Enid Blyton

Introduction

Enid Mary Blyton was born on 11th August 1897 in East Dulwich, South London. Thomas Carey Blyton and Theresa Mary were her parents and she had two siblings- Hanly and Carey both of them were younger than Blyton. Enid was very close to her father. He had a keen interest in gardening, music, theatre, literature, art, etc, which he passed on to Enid. Her mom was not in favour of Blyton doing all these outdoor activities and wanted her help with the household work. This attitude of hers brought differences between mother and daughter.

Education

Enid Blyton began her schooling in a small school called Tresco and then from 1907- 1915, she went to St. Christopher’s School for Girls in Beckenham. She was good at physical activities and was the school tennis champion. She enjoyed reading, and writing and was good at English. In her school, she organized events, participated in sports(lacrosse team captain), and won awards in competitions. She had very good conduct in school and was also appointed as head girl in her last two years. She got training in teaching and eventually became a good teacher who bonded very well with children.

Early Writing Career

Enid had two friends Mary Attenborough and Mirabel Davis. They spawned a magazine called Dab, and Blyton wrote short stories for that magazine. In 1920 she went to Chessington and won the Saturday Westminster Review writing competition and then various publications such as The Londoner, Home Weekly, etc showed interest in her short stories and poems. Her first book Child Whispers was a collection of poems and was published in 1922. During this time she also contributed various articles and educational texts to the Teachers World magazine.

Commercial Success

From 1923-1927 she published various books-poems and plays, such as Real fairies, Book of Brownies, A book of little plays, etc. In 1924, she married Hugh Pollock who was an editor at George Newnes, and they had appointed Blyton to write a children’s book about London Zoo. From here began her journey as a successful author. During the 1940s she was at her peak and published many famous books which are cherished by children all around the world.

Famous Books of Enid Blyton are -

• The Enid Blyton Books of Bunnies-first fiction book (1925).

• Tales of Ancient Greece, Tales of Robin Hood, etc (1930).

• The Talking Teapot and Other Tales (1934).

• Adventures of Wishing Chair (1937).

• The Enchanted Wood (1939).

• Three Boys and a Circus and Children of Kidlin (1940).

• The first novel of the Famous five series, Five on Treasure Island (1942).

There were many more novels written during the 1940s period. But the most wellknown novel of Enid Blyton- Noddy Goes to Toyland was released on 5th June 1949 in Sunday Graphic.

Writing Style and Technique

Enid Blyton majorly worked on fictional genres. She wrote about fairies, nature, animals, detective, mystery, circus stories, etc. In her books there was no clear differentiation of the genres, she included different genres in her books and stories. She liked various genres, but her favourite was family related, wherein family was the most important. She used her portable typewriter to type her stories. Her stories were very simple and easy to understand, also the words and phrases used were highly accessible and fun to read. Her novels were adventurous, but they always delivered a moral message.

Charitable Work

Enid Blyton was a great lady and always felt a need to return something to society, and thus encouraged her readers and other people to donate to a worthy cause. One of her clubs was the Busy Bees club which was actively supported by Blyton, this club collected money for sick animals. The Enid Blyton Magazine Club raised money for children with cerebral palsy in Chelsea, London. The Famous Five clubs raised money for the Shaftesbury Society Babies’ Home. The money collected from the Famous Five clubs was used to make pools, summer houses, playgrounds, sun rooms, etc. for children.

Death and Legacy

During the late 1950s, Enid Blyton fell ill and suffered from dementia, and later she was detected with Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, on 28th November 1986 at the age of 71 Enid Blyton passed away at Greenways Nursing Home, Hampstead, North London. Even though she is no longer with us, she has left a small part of her with us in the form of books, plays, articles, series, etc. These books have not only entertained children but also thought and inspired children throughout the world. This is her legacy which will be cherished and valued always.

Conclusion

Enid Blyton was a wonderful human being. She wrote incredible English books for children. Her books were famous and reached many places throughout the world. Blyton in real life loved her family. Just like her dad, she enjoyed reading, writing, gardening, music, etc. She was a smart and bright student in her school. Her most famous books were Famous Five, Secret Seven, Noddy series, etc. She earned lots of love and respect throughout her lifetime.

FAQs

Q1. What was Enid Blyton's initial job?

Ans. Enid Blyton initially was a teacher and governess. She joined this profession because she wanted to remain in proximity to children to understand them. This is because she knew she wanted to write for children

Q2. Which was the best-selling book of Enid Blyton?

Ans. Famous Five is Enid Blyton best selling book. Even today this book sells around 2 lakh copies.

Q3. What were the issues with Enid Blyton's works?

Ans. Even though Blyton's stories were very entertaining, and loved by all there were some controversies regarding them. Some readers sensed a feeling of racism, sexism, hatred, and xenophobia in her writings.