Children's writer. Born Enid Mary Blyton at 354 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich. Best known for creating the character of Little Noddy and the 'Famous Five' stories. Her works have been translated into nearly ninety languages and have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide. In the changing climate of the 1960s, she was accused of racism and sexism, and her books were removed from some libraries. In more recent editions, the golliwogs are now goblins, the beating of children has been toned down to scolding, and in 'The Faraway Tree', the characters of Dick and Fanny have been renamed as Rick and Frannie. Died at the Greenways Nursing Home, 11 Fellows Road, Hampstead.
2021: The Guardian reported some updates to English Heritage's information on Blyton: "The Royal Mint previously rejected Blyton for commemoration on a 50p coin in 2016 because, according to minutes from an advisory committee meeting, she was 'known to have been a racist, sexist, homophobe and not a very well-regarded writer'."
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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