Call me a journalist! I can't believe that I have only just found out that Enid Blyton's wonderful Famous Five series has been relaunched by publishers Hodder with their language updated (and no doubt, any remaining political incorrectness excised).
This decision was taken a full year ago and hit the papers and I'm beginning to wonder which part of the moon I must have been holidaying on to have completely missed this. I loved the Famous Fives as a child, and frankly still do as an adult. They were in part the inspiration for my book, Smugglers At Whistling Sands which, you might feel, has a somewhat Blytonesque touch to it.
And yes, for sure, my dialogue is up to date and the kids calls their parents mum and dad not mother and father but then I wrote it in the 21st century. Why is it necessary to go back to books penned in the 1940s and 1950s and make such changes? Should we do the same to Dickens so that he can reach a more modern audience who perhaps struggle with the concept of a world before the motorcar was invented?
What Hodder's decision does show, however, loud and clear, is that there is still a market for the kind of wholesome, "normal" if I may use that word, children's adventure story. Personally I feel that many children's authors of today feel that such tales are hopelessly dated and old fashioned and that today's youngsters won't be interested unless some fire-breathing dragon hoves into view each chapter.
I have tried in my book to give children back the kind of adventure story that Blyton wrote for them - albeit I feel with an attempt at rather more realism than she strived for. Whether I have been successful or not is for others to judge, but that has been my aim.
Has anyone seen these new re-written Famous Five books? I would be interested in your opinion. I shall share my views when I have got hold of a couple of copies.
No comments:
Post a Comment