Last Interview; New photos

[Perce]

That first part was Stoney-esque.

And the second part was Isabirye-esque!

[Fiona1986]

I haven't had a chance to read the article in full yet I've only been able to skim it. However, I just wanted to say even though Duncan's theories may be totally disagreed on by some readers, they are always clearly presented as theories.

[Green Hedges]

Thank you GerryS, welcome to the Forums.

Sorry to confuse you about the second interview. The person talking to Enid is partly me (10-year-old boy whose mother introduced him to the Famous Five), partly Fatty (13-year-old Find-Outer) and partly me again (54-year-old writer whose mother has dementia). That kind of thing is difficult to pull off and its understandable when readers get wrong-footed and even cross.

I just wish that the second interview had been conducted by the Snoogle. That is, as you may know, the creature in Adventures of the Wishing Chair that has the body of a dragon, the tail of a cat and the head of a yellow duck. Oh, but that then references the duck that Fatty pretends to Bets he can hear quacking in his bedroom in The Mystery of the Strange Bundle. So, again, sorry!

[Tony Summerfield]

Like Daisy I saw this article when it was first posted and I have been pondering on my response for the last 48 hours. As Duncan says in his first post I was a vital key as without me giving him contact details this article wouldn't have even got off the ground. We work in different ways as had the position been reversed I would have kept the other party fully briefed as a matter of simple courtesy, but I knew nothing about this at all until it was posted online. I am annoyed that I was not asked for my permission to mention a phone call between myself and Imogen as I would have preferred this not to be put on the internet.

The Swedish article is interesting, but I think it would have been better to have had it properly translated by someone who was fluent in both Swedish and English, the botched DIY job using Google is not very satisfactory. It was good to see some of the new photos, but presented as they were in Part 2 was in my opinion not the correct way to do it. I felt Part 2 was not necessary at all and many would regard it as being in poor taste.

I am sorry Duncan, but I think you have messed up what should have been an interesting discovery. I actually thought that Rolf was going to send me this article three years ago, but when I heard nothing more from him I didn't push it. It would have been good to put it in the Journal where it would have received a much wider readership.

[Green Hedges]

A few things, Tony.

As you say I have acknowledged that you played a vital role in providing the contact details for Rolf.

That was about ten days ago. Since then I have kept Rolf fully briefed as to what I was hoping to do, with his permission, with his photographs and his mother's interview.

The call you had with Imogen you reported in the 'Photos of Enid' thread of this website. Therefore it is already on the internet.

I think you are quite right that the interview should be looked at by someone who knows both Swedish and English. Rolf is bilingual, and he did make a correction to the translation that Google (and I) had come up with, but I will add as a separate post the Word document that I made, in case there are any Swedish speakers in the Society. Should anyone wish to take it upon themselves to have the article translated professionally, and I hope they do, then I think that can be done more easily via this than through the original photographed article, or in conjunction with it. It was always my intention to put the unadulterated Swedish on the thread, but since posting the original llnk about 48 hours ago I have been somewhat on the back foot.

The EBS Journal is a wonderful thing, and I value my copies, but I think online publication does fuller justice to the detail in this fabulous set of photographs.

[Green Hedges]

Here is the original Swedish. I have tried to be as accurate as possible in typing it out from the scanned cutting. But in case of the odd error I may have made, any translator should of course be provided with the scanned cutting as well.


Söndagen den 21 april 1968

Aftonbladet hälsar på hos


Enid Blyton – världens mest lästa författarinna

Av MAUD ADLERCREUTZ

I femton år har jag varit nyfiken på Enid Blyton, barnens fantomförfattarinna. I tioårsåldern slukade mitt barn hennes böcker utan att ta annan skada än att han länge trodde att det viktigaste för engelsmännen är att äta kopiösa temåltider. På femtiotalet fann jag den svenska barnbokskritikens hårda angrepp på hennes massproduktion delvis rättvis, delvis något överdriven.

Böckerna är grov schablon, men de ger ändå barnen en form av underhållning som trots allt är mindre torftig än seriemagasinens. De fiesta övergår lyckligtvis snart till annan och bättre läsning.

Enid Blyton har och är ingenting av detta. Hon är en gråburrig liten dam i sjuttioårsåldern, lätt vimsig på det charmerande sätt som äldre damer brukar vara i engelska detektivromaner, men att hon skulle kunna lösa några problem betvivlar jag. Hur hon överhuvudtaget lyckats hålla i sär och inte blanda ihop sina många serier och sina små hjältar och hjältinnor i Fem-, Sju- och andra berömda gäng är den enda gåtan i sammanhanget.

Hennes brist på exakthet i tidsangivelser och namn är överväldigande, även hennes egna döttrar och deras barn trasslar ihop sig för henne. Och det enda riktigt spännande hon själv tycks ha upplevt är att hon en gång blev biten av en arg hund och räddad och hopsydd – titta det syns inte alls – av sin man, som var kirurg.

Han hette K F Darrell-Waters och är död, sen när vet hon interiktigt, det var för några år sedan. Han beundrade henne högt och hon älskade honom djupt. Av porträtten att döma var det en stilig engelsk gentleman, över den traditionella öppna spisen hänger han i olja och uniform som militärläkare under kriget

Vad spökskrivare och sekreterare beträffar så har hon aldrig haft några, försäkrar hon, och man tror henne. Hon har inte ens låtit renskriva sina böcker, det skulle ta för lång tid. Med en skrivmaskin i knät i stolen bredvid brasan har hon suttit och skrivit ner sina böcker, ibland har det tagit några timmar, ibland ett par dar.

