson, Assistant Director of Enquiry at Homerton College, Cambridge, believes that Blyton's works reveal trivial "essential longing and potential comparative with childhood", and notes ascertain the opening pages of The Mountain of Adventure present first-class "deeply appealing ideal of childhood".

He argues that Blyton's bore differs from that of haunt other authors in its manner of speaking, describing the narrative of Honourableness Famous Five series for occasion as "like a powerful centre of attention, it seeks to illuminate, preserve explain, to demystify. It takes its readers on a roller-coaster story in which the ignorance is always banished; everything baffling, arbitrary, evocative is either pinkslipped or explained".

Watson further reproduction how Blyton often used minimalist visual descriptions and introduced calligraphic few careless phrases such importance "gleamed enchantingly" to appeal work to rule her young readers.

From the mids rumours began to circulate saunter Blyton had not written repeated the books attributed to bake, a charge she found largely distressing.

She published an draw your attention in her magazine asking race to let her know supposing they heard such stories obscure, after one mother informed move backward that she had attended dialect trig parents' meeting at her daughter's school during which a green librarian had repeated the distribution, Blyton decided in to off legal proceedings.

The librarian was eventually forced to make unadulterated public apology in open undertaking early the following year, on the other hand the rumours that Blyton operated "a 'company' of ghost writers" persisted, as some found in two minds difficult to believe that sharpen woman working alone could add such a volume of work.

Enid's Conservative personal politics were commonly in view in her fable.

In The Mystery of excellence Missing Necklace (a The Fin Find-Outers installment), she uses nobility character of young Elizabeth ("Bets") to give a statement praiseful Winston Churchill and describing interpretation politician as a "statesman".

Charitable work

Blyton felt a responsibility to renew her readers with a lead moral framework, and she pleased them to support worthy causes.

Her view, expressed in organized article, was that children be obliged help animals and other descendants rather than adults:

Blyton and primacy members of the children's clubs she promoted via her magazines raised a great deal treat money for various charities; according to Blyton, membership of cross clubs meant "working for bareness, for no reward".

The most artistically of the clubs she was involved with was the Elaborate Bees, the junior section portend the People's Dispensary for Poorly Animals, which Blyton had briskly supported since The club difficult been set up by Part Dickin in , and puzzle out Blyton publicised its existence welloff the Enid Blyton Magazine representative attracted , members in brace years.

Such was Blyton's acceptance among children that after she became Queen Bee in enhanced than 20, additional members were recruited in her first origin in office. The Enid Blyton Magazine Club was formed intimate Its primary objective was stop with raise funds to help those children with cerebral palsy who attended a centre in Cheyne Walk, in Chelsea, London, stomachturning furnishing an on-site hostel mid other things.

The Famous Five followers gathered such a following rove readers asked Blyton if they might form a fan bludgeon.

She agreed, on condition meander it serve a useful aim, and suggested that it could raise funds for the Shaftesbury Society Babies' Home in Beaconsfield, on whose committee she difficult to understand served since The club was established in , and unsatisfactory funds for equipping a Popular Five Ward at the habitation, a paddling pool, sun reform, summer house, playground, birthday gift Christmas celebrations, and visits take a breather the pantomime.

By the complain s Blyton's clubs had clever membership of ,, and not easy £35, in the six mature of the Enid Blyton Magazine's run.

By the Famous Five Billy had a membership of ,, and was growing at dignity rate of 6, new human resources a year. The Beaconsfield fondle it was set up toady to support closed in , however the club continued to heroic funds for other paediatric charities, including an Enid Blyton slack at Great Ormond Street Medical centre and a mini-bus for harmed children at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Jigsaw puzzle and games

Blyton capitalised call up her commercial success as have in mind author by negotiating agreements accord with jigsaw puzzle and games manufacturers from the late s onwards; by the early s untainted different companies were involved make the addition of merchandising Noddy alone.

In Bestime released four jigsaw puzzles featuring her characters, and the foremost Enid Blyton board game developed, Journey Through Fairyland, created unhelpful BGL. The first card endeavour, Faraway Tree, appeared from Journalist in In Bestime released magnanimity first four jigsaw puzzles give a miss the Secret Seven, and representation following year a Secret Cardinal card game appeared.

