Enid Blyton is probably the most succesful children's author of the twentieth century, and with over 700 books published and 10,000 short stories, one of the most prolific.

She was born on the 11th of August, 1897 in East Dulwich London England , the eldest of three children. She spent most of her childhood in Beckenham, Kent, a childhood which has been described as 'less than happy'. At the age of fourteen she had her first story published, which no doubt encouraged her to pursue a writing career, as she continued to submit articles, stories and poems to many magazines. Upon leaving school she trained to be a teacher, a profession she kept in for 5 years. She continued to write, both for children and adults; publishing her first childrens book 'Child Whispers' in 1922 and also contributing to 'Teachers World'.

In 1924 she married a Major; Hugh Pollock and gave birth to two daughters Gillian and Imogen in 1931 and 1935. In 1938 the family moved to a house 'Green Hedges' in Beaconsfield, where most of her famous series of books were written. Her relationship with her husband worsened however, and in 1942 they agreed to a divorce. The very next year she remarried, to Dr Kenneth Darrell Waters. Their time together in Green Hedges over the next twenty seven years, must have been very happy, as Enid was able to produce work at a prodigous rate.

Many of her books attracted a great deal of literary criticism, and some librarians would not stock her books for fear of children not reading the 'great works of literature'! Despite this, she sold millions of books, throughout the entire world, and enriched the lives of countless children, do doubt inspiring them to read the great works of literature anyway! From a modern view point, many of her books show politically incorrect views, and I'm sure some of her books have been banned because of this, which I admit might be for the best.

On 28th November 1968, Enid Blyton died of a coronary thrombosis, age seventy-one.

Here's some of her most famous series of books.

Toyland

Noddy and friends
Amelia Jane
Brer Rabbit

Lands of Far Beyond

Binkle and Flip
Green Goblins
Enchanted Lands
Josie, Click and Bun
Mr Meddle
Mr Twiddle
Mr Pink-Whistle
The Magic Faraway Tree
The Wishing Chair

Mystery and Adventure

Adventure Series
The Adventurous Four
The Barney Mystery Series
The Family Series
The Famous Five Series
Malory Towers Series
Mystery Series
Riddle Series
Secret Series
Secret Seven Series
St Clare's Naughtiest Girl Series

For more information on her life and works, see :-
Enid Blyton: The Biography by Barbara Stoney,
A Childhood at Green Hedges by Imogen Smallwood,
Enid Blyton by George Greenfield,
The Story of My Life, by Enid Blyton.

If you want anything added to this wu, give me a /msg....

Enid Blyton's works also contain vast amounts of massive innuendo which I am absolutely convinced were deliberate. Forget the existence of characters named Fanny and Dick and how George from the Famous Five was full of spunk. Here's some actual Enid Blyton tales synopsised by me to exhibit this.

Mr Chunky's Chopper. This was written in around 1959 or so, it appears, and involves Mr Chunky, the protagonist, finding a magic chopper. Thinking how great it would be to have such an impressive tool, he proceeds to get his hands on it and discovers that to activate it, one has to use the command word. He does so, and lo and behold, his chopper arises into the air and proceeds to do its thing. Unfortunately once he's got his chopper going, he can't make it stop until the chopper's rightful owner tells him how to put it down again. But by then it's too late, his chopper's made a mess all over the house. The moral of the story is that you shouldn't interfere with other peoples' equipment.

The Chocolate Cock. The opening line is, "Once there was a piece of chocolate shaped like a cock" and it just goes downhill from there. He stands proud in the sweet shop window and runs away when a small boy with dirty hands threatens to put the Chocolate Cock in his mouth and pay a shilling for the privilege. The Cock runs away indignant at the idea of being sucked on and bitten and goes to a farm where he stands on a wall and proclaims his supremacy over all the animals and birds therein. However the heat is too much for the Chocolate Cock and he wilts ignominiously. A dog then licks up what he leaves behind.

St Clare's Naughtiest Girl. Please tell me that's not a series of iffy stick vids involving gratuitous spanking and dormitory lesbionics. I'm sure that Rule 34 applies and it is now, anyhow.

Mr Pink Whistle Interferes. The titular Mr Pink Whistle is half man, half brownie, or, in the stories' own words, "a funny little man" who has the ability to turn himself invisible and uses this ability to extract ironic vigilante justice on ill-behaved children. In this instalment, he's at a funfair where he sees a girl buying balloons. However a nasty safety-pin wielding boy called Wilfred sees this. Wilfred gets his prick out and pokes the girl's balloons with it and makes her cry. Mr Pink Whistle then follows Wilfred home and sneaks into his room late at night and sees Wilfred playing with his marbles. He then avenges the poor girl by magically turning his marbles into balloons and then bursting them. The moral of the story is that if you use your prick indiscriminately around girls, a weird man in a bow tie will interfere with you, and you'll end up losing your marbles.

Actually, anything involving Mr Pink Whistle. The man has Operation Yewtree written all over him.

Mr Pink Whistle Has Some Fun. No, you are not going to have fun with my pink whistle.

I think that's that, although no doubt mention should be made about the stony nature of some of her other works. The Magic Faraway Tree, anyone. A bunch of kids go up a tree which has a portal to an alternate dimension and have weirded out adventures therein. Either that, or it's a Changeling: The Lost fan fiction fifty years before the World of Darkness was ever thought of.

(#7)

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