Britain’s Top Ten
So who tops the list of Britain’s best-loved authors? Not Shakespeare (fifth); not Jane Austen (fourth) and certainly not Dickens (who could only make sixth place).
J.K. Rowling maybe? Closer at third, so a bronze medal for her. The silver goes to Roald Dahl.
Which leaves … an author who, like Rowling, has hooked countless young people onto books and reading. The most-loved author in the nation, according to a survey commissioned by the Costa Book Award people, is Enid Blyton.
Yes, Enid is cool again, it seems, despite at least one generation in Britain missing out on lashings of the awfully good stories because local authorities in the 1980s withdrew them from library collections and school reading lists. The perceived racism and sexism have been ‘tidied up’ for a new generation and Enid has again become Top of the Pops.
More reading on Enid Blyton:
Hurrah! The sun never sets on Enid Blyton (Independent on Sunday, July 18 2004)
Gosh! Mystery of how Blyton got her revenge (Observer, September 23 2007)
Famous Five have awfully PC adventure (Times Online, June 25 2006)
The Top Ten:
1. Enid Blyton
2. Roald Dahl
3. J K Rowling
4. Jane Austen
5. William Shakespeare
6. Charles Dickens
7. J R R Tolkien
8. Agatha Christie
9. Stephen King
10. Beatrix Potter
Note how many writers for young people appear in this survey that encompasses all authors. It’s nice that the results have come out as we celebrate Children’s Book Week in Australia.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
At our recent morning tea for staff in the Resource Centre to celebrate Book Week, I held a children’s literature quiz. A few voices called out answers to the questions until I asked for the names of the 5 members of the Famous Five and I was overwhelmed by voices calling out. I didn’t have enough chocolate frogs to award to all the winners (and they all knew the name of the dog-Timmy!)
Enid has obviously left a lasting impression on so many people.