Skräm aldrig barn!

Miljön är urengelsk. Ett gammalt hus i en stor trädgård I byn Beaconsfield några mil från London. När hon köpte “Green Hedges” vet hon inte riktigt, men det var när hon började tjäna stora pengar och flickorna var små och behövde en trädgård att leka i. Dvs när de inte var i internatskola, för deras uppfostran var traditionellt engelsk, typ höggere medelklass.

Även hennes egen gick efter samma riktlinjer och tilbringades också den i Beaconsfield. Hennes papa akte varje dag till London och arbetade och hon och hennes två bröder hade barnsköterska och levde val i stort sett som barnen i de blytonska böckerna gör än i dag. På direct fråga medger hon att tiderna förändrats, attbarn I dag inte lever på samma sätt, att deras värld fått nya inslag, men nasta fråga om hon inte borde uppmärksamma detta I sitt författeri, slår hon bort.

För henne finns bara en enda regel: att aldrig skrämma ett barn. Det återkommer hon till gång på gång. Äventyr, spänning ja, menaldrig skrack. Det värsta man kan göra ett barn är att skrämma det.

Barnen halsar på


Enid Blyton lever ensam i sitt stora hus med en hushållerska, men hon har ofta besök. Av barnen I byn, märkliga barn eftersom de när som helst kan gå och ringa på hos Enid Blyton, som är ett namn som vartenda engelskt barn känner till. Det står inte bara på bokomslagen, det förekommer på spel, i reklamen för olika barnnyttiga varor som tändkram och cornflakes, i TV-program och radiopjaser. Enid Blyton släpper in dem och de ber henne skriva om sina älsklingsdjur eller om Miss Blytons egna två katter.

Aldrig skrämma ett barn, säger Enid Blyton. När vi lämnar henne vid kolbrasan i “Green Hedges” och återvänder till London tänker vi på den undersökning som en engelsk barnboksbibliotekare gjort. Hon lät 35 barn välja ut var sin bok. 34 valde verkliga skräckskildringar. En valde Enid Blyton. Men skrev tidningen som berättade om det, det ska inte Miss Blyton vara ledsen för. En valde henne, men ingen valde de gamla klassiska engelska barnböckerna.

Jag tror att Miss Blyton hade blivit ledsen. För skräckens skull.

[Miss Pepper]

Thank you Green Hedges for your informative and well researched article.I really enjoyed it,even though the subject matter was deeply emotive & extremely touching.

[Saucepan Man]

Gosh you are clever Green Hedges, I was really excited when I read the two interviews. I have been lurking on this site for a while but when I saw this I felt I just had to register and say something.

Like you, GerryS, I have been lurking for a while. I didn't realise you could read posts without first registering.
I must say, without appearing rude, I thought the second interview was a load of twaddle. Why did all those black and white photos have to be displayed, all very similar, one after the other? Rather than being clever, I would imagine the author (is he famous?) to be cynical and a bit odd - in the nicest possible way!

I enjoy reading the more intelligent posts on this website, and the site in general is superb. I probably won't be posting much myself, as 90% of it seems trivial and childish - particularly all the games threads.

I did read many of Enid's books, as a child, and in particular was mesmorised by the Faraway Tree, hence my username. I dislike the tv programmes of the Famous Five and found the productions amateurish and ham-acted.

[Lenoir]

I have been lurking for a while. I didn't realise you could read posts without first registering.
I Rather than being clever, I would imagine the author (is he famous?) to be cynical and a bit odd - in the nicest possible way!

I don’t think cynical is the right word to describe it. He is intrigued by Blyton’s life and is trying in his inimitable way to put himself in her shoes and reconstruct a possible interview, somewhat tongue in cheek perhaps, but based on her character. But yes, it does seem a bit odd, especially if it is the first time you are coming across it. Those of us who have read the book will be familiar with this style.

[Chrissie777]

This feels like a rare and precious thing, courtesy of Maud and Rolf Adlercreutz, though Tony has been a key link in the chain. Make sure your sitting comfortably before you take a look: http://www.enidblyton.me.uk/styled-5/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Duncan

Thank you, Duncan and Tony, this is a wonderful link!

[Chrissie777]

This feels like a rare and precious thing, courtesy of Maud and Rolf Adlercreutz, though Tony has been a key link in the chain. Make sure your sitting comfortably before you take a look: http://www.enidblyton.me.uk/styled-5/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Duncan

I just read in the website that Enid has been interviewed by French TV in 1963.
Did anybody from EBS watch the interview?
Is it available on the Internet (like Youtube)?
I would absolutely love to watch it once in my life time if possible.

[Anita Bensoussane]

There's a link to the French interview in the following thread (first post on page 5):

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... iew#p89125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chrissie777]

Hello Anita,

Thank you so much for the link. I will read it now. I did not know about the TV team from France until this afternoon when I read about it in "Enid's last Interview".

[ratzse]

If anybody is interested in buying a pictures, go to http://www.adlercreutz.se/blyton/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Rolf Adlercreutz