Enid Blyton: Biography of the Author Behind Noddy, The Famous Five, and The Secret Seven

ABOUT THE BOOK

Enid Blyton (1897–1968) stands as one of the most popular childrens book writers of the 20th century. Her legacy continues through a devoted fan base of those who grew up with her stories of inquisitive children getting into misadventures in the English countryside. Blyton also appealed to younger readers with her Noddy series, about a little boy made out of wood who lives in Toytown; the series produced a total of 24 books and a string of popular TV series.

The appeal of Blytons books for older readers, from ages eight to 12, was primarily the lack of parental supervision or interference; in the Famous Five books, the indulgent aunt and uncle generally let the kids go off, unaccompanied in caravans or on camping trips across the moors at the ripe old ages of 14 though 16.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Paula Whiteside is currently a freelance writer for several web content providers, as well as the copy editor for Wine Business Monthly, an international industry magazine located in the Sonoma Valley Wine Country.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Although her academic career was promising, her parents marriage was not as stable. Enid later recalled nights when she would comfort her brothers at the top of the stairs as their parents loudly argued below. Her father left her mother for his secretary at the wholesale clothing business he managed when Enid was 13. To keep up appearances, the children, when asked, would tell neighbors that he was away on a visit. Enid later used this ruse as the premise for her book The Six Bad Boys, which Blyton biographer, Barbara Stoney, called an unusual attempt for Enid at social realism."

With her greatest ally gone from the home, young Enid began writing as a way to escape her mother. This most likely contributed to her prolific writing output as an adult, writing up to 10,000 words a day. The young Blyton also entertained her brothers by telling them stories, made up rhymes, wrote in her diary and read prodigiously. Her work and determination eventually paid off; and after a series of submissions and rejections, she won a childrens poetry competition at the age of 14.

At the age of 17, upon graduation from St. Christophers, Enid left home to live with her friend Mary Attenboroughs family. She continued to visit her father on occasion but was resentful of his new wife, who she considered the cause of her parents divorce, and their three children. Although she showed a gift for music, encouraged by her mother to become a pianist, Enid decided not to enter the Guildhall School of Music and instead followed her passion as a writer…

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

- Introduction

- Background and Upbringing

- Major accomplishments and awards

- Personal Life/Scandals

- Recap of recent News

- Public statements and attributed quotes

- Trivia/Facts

- Conclusion

- Sources and Further Reading