Enid Blyton books impacting on adults.

[MJE]

     Outside of the membership of this forum, one normally associates Enid Blyton's books with children, and we tend to think the books only really matter to children, and don't feature much in the adult world beyond nostalgic memories of childhood books.
     But occasionally, it may be otherwise, as the following story, which I heard a few days ago on A.B.C. radio, shows....

     I heard a discussion on Phillip Adams's current affairs radio programme, "Late Night Live", on A.B.C. Radio National. Phillip Adams was talking with Sean Turnell, an academic and economist who had an interest in Myanmar (Burma) and ended up in Myanmar becoming an economic adviser to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The military junta did not like this and threw him into prison for nearly 2 years. Conditions were as bad as you might imagine in such a country, and Sean struggled to remain fit, both physically and mentally.
     His family, back in Australia, remembering his childhood reading tastes, sent him a parcel of Famous Five books (in addition to other books), which he read with great enjoyment, and he said the Famous Five saved his sanity. He said he read them, not with guilty pleasure, but just absolute pleasure.
     That is quite a tribute to Enid Blyton, which I think she would like to have heard.
     The conversation can be heard here:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ ... /103099972

     For anyone who doesn't have the time (or inclination) to listen to the entire 38 minutes, the mention of books, and then the Famous Five, starts around 19:45 in the file.
     (You can't save this, by the way - only listen to it direct from the web site, using the link I gave. You can play it, though, and use a computer or phone to save the *sound* of it, which should work well enough late at night or if you are in a very quiet location.)

     So, following on from this, I wonder if anyone else has any true stories of where Enid Blyton's books impacted on adults in a significant way.

Regards, Michael.

[Anita Bensoussane]

That's very interesting, Michael. Being able to lose oneself in books, especially childhood favourites, would no doubt be invaluable when suffering such a terrifying ordeal.

Years ago, I read a newspaper article about actress and model Liz Hurley. It said that she loved Enid Blyton as a child and enjoyed re-reading Blyton books as an adult. Apparently, she found them a great comfort during stressful times.

[Daisy]

Thanks for sharing that story Michael. I have said before, I think, that reading our childhood books again in more stressful times can be very helpful for our own peace of mind. I find picking up a Faraway Tree book and losing myself once again in its pages is a wonderful escape from the strains and stresses of today. I recently read the whole Find-Outer series and really enjoyed them all, especially the humour and good-natured banter which to my mind is a hall mark of Enid's books.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I totally agree, Daisy. Delving into Enid's books I enjoyed as a child, takes one back to less stressful times, and it does help to lose oneself within the pages of these excellent books, from all the stresses that surround us today.

I'm starting to read the Find-Outers again in order, as I never tire of this series, and I do love the nostalgia of those innocent days.

[Bertie]

Interesting initial post. And I fully agree with the follow up ones. I'm growing increasingly reliant on Enid, and light hearted books by the likes of Wodehouse, Wilde, Twain, etc, to create an escape from modern times into their wonderful worlds (and words!)

I use to enjoy reading Steinbeck, and plenty of Victoria era novels. And I still do, occasionally - though I find their generally downbeat tone much harder work nowadays and really love escaping into the light hearted worlds of Enid and PG (Wodehouse, not Tips ).

[Boatbuilder]

........really love escaping into the light hearted worlds of Enid and PG (Wodehouse, not Tips ).

Why not? A nice cup of tea at the same time should go down a treat.

[Bertie]

Yeah, I should make that: Enid and PG (both Wodehouse and Tips).

[MJE]

........really love escaping into the light hearted worlds of Enid and PG (Wodehouse, not Tips :) ).

Why not? A nice cup of tea at the same time should go down a treat. :D

     Well, not tea for me. It would be iced coffee or iced mocha for me, because (perhaps oddly) I do not drink hot drinks at all. Not even in the depths of winter.

Regards, Michael.

[Moonraker]

Thanks for sharing the link, Michael; really interesting.

[MJE]

     I found a Facebook page belonging to Sean Turnell, the man in the above story who got into trouble in Myanmar, and I posted on it, seeing that others had also done likewise, and thus concluding that Sean seemed quite amenable to talking about his ordeal on Facebook.
     I asked him how many Famous Five books he had received, and he said three: Treasure Island, Smuggler's Top, and Caravan. For some reason I had been imagining he had received a whole stack, like maybe most of the series, although I had no basis whatever to assume that, as the number of books was not mentioned in the radio programme.
     I'm not sure it would be right to give a link to that Facebook page here. In any case, it's very easy to find if you want to try. I added the comment that his sister had chosen well, as those three were considered good, solid, classic Famous Fives, in contrast to some of the late books, which are considered to have weaknesses by some. His sister also sent him a Malory Towers book, as well as The Lord of the Rings and Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 - which the prison authorities let through, perhaps unexpectedly. Sean did comment that the prison authorities were not as good as they thought they were at judging the character of a book, and so let through things they may not have, had they known the real nature of the book.

Regards, Michael.

[GloomyGraham]

I have had physical health problems over the past few years. And they have affected my mental health.

Re-reading Blyton books has been a comfort at dark times. I'm not sure whether it's the escapism or fantasy or just (in my mind) travelling back to a time when - as a young child - I had no such worries.

[John Pickup]

We all need a safety valve, a means of escape when difficult and stressful times creep upon us. Reading Enid Blyton makes me feel young again and it doesn't matter how bad things are, The Valley of Adventure whisks me away to a much better place.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I can quite understand EB saving someone's sanity whilst languishing in prison, but I'm not sure I'd include 1984 in a parcel for a prisoner.

I'm reading it now, haven't read it for 40 years, and now half way through.

This passage reminded me of the 'Classic Editions' of Famous Five, and the tv version of Malory Towers

And a few cubicles away a mild, ineffectual, dreamy creature named Ampleforth, with very hairy ears and a surprising talent for juggling with rhymes and metres, was engaged in producing garbled versions - definitive texts, they were called - of poems that had become ideologically offensive, but which for one reason or another were to be retained in the anthologies.

[Aussie Sue]

Michael, thank you for sharing this. An incredible interview and topic. I can really understand how reading Enid Blyton, in that situation could help lighten the load on your mind.

And this website and forum is proves just how many adults find enjoyment and comfort re-reading Enid Blyton.

cheers
Sue

[IceMaiden]

Nowadays I would think there are more adults than ever climbing back into the wonderful carefree world of Enid Blyton as a way of escaping the non stop doom and gloom of the news and downright depressing stuff on the main channels. I firmly believe her stories keep you young at heart and therefore mentally sound. Reading an Enid Blyton book before bedtime should be prescribed on the NHS to promote general wellbeing .