Philip Pullman is not a Blyton fan, it seems...

[Fiona1986]

He must just think he knows better than everyone else and therefore must fix their mistakes and/or snipe about them publicly.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Perhaps he will follow it up with a re-write of the life of Mohammed?

Viv

[Moonraker]

Perhaps he will follow it up with a re-write of the life of Mohammed?

I bet he wouldn't dare!

[Anita Bensoussane]

It seems that Philip Pullman deliberately courts controversy. With his name currently in the news, perhaps he hopes people will buy his books as Christmas presents. He'd probably enjoy the irony of that!

Maybe he could re-write parts of the Enid Blyton canon next. Oh no, silly me, that has already been done!

Anita

[Francis]

He suffers from 'adult's desease' - an inability to undestand
(as Enid did) that the only criticism that matters is that of the
children who read and enjoyed her books. Can you imagine any
modern author asking children what they liked and wanted more of!

[emmajo]

"The characters are two-dimensional and the stories are mechanically recovered, like mechanically recovered meat. There's no lasting quality in it whatsoever.

"There's no pleasure in reading Enid Blyton's style. There's no sense of delight or joy in the language.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7591648.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Saucer of milk for Mr. Pullman?

Often the books that get critical acclain by adults, such as Swallows and Amazons are books that adults think children should be reading but will only do so by force. Philip Pullman is very smug. Enid Blyton maybe considered low brow to some, as is JK Rowling but those are the books children choose to read.

[Wayne Pyer]

I have already made my feelings clear, on the personality of this obnoxoius man, on another thread.
The preacher who preaches his own name has a congregation of one.

[chloe1]

Often the books that get critical acclain by adults, such as Swallows and Amazons are books that adults think children should be reading but will only do so by force. Philip Pullman is very smug. Enid Blyton maybe considered low brow to some, as is JK Rowling but those are the books children choose to read.

This is very true. So many of the classic childrens books I struggled with as a child but adored as an adult. I also detest JK Rowling but I know if I had read her a child I would have been a huge Harry Potter fan.

I do love Pullmans work but I think he aims at much older children and adults. He doesnt seem the most pleasant of people.

[RDMorrell]

Often the books that get critical acclain by adults, such as Swallows and Amazons are books that adults think children should be reading but will only do so by force. Philip Pullman is very smug. Enid Blyton maybe considered low brow to some, as is JK Rowling but those are the books children choose to read.

Actually, I read the Swallows and Amazons series as a child (well, more a teenager actually) and quite enjoyed it, although I did find those books a struggle in places. Some books in that series are definitely better than others. Coot Club and The Big Six for instance, which were made into a movie, are both quite exciting and suspenseful reads, but others drag a bit.

It is a valid point though that many of the books that adults think children should read don't actually interest children all that much. Rather than criticise the likes of Blyton or Rowling, maybe Mr Pullman and others should be thinking about what makes them so successful and try to incorporate some of that into their own works, which might make them more appealing to their intended audience!

[emmajo]

Often the books that get critical acclain by adults, such as Swallows and Amazons are books that adults think children should be reading but will only do so by force. Philip Pullman is very smug. Enid Blyton maybe considered low brow to some, as is JK Rowling but those are the books children choose to read.

Actually, I read the Swallows and Amazons series as a child (well, more a teenager actually) and quite enjoyed it, although I did find those books a struggle in places. Some books in that series are definitely better than others. Coot Club and The Big Six for instance, which were made into a movie, are both quite exciting and suspenseful reads, but others drag a bit.

It is a valid point though that many of the books that adults think children should read don't actually interest children all that much. Rather than criticise the likes of Blyton or Rowling, maybe Mr Pullman and others should be thinking about what makes them so successful and try to incorporate some of that into their own works, which might make them more appealing to their intended audience!

When I was a child the books I was supposed to like were Ballet Shoes, Swallows and Amazons, Black Beauty,
The Borrowers (hated it), books by EB Nesbit.... I chose to read Enid Blyton, C S Lewis and Lewis Carroll.

Philip Pullman has written a trilogy for older children, he has a message to convoy... Enid Blyton could write short stories for six year olds, magic adventures, the famous five and school stories, she could reach all different ages and tastes. She could take them out of a world when they were surrounded by war, death and distruction. In Malory Towers she taught girls that being kind-hearted, strong women is what mattered and they could leave school and have a career. She taught them that looks and pretty dresses didn't matter in a world were people had rationed clothes and where bombed out of their homes. She did write things with value.

[Anita Bensoussane]

When I was a child the books I was supposed to like were Ballet Shoes, Swallows and Amazons, Black Beauty, The Borrowers (hated it), books by EB Nesbit.... I chose to read Enid Blyton, C S Lewis and Lewis Carroll.

I must admit I loved all of those - except Swallows and Amazons for the simple reason that I didn't try any Arthur Ransome books as a child. There weren't any Ransome books in my local library and, although I saw the Puffin paperback editions of the "Swallows and Amazons" series in bookshops, they were slightly thicker than most other children's paperbacks and therefore slightly more expensive. As I didn't receive a lot of pocket money, that caused me to avoid them and go for cheaper authors!

To be honest, the only author my parents ever commented on negatively was Enid Blyton - and that was because they felt that I ought to be growing out of her books at the age of about ten, when in fact I kept reading them until I was about thirteen (and, of course, came back to them in later life!) Otherwise, I was given a completely free choice when it came to books and my parents neither guided me towards particular authors nor steered me away from them.

Philip Pullman has written a trilogy for older children...

I feel the same about Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series. It appears to be aimed at teenagers/young adults, rather than children. If those books had been around when I was a child, I doubt I'd have persevered with them if I'd picked them up before the age of about thirteen.

[Katharine]

I've never read anything by Philip Pullman, so don't know what his books are like, but presumably they aren't anything like Enid Blyton's.

I think it's a shame that he has to comment negatively on another author's books. I can't help thinking the world would be a very boring place if all books were written in the same way. I quite like the Swallows & Amazons books, which are different to Enid Blyton books, but that doesn't make either style 'good' or 'bad'. I'm not a particular fan of horse books, but I wouldn't suggest that they are inferior in any way.

In the same way, I wouldn't expect a 12 year old to enjoy Noddy as much as some of the Adventure series, nor would I read The Mountain of Adventure to a young child when The Faraway Tree would probably be more enjoyable.

I wonder if Philip Pullman books will still be in print in another 50 years ago?

[chloe1]

I very much hope Pullmans books are around in years to come because they are brilliant. The dark matierals trilogy is really exceptional and I strongly recommend them - please dont let the conceit of the author put you off.

[Daisy]

Sorry Chloe, I thought I ought to read them but I just couldn't get into the first one at all, so abandoned it after a few chapters.

[chloe1]

Hehe I feel the same about Lord of the rings - thought it was really boring and could never finish it.

I do think if you stick with it you will be glad you did