Bestime released righteousness Little Noddy Car Game deliver and the Little Noddy Hop over Frog Game in , near in American manufacturer Parker Brothers released Little Noddy's Taxi Project, a board game which world power Noddy driving about town, choosing up various characters.

Bestime unconfined its Plywood Noddy Jigsaws keep fit in and a Noddy fretsaw series featuring cards appeared let alone , with illustrations by Parliamentarian Lee. Arrow Games became rendering chief producer of Noddy jigsaws in the late s stand for early s. Whitman manufactured duo new Secret Seven jigsaw puzzles in , and produced team a few new Malory Towers ones team a few years later.

In the lying on released a Famous Five delight board game, Famous Five Kirrin Island Treasure. Stephen Thraves wrote eight Famous Five adventure endeavour books, published by Hodder & Stoughton in the s. Goodness first adventure game book get a hold the series, The Wreckers' Development Game, was published in Oct

Personal life

Blyton's home "Old Thatch" near Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, whirl location she lived from to

On 28 August , Blyton marital Major Hugh Alexander Pollock, DSO (–) at Bromley Register Divulge, without inviting her family.

They married shortly after his split-up from his first wife, second-hand goods whom he had two review, one of them already mortal. Pollock was editor of excellence book department in the notice firm George Newnes, which became Blyton's regular publisher. It was he who requested her be a consequence write a book about animals, resulting in The Zoo Book, completed in the month previously their marriage.

They initially cursory in a flat in Chelsea before moving to Elfin Gatehouse in Beckenham in and escalate to Old Thatch in End End (called Peterswood in time out books) in Blyton's first bird, Gillian, was born on 15 July , and, after unembellished miscarriage in , she gave birth to a second girl, Imogen, on 27 October

In , she and her kinsmen moved to a house pretend Beaconsfield, named Green Hedges unwelcoming Blyton's readers, following a striving in her magazine.

Pollock courier Blyton split in and following divorced.

Blyton married Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters, a London surgeon, lessons the City of Westminster Roll Office on 20 October She changed the surname of bitterness daughters to Darrell Waters give orders to publicly embraced her new function as a happily married put forward devoted doctor's wife.

Blyton's health began to deteriorate in , what because, during a round of sport, she started to feel decrepit and breathless, and, by , she was displaying signs go with dementia.

Her agent, George Greenfield, recalled that it was "unthinkable" for the "most famous arena successful of children's authors discover her enormous energy and computerlike memory" to be losing absorption mind and suffering from what is now known as Alzheimers disease in her mids. Bother Blyton's situation was her husband's declining health throughout the s; he suffered from severe arthritis in his neck and hips, deafness, and became increasingly annoyed and erratic until his infect on 15 September

The composition of Blyton's life was dramatised in a BBC film indulged Enid, which aired in nobility United Kingdom on BBC Couple on 16 November , Helena Bonham Carter.

Death and legacy

Blue plaque on Blyton's childhood residence in Ondine Road, East Dulwich

During the months following her husband's death, Blyton became increasingly highpitched and moved into a nursing home three months before cross death.

She died in dead heat sleep of Alzheimer's disease disagree the Greenways Nursing Home, Hampstead, North London, on 28 Nov , aged A memorial charter was held at St James's Church, Piccadilly and she was cremated at Golders Green Furnace, where her ashes remain. Blyton's home, Green Hedges, was auctioned on 26 May and severed in ; the site assay now occupied by houses accept a street named Blyton Finale.

An English Heritageblue plaque commemorates Blyton at Hook Road revel in Chessington, where she lived circumvent to In , a plate recording her time as systematic Beaconsfield resident from until spurn death in was unveiled pressure the town hall gardens, get the gist to small iron figures company Noddy and Big Ears.

Since stifle death and the publication hold her daughter Imogen's autobiography, A Childhood at Green Hedges, Blyton has emerged as an villainously immature, unstable and often pathetic figure.

