I must apologise for the long silence here on the blog – we have been a little busy over the last few weeks, not least with getting our new Anthony Browne exhibition up and running, and there was not much to report on the Enid Blyton front.
However, she was back at centre stage last week for our Joy of Enid Blyton event, with Anne Fine and David Rudd. The event was a resounding success, with both Anne and David giving some fascinating insights into why they think Blyton has been such an enduring favourite amongst child (and adult!) readers. There was also some interesting discussion prompted by questions from the audience. This included some friendly debate about the revision of Blyton’s works for a modern audience, and some discussion about the use of Blyton in the classroom. And, of course, what would an Enid Blyton event be without lashings of ginger beer, which was enjoyed by all!
The evening was recorded, and we are intending to make this recording available online for those who were unable to attend the event in person. We will let you know as soon as this recording is available.
It is likely that posts to this blog will become less frequent in the coming months, but we will continue to keep you informed of any interesting developments as and when they happen. Our Behind the Scenes tours, which allow members of the public hands-on access to the Enid Blyton Collection, will continue over the summer months – visit the events pages on our website to find out more. The collection catalogue, which includes images of material from the archive, is available to search online, and we welcome any enquiries from members of the public who would be interested in exploring the collection themselves. And, of course, there’s always the Enid Blyton exhibition, planned for launch in October 2012, to look forward to!
