h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have just read your excellent article on Enid Blyton, and felt I must comment. I first learned to read by myself thanks to Enid Blyton and can remember the sheer joy of reading a sentence on my own! It was in a Mr Meddle book and was something along the lines of "Mr Meddle ran away with the cheese. " I think he was carrying a bag of dripping smelly cheese; well having lived in France for the last twelve years I can well identify with that! I moved on, aged around four, to the Faraway Tree books. My heart missed a beat when recently on ebay I saw a copy of my original 1970's book! It was like stumbling across a long lost and much loved relative. The pleasure Enid Blyton's books brought cannot be over estimated. I moved on to the Fives, the School and Mystery series - practically everything she wrote, as did my brother.
Stuff the critics! - is what I say. I began with Enid and have come back to her many times over the years - in times of occasional depression, a quick read of a Fatty book and sometimes everything feels better. And before you critics scorn that I must be a sad and undereducated headcase, well, I went on to study English Literature to Master's level and am now a teacher in France. I also write. Not for children, but poetry, novels. Would I have loved books so much without Enid? I doubt it. But more importantly, in my case anyway, I had a very sad and difficult childhood, due to a mother with severe mental problems. My brother and I were literally confined to the house for weeks on end, due to her fear of the outside world. During those times, we travelled down country lanes, with the Five, or solved mysteries in Fatty's garden shed. In fact, it was our only escape from the indoor world we knew. I think if it hadn't have been for Enid I probably would have gone mad myself. (I longed to be sent to boarding school - it never happened, no such luck!) and I think I speak on behalf of my brother too, (who is now sadly deceased) when I say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Enid Blyton. You made our world magic.
Karen.

OH!!!

I don't beleive this; yes i do!

Much of what you said applies to me too, mother severely mentally disturbed, i lived in Enid Blyton land, it was possibly ALL that kept me sane(ish!) i always dreamed of having a mum like Aunt Fanny (but maybe not a dad like Uncle Quentin, Bill Smugs was though!)

AND you live in France...so do i! Angoulême to be precise.Where are you? I was a teacher for ..;far too many years; also write, but mainly now consider myself an aspiring (got my first expo on jeudi, so am rather obsessed right now, see this link for more details:

http://punk2junk.tux.nu/

--There is a link to my email on the site, it would be wonderful to talk to a fellow Enid fan in France!

(Having said that, right now Wanadoo is playing silly buggers, i can recieve emails tonight but not reply, tant pis & all that, it may be better later!)

Please feel free to lurk my space & do say "bonjour" on my journal space "Bird's Eye", which is where all my mates drop in. Many of us also had stuff in the past, but there are many as well as sometimes .

Lovely to meet you!

*toddles off to lurk Personal space & find out more*

Terri

ps: Z, who wrote this, is a good mate, we have met in RL, he has visited me here in Angoulême, we first met up on hootoo 'cos of the Enid Blyton connection!

Glad you liked the article, and glad you liked Terri and do come and say ello to us on the Eye's thread.

Welcome to h2g2.

*waves at Z*

Do pop in for a ginger beer sometime!

zdt