Author In Focus (Enid Blyton)
Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer whose books have been among the world's best-sellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Blyton's books are still enormously popular, and have been translated into 90 languages; her first book, Child Whispers, a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. She wrote on a wide range of topics including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives and is best remembered today for her Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven and Malory Towers series.
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 fifty books a year in addition to her prolific magazine and newspaper contributions. Her writing was unplanned and sprang largely from her unconscious mind; she typed her stories as events unfolded before her. The sheer volume of her work and the speed with which it was produced led to rumours that Blyton employed an army of ghost writers, a charge she vigorously denied.
Blyton's work became increasingly controversial among literary critics, teachers and parents from the 1950s onwards, because of the alleged unchallenging nature of her writing and the themes of her books, particularly the Noddy series. Some libraries and schools banned her works, which the BBC had refused to broadcast from the 1930s until the 1950s because they were perceived to lack literary merit. Her books have been criticised as being elitist, sexist, racist, xenophobic and at odds with the more liberal environment emerging in post-war Britain, but they have continued to be best-sellers since her death in 1968.
Blyton 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 organised them to raise funds for animal and paediatric charities. The story of Blyton's life was dramatised in a BBC film entitled Enid, featuring Helena Bonham Carter in the title role and first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Four in 2009. There have also been several adaptations of her books for stage, screen and television
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The Barney Mysteries Book 1
Rockingdown Hall is empty. So why are there strange noises coming from ...
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The Barney Mysteries Book 3
Why are the bells ringing by themselves?There are strange things going ...
Noddy 3 In1 Classics Collection: Noddy And His Toyland Friends.
Author : Enid Blyton
Publisher : Egmont
Author : Enid Blyton
Publisher : Egmont
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Noddy #3 in 1 collection
Noddy 3 In1 Classics Collection: Noddy And His Classic Friends.
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Both living in a new town and starting at a new school, Tom and Bob wish they had a happy settled fa...
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Those Dreadful Children (Enid Blyton: Family Adventures) is a book from the Family Adventure series ...
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The Barney Mysteries Book 2
The Green Hands Gang strikes again!Thieves have stolen rare and valuabl...
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The Riddle of the Hollow
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Nick, Katie and Laura are so excited to hear of the missing Greylings Treasure that when they stay w...
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Laura and Katie, and especially Nick, are excited when the fun-loving Kit moves next door with his A...
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Katie and Nick idolise their Uncle Bob - he's a private investigator and solving riddles is their fa...
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Katie and Nick are excited to spend their summer at Holiday House with its kind owner Mrs Holly, her...
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What is it that makes the House-at-the-Corner different from any other house in the world? The Farre...
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The three children love animals, but haven't any of their own - until they are given a secret to loo...
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The Barney Mysteries Book 6
What does the secret code in the letter mean? How Roger, Diana and Barn...
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'The Barney Mysteries Book 4
Great Explosions in Hush-Hush Bay!'Roger, Diana and Snubby read the he...
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The Barney Mysteries Book 5
How can the door knocker go rat-a-tat by itself? A cosy house surrounde...
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Enid Blyton's timeless Family Adventures revived for a new generation
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Enid Blyton's timeless Family Adventures revived for a new generation
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The Riddle of The Rajah's Ruby: 3 (The Young Adventurers) is the third book in The Young Adventurers...
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A wonderful selection of 27 short stories about holidays by one of the world's best-loved children's...
Enid Blyton's Stories of Magic and Mischief
Author : Enid Blyton
Publisher : Hodder Children's Books
Author : Enid Blyton
Publisher : Hodder Children's Books
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A selection of 30 magical and mischievous short stories by Britain's most beloved children's author ...
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Delight in this collection of 30 short stories, full of the buzz and excitement of spring!
Head o...
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A dazzling selection of 30 short stories from the world's best-loved storyteller - the perfect Chris...
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Summer Holiday Stories: 22 Sunny Tales
A wonderful selection of 22 fantastical summer stories to ...
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A wonderful selection of short stories by one of the world's best-loved children's authors, Enid Bly...