![]() ![]() Noronha is aware that Blyton's success didn't come without its fair share of speedbumps. So far, she's sold more than 500 books, a mix of paperbacks and rare first editions. ![]() Finding a new edition and sharing it with like-minded collectors is an adventure and a joy," she says. "I've hunted down Blyton books piled up with second-hand dealers in dusty, narrow lanes, chanced upon reading nooks in neighbourhood restaurants and cafes and in old run-down local libraries. Today, she's made a career out of trading in Blyton and chasing down rare editions for collectors. It was a life-changing move, she says, and it helped her connect to Blyton lovers not just across India, but Asia as well. In June 2021, Noronha created a WhatsApp group to sell off the many books she's collected from childhood. Roxanne Noronha from Mumbai, who grew up loving Blyton's books as a child, has tapped into that appeal. "Apart from the clean, wholesome, value-educating appeal… her enduring popularity here is threefold: first there's nostalgia as most parents start their kids off on Blyton reliving their own childhoods, then there's the storytelling itself, from mystery and adventure to food feasts, and thirdly she's of course still seen as one of the best English tutors in the world, and in India that's key to getting ahead." "She was by far one of the most prolific writers in the world," says Abraham. Younger readers are drawn to her series, from Amelia Jane to the Faraway Tree. Because even today, her top series Famous Five sells over 250,000 copies, with the Secret Seven topping 100,000 copies year on year." Though these two are the author's strongest sellers, Abraham says that Blyton has several other hits such as her school series (Malory Towers, St Clare's, Naughtiest Girl), mystery-adventures (The Five Find-Outers, the adventure series, the secret series, the Barney R mystery series, The Adventurous Four) to the family and farm adventures (Willow, Cherry Tree, Mistletoe). But if you were to consider her sales across all her books from over 70 years, I'm pretty certain she would probably be the largest-selling author, period. "She's still the third largest-selling children's author in India in any present year after recent sensations JK Rowling, and Jeff Kinney. The UK division of Hachette owns worldwide rights to distribute Blyton's books. "Blyton is one of the few author brands whose work remains unshakable," says Thomas Abraham, the managing director of Hachette, India. An entire generation of Indians grew up on a steady diet of Blyton in the 80s and 90s, especially at a time when there were few other children's books available and libraries tended to stock more British authors than any other nationality.Įven today, there's a thriving demand and brisk trade in Enid Blyton across India. In India, especially, her popularity soared. Long before the era of Harry Potter, Enid Blyton was a phenomenon – a worldwide best-selling author since the 1930s, with more than 600 million copies in circulation and over 800 titles translated into 90 languages. "That's the power and magic that Blyton wields in India," Purandare says. It didn't surprise her that her mother-in-law, a native Marathi speaker, who rarely read other English language books, still enjoyed Blyton. She's been hooked on Blyton since the age of six, when she received her first two paperbacks – possibly pirated versions of a Famous Five and The Folk of the Faraway Tree – as a gift from her uncle. This article was first published on 11 August 2022.įor Purandare, who owns a vast collection of 300 books authored by Blyton and describes herself as a "superfan", it was a special moment. They were immersed in a world of mystery books written by the British author Enid Blyton. Her 74-year-old mother-in-law and her eight-year-old daughter were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on a sofa, reading in companionable silence. On a rainy, windswept morning in August 2021, in the Western Indian city of Pune, Alisha Purandare (35), a former German language tutor and parenting blogger, witnessed a rather heart-melting sight.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |