Could Enid Blyton have written an adult novel?

[Piehead]

In Enid Blyton's autobigraphy "the story of my life" she writes - "I would really like to write a novel for adults, but I can't because I know you would borrow it and read it"

I have also read somewhere (can't remember source) that she did draft, or at least propose an adult novel but was not able to get any interest from publishers?

I'm interested in this, as presumably at the height of her children's writing, one of the many publishers she worked with would have been prepared to run with this, probably under a different name? Even if they were not that keen, I think for commercial reasons they would have helped, if only to secure the next famous five book for example! This is quite common, think of J.K Rowling's adult "strike" books under a different name (Robert Galbraith)

I think there was a suggestion that "come to circus" could have been a re-draft of a proposed or draft adult novel into a children's book, due to greater development of the adult characters?

Do you think Enid Blyton would have been able to produce a "good" adult novel? What would of the focus of been, family life but from an adult perspective?

[pete9012S]

A good topic - It's great to have new threads started about Enid Blyton on these forums.

The cave includes many of Enid's adult short stories.



https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/bly ... perid=2620" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Many more listed at the bottom of this link:

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/sea ... eriodicals" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

See Also:

Enid Blyton's 'adult' short stories:

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/for ... ories#p363" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Katharine]

Thanks for the links Pete. I knew Enid had written an adult novel which was never published, but I hadn't realised she had written some shorts ones though.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Enid Blyton submitted her adult novel, The Caravan Goes On, to literary agent A. P. Watt in February 1932 but the manuscript was returned within a fortnight. Enid's biographer Barbara Stoney suggests that the novel was probably reworked as a children's book (in a shortened form, as the original was about 90,000 words). Barbara wonders if it was transposed into Mr. Galliano's Circus (1938), but there are other possibilities.

Enid Blyton had only had one full-length children's novel published by February 1932 (The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies in 1926), unless you count The Enid Blyton Book of Bunnies (1925) which could be classed as a collection of short stories revolving around the same characters, or a novella like The Wonderful Adventure (1927). She was already well-known for her educational writing, nature writing, short stories, letters, etc. but she wasn't yet "at the height of her children's writing".

In May 1956 Enid Blyton completed a full-length adult play (she considered several titles but settled on The Summer Storm) and sent it to a number of theatrical managers under the nom-de-plume Justin Geste, but that too was rejected.

[Daisy]

In May 1956 Enid Blyton completed a full-length adult play (she considered several titles but settled on The Summer Storm) and sent it to a number of theatrical managers under the nom-de-plume Justin Geste, but that too was rejected.

Perhaps the non-de-plume "Just in jest" was taken seriously?

[Piehead]

Enid Blyton submitted her adult novel, The Caravan Goes On, to literary agent A. P. Watt in February 1932 but the manuscript was returned within a fortnight. Enid's biographer Barbara Stoney suggests that the novel was probably reworked as a children's book (in a shortened form, as the original was about 90,000 words). Barbara wonders if it was transposed into Mr. Galliano's Circus (1938), but there are other possibilities.

Enid Blyton had only had one full-length children's novel published by February 1932 (The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies in 1926), unless you count The Enid Blyton Book of Bunnies (1925) which could be classed as a collection of short stories revolving around the same characters, or a novella like The Wonderful Adventure (1927). She was already well-known for her educational writing, nature writing, short stories, letters, etc. but she wasn't yet "at the height of her children's writing".

In May 1956 Enid Blyton completed a full-length adult play (she considered several titles but settled on The Summer Storm) and sent it to a number of theatrical managers under the nom-de-plume Justin Geste, but that too was rejected.

Thanks, interesting. I wonder why she didn't try again later, I would think that by the late 40s say, a publisher would have been able to help with a adult novel, but of course by that point the output of children's material (and managing the publication of it) was such it may have been more challenging to produce a long adult novel draft for time reasons.

I used the Rowling comparison, as I'm sure her children's books helped with the acceptance and publication of the "strike" books (under a different name) - they are pretty good adult fiction books, but the difficulty of any new author getting published is very common.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Perhaps the non-de-plume "Just in jest" was taken seriously?

I wonder why she didn't try again later, I would think that by the late 40s say, a publisher would have been able to help with a adult novel, but of course by that point the output of children's material (and managing the publication of it) was such it may have been more challenging to produce a long adult novel draft for time reasons.

Enid Blyton may have come to accept that her ideas and writing style were more suitable for children in the main (as far as fiction was concerned), though her attempt at an adult play shows that she hadn't given up all hope of having a substantial piece of fiction for adults published.

Interestingly, Enid's unpublished full-length children's novel Mr. Tumpy's Caravan dates from the 1930s and has no child characters - only quirky adult characters and a dog called Bun-Dorg who inhabit a fantasy landscape and travel around in a caravan with legs. The mention of a caravan makes me think of The Caravan Goes On, though surely her adult novel didn't consist of some kind of surreal, philosophical journey?!

Of course, the title The Caravan Goes On was most likely inspired by the Turkish/Arabic proverb "The dogs may bark - but the caravan goes on!" In a Teachers World letter printed in October 1932, Enid Blyton says that readers at a London school which had named a house after her asked her to give them three mottoes so they could choose one. She tells us the three mottoes she sent, one of which was "The dogs may bark - but the caravan goes on!":

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/bly ... perid=1025" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The "caravan" in the proverb would have been a line of traders or pilgrims travelling with camels and other livestock. It's possible that Enid's book title was metaphorical and referred to people carrying on with things despite obstacles or criticism, rather than referring to an actual caravan. After all, she writes in her Teachers World letter of the "caravan goes on" proverb:

An Eastern caravan is a long procession of camels carrying people and goods, and whenever the caravan comes near a town or village the fierce pariah dogs that live outside the walls rush at the camels and bark fiercely - but the caravan goes on! It is not to be stopped by little trials such as the barking of dogs. We are rather like caravans too, aren't we, going on our way day by day, and we won't be stopped by trials or hindrances either. We mean to go steadily on, always trying to do our best.

Which motto do you think the Enid Blyton house chose? It chose the one about the caravan, and I was glad, because it is the one I like the best. I do hope my house does well, don't you?