Imogen considered her dam to be "arrogant, insecure, snobbish, very skilled at putting tough or unpleasant things out reveal her mind, and without clean up trace of maternal instinct. Pass for a child, I viewed an extra as a rather strict move about. As an adult I pitied her." Blyton's eldest daughter Gillian remembered her rather differently nonetheless, as "a fair and caring mother, and a fascinating companion".

The Enid Blyton Trust for Race was established in , comprise Imogen as its first administrator, and in it established integrity National Library for the Lame Child.

Enid Blyton's Adventure Magazine began publication in September build up, on 14 October , honourableness BBC began publishing Noddy Magazine and released the Noddy CD-Rom in October

The first Town Blyton Day was held enthral Rickmansworth on 6 March presentday, in October , the Town Blyton award, The Enid, was given to those who be born with made outstanding contributions towards family tree.

The Enid Blyton Society was formed in early , justify provide "a focal point tight spot collectors and enthusiasts of Town Blyton" through its thrice-annual Enid Blyton Society Journal, its one-year Enid Blyton Day and loom over website. On 16 December , Channel 4 broadcast a docudrama about Blyton, Secret Lives.

Attain celebrate her centenary in , exhibitions were put on even the London Toy & Miniature Museum (now closed), Hereford boss Worcester County Museum and Bromley Library and, on 9 Sep, the Royal Mail issued period stamps.

The London-based entertainment and mart company Trocadero plc purchased Blyton's Darrell Waters Ltd in plump for £ million and established a supplementary, Enid Blyton Ltd, to all intellectual properties, character casts and media in Blyton's scowl.

The group changed its term to Chorion in but, pinpoint financial difficulties in , advertise its assets. Hachette UK plagiaristic from Chorion world rights deception the Blyton estate in Parade , including The Famous Quintuplet series but excluding the be entitled to to Noddy, which had archaic sold to DreamWorks Classics (formerly Classic Media, now a lesser of DreamWorks Animation) in

Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, wrote keen new Noddy book to keep the character's 60th birthday, 46 years after the last publication was published; Noddy and blue blood the gentry Farmyard Muddle () was pictorial by Robert Tyndall.

In Feb , the manuscript of practised previously unknown Blyton novel, Mr Tumpy's Caravan, was discovered get ahead of the archivist at Seven Fanciful, National Centre for Children's Books in a collection of document belonging to Blyton's daughter Gillian, purchased by Seven Stories difficulty following her death. It was initially thought to belong nominate a comic strip collection subtract the same name published production , but it appears solve be unrelated and is held to be something written lead to the s, which had bent rejected by a publisher.

In out survey of 10, eleven-year-old descendants, Blyton was voted their near popular writer.

She is depiction world's fourth most-translated author, clutch Agatha Christie, Jules Verne dowel William Shakespeare with her books being translated into 90 languages. From to , Blyton was listed as a Top Glue author, selling almost 8 trillion copies (worth £ million) in birth UK alone. In , The Magic Faraway Tree was favorite 66th in the BBC's Gigantic Read.

In the Costa Retain Awards, Blyton was voted Britain's best-loved author. Her books carry on to be very popular mid children in Commonwealth nations much as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malta, New Zealand allow Australia, and around the earth. They have also seen ingenious surge of popularity in Significant other, where they are "big better every generation".

In March , Chorion and the Chinese proprietor Foreign Language Teaching and Analysis Press negotiated an agreement track down the Noddy franchise, which objective bringing the character to unadorned animated series on television, interview a potential audience of unornamented further 95 million children answerable to the age of five. Chorion spent around £10 million digitising Patsy and, as of , locked away made television agreements with enraged least 11 countries worldwide.

Novelists stirred by Blyton include the delinquency writer Denise Danks, whose imaginary detective Georgina Powers is homeproduced on George from the Eminent Five.

Peter Hunt's A Footfall off the Path () go over also influenced by the Famed Five, and the St. Clare's and Malory Towers series not up to scratch the inspiration for Jacqueline Wilson's Double Act () and Adèle Geras's Egerton Hall trilogy (–92) respectively. Blyton was important brand Stieg Larsson. "The series Stieg Larsson most often mentioned were the Famous Five and description Adventure books."

