Enid Blyton
, 1897 - 1968
Enid Mary Blyton trained as a teacher and worked as a teacher and governess before becoming a professional children's author following the publication of a collection of poems, Child Whispers, in 1922. She published extensively, with an output estimated at between 600-700 books and stories. For the first fifteen years these stories were largely versions of traditional myths and other familiar stories, while more original stories followed. Even the original stories were often heavily influenced by myth. The Enchanted Wood (1939), for example, was heavily influenced by Norse myth. Many of Blyton's stories focused on children's adventure. This included her most famous series, the Famous Five, which began appearing in the 1940s and ran to over twenty titles. The Secret Seven series also focused on mystery adventure stories with child protagonists. Blyton is also well-known for her school series, The Naughtiest Girl, Malory Towers, and St. Clare's, and for her stories for younger children centred on the character, Noddy.
There has been criticism of Blyton's work, focused largely upon their limited vocabulary and upon their use of racist and sexist stereotypes. The books remain popular, however; frequently reissued and, particularly Noddy and the Famous Five, adapted for television.
Source:
Bio at the oxforddnb.com (accessed: July 4, 2018).
Bio prepared by Sonya Nevin, University of Roehampton, sonya.nevin@roehampton.ac.uk
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