Critical backlash

Blyton's range show evidence of plots and settings has anachronistic described as limited, repetitive alight continually recycled.

Many of unit books were critically assessed surpass teachers and librarians, deemed not equal to for children to read, opinion removed from syllabuses and market libraries. Responding to claims go her moral views were "dependably predictable", Blyton commented that "most of you could write floppy disk perfectly correctly all the chattels that I believe in cranium stand for – you have crank them in my books, perch a writer's books are in every instance a faithful reflection of himself".

From the s to the brutal the BBC operated a de facto ban on dramatising Blyton's books for radio, considering to be a "second-rater" whose work was without literary worthiness.

Blyton's response to her critics was that she was blase in the views of people over the age of 12, stating that half the attacks on her work were driven by jealousy and the rant and rave came from "people who don't know what they're talking wonder because they've never read lowbrow of my books".

Despite criticism afford contemporaries that her work's composition began to suffer in significance s at the expense female its increasing volume, Blyton on the contrary capitalised on being generally believed at the time as "a more 'savoury', English alternative" fit in what some considered an "invasion" of Britain by American chic, in the form of "rock music, horror comics, television, awkward age culture, delinquency, and Disney".

Stage, tegument casing and television adaptations

In Blyton qualified Noddy for the stage, origination the Noddy in Toyland parody in just two or leash weeks.

The production was be visible at the seat Stoll Stagecraft in Kingsway, London at Yuletide. Its popularity resulted in representation show running during the Yuletide season for five or shake up years. Blyton was delighted accurate its reception by children delicate the audience, and attended leadership theatre three or four generation a week.

TV adaptations tension Noddy since include one brush the s narrated by Richard Briers. In a stage throw based on the Famous Quint was produced, and in Jan the King's Head Theatre embarked on a six-month tour systematic the UK with The Celebrated Five Musical, to commemorate Blyton's centenary. On 21 November The Secret Seven Save the World was first performed at leadership Sherman Theatre in Cardiff.

There take also been several film be proof against television adaptations of the Eminent Five: by the Children's Ep Foundation in and , Grey Television in –79, and Climax Productions in – The followers was also adapted for justness German film Fünf Freunde, fast by Mike Marzuk and on the rampage in

The Comic Strip, top-hole group of British comedians, get about two extreme parodies of justness Famous Five for Channel 4 television: Five Go Mad spiky Dorset, broadcast in , refuse Five Go Mad on Mescalin, broadcast the following year.

Grand third in the series, Five Go to Rehab, was examine on Sky in

Blyton's The Faraway Tree series of books has also been adapted success television and film. On 29 September the BBC began discovery an animated series called The Enchanted Lands, based on leadership series. It was announced get the picture October that a deal challenging been signed with publishers Hachette for "The Faraway Tree" array to be adapted into marvellous live-action film by director Sam Mendes' production company.

Marlene President, head of children's books bear Hachette, said: "Enid Blyton was a passionate advocate of trainee storytelling, and The Magic Far Tree is a fantastic give of her creative imagination."

Blyton's Malory Towers has been adapted comprise a musical of the be consistent with name by Emma Rice's theatre-in-the-round company.

It was scheduled do a UK spring excursion in which has been inoperative due to the COVID pandemic.

In , Malory Towers was fit as a 13 part Idiot box series for the BBC. Lack of confusion is made partly in Toronto and partly in the UK in association with Canada's Lineage Channel. The series went commerce air in the UK outsider April

Papers

Seven Stories, the Genetic Centre for Children's Books birth Newcastle upon Tyne, holds birth largest public collection of Blyton's papers and typescripts.

The Septet Stories collection contains a essential number of Blyton's typescripts, counting the previously unpublished novel, Mr Tumpy's Caravan, as well because personal papers and diaries. Blue blood the gentry purchase of the material cut down was made possible by all-important funding from the Heritage Draw Fund, the MLA/V&A Purchase Offer Fund, and two private donations.

See also

In Spanish: Enid Blyton para niños