My Science School

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is an American classic that will never grow old. Fans of all ages adore Dorothy's fantastical adventures down the yellow brick road. Let's see what makes this story relevant today.

About the author

Lyman Frank Baum was born on May 15, 1856, in Chittenango, New York, to a wealthy family. Named after one of his uncles, Lyman was the seventh of nine children. However, he never liked his first name and often when by his middle name Frank. He was a rainbow chaser, who went from one profession to another and had almost failed at everything until he started writing children's books at the age of 40.

With his flair for the theatrical, Braum tapped into his imagination to breathe life into the magical land of Oz. Upon the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the first in the 14-book series) at the turn of the 19th Century, Baum became the first best-selling children's book author in America.

Unlike other books for children, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written in a pleasingly informal tone; with characters who were defined by their actions, and showcased morality more subtextually. The New York Times review of the book said that children would be "pleased with dashes of colour and something new in the place of the old, familiar, and winged fairies of Grimm and Anderson".

THE MYSTERY OF THE SHOES

According to historian Henry Littlefield, Dorothy's silver shoes in Baum's original story symbolised the American farmers' efforts to raise silver to gold's standard to put more money into circulation and make it easier for them to borrow. However, the 1939 screen adaptation of the story changed Dorothy's shoes to ruby red to take greater advantage of its colour cinematography, which was still rare at the time.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The story follows a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy who ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a tornado. To return home, she must follow the yellow brick road towards the Emerald City and find the wonderful wizard of Oz. On her way, she comes across a straw man, a tin man, and a cowardly lion. And her new acquaintances agree to accompany her, in the hopes that the wizard can give the straw man a brain, the tin man a heart, and the lion, some courage.

What makes it classic?

A story of self-reliance Dorothy and her companions journey to the Emerald City is motivated by the need to fulfil the wishes they pin their happiness on. However, the curious thing is that throughout the story the strawman (who supposedly doesn't have a brain) comes up with good ideas the tin man who doesn't have a heart showcases a great wealth of emotions, and the cowardly lion consistently overcomes every challenge that comes along the way.

This means they already have the things they hoped for but just don't realise it until they meet the wizard. Their journey is one of self-acceptance and self-realisation that inspires us as readers to take a look within and realise our potential.

Holding a mirror to the society

 Dorothy is curious, adventurous, and confident. Her character exemplifies how Baum's perception of gender was different from the people of his time. Her figuring out how to solve a problem while the men around her are dissembling, critics suggest is nothing short of revolutionary. Dorothy sets the stage for little girls to go out of the house, explore the world, and go on adventures as boys do.

Our protagonist's desire to explore the world is in direct conflict with the social expectation to accept her life as it is back home. Dorothy's guilt and fear of not fitting into the socially accepted mould of a devoted daughter is the author's way of highlighting how women have been conditioned to think that craving independence or doing anything outside the domestic domain is selfish and unruly.

More than 100 years after its publication, 70 years after its debut on the big screen, and 13 book sequels later, Oz endures because every generation reinterprets the story and aligns it with their experiences, which has led to American literary critics calling it their national fairy tale.

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Using social and personal history, Annie Ernaux explores emotions such as shame, guilt, and grief, and blends them to create literary marvels. The French writer was recently awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature.

She is one of the greatest chronicler of our times, weaving the social and personal history seamlessly and offering a space for collective memories and histories in literature..

Intimate, reflective, and brutally honest, Annie Ernaux's literary works are like personal histories as well as a collective history of her times.

The 82-year-old French writer explores emotions such as shame, guilt, and grief unabashedly. Ernaux has been writing for the past 50 years. Through her writings, she shares the collective experiences and memories of her generation. She has been awarded the Nobel prize for Literature recently.

Moving away from its tradition of awarding the prestigious Nobel prize in literature to novelists, playwrights and poets, this time, the Swedish Academy has chosen to acknowledge a writer of non-fiction, something the Academy has done only a few times. The merit of a memoirist has been acknowledged thus.

How it started

It all started in 1974 with 'Cleaned Out’, Emmaus first book. It was a fictionalised documentation about a personal trauma she had to go through. Over the course of her writings, she has tried to draw on her life experiences, and those of others around her.

Early years

Born in 1940 in Lillebonne Normandy, Ernaux and her parents moved to Yvetot where they ran a cafe. Her painful encounter with the shame of her working-class background during that period would have a profound influence on her writing years later.

Ernaux as a teacher

Ernaux taught literature at secondary school for many years. Later, she retired from teaching and focussed on writing. The Years' published in 2008 is an outstanding work which captures her life and times over a span of six decades. The English translation of this was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize International.

Writings

In one of her interviews with the Guardian, she had said that for years she thought that through writing she could 'avenge her whole people. few people in her family received formal education. Hence she strongly believed that she could highlight the social injustices through her writing.

Her bevy of literary works revolved around intimacy, social inequality, education as a change and so on. Her very personal experiences such as grieving, passion, classed shame, illness are also touched upon.

An ethnographer

She is often considered an ethnographer or sociologist, because her writings push the boundaries of literature, with the memoirs not just reflecting the self, but documenting the social realm from a neutral perspective as well.

Ernaux has published three autobiographical novels viz. 'Cleaned Out’, ‘What they say Goes’, and ‘The Frozen Woman'. She has brought in a new narrative form in ‘life writing'.

For instance, in the auto-socio-biographical texts, she explores her life whilst documenting the social milieu. I remain in Darkness' and ‘Getting Lost’ are diary extracts and in 'Diaries of the Outside, she explores her interaction with others in public spaces such as the metro or supermarket.

In ‘Where I belong' and 'Return to Yvetot she has woven the narrative around the important places she came across in her life.

The feminist in her feels that the women's revolution and the fight for equal rights are not over yet.

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“One of the reasons I started writing Life of Pi is, I was struck how in the 2000s there could still be gods around. After all the triumphs of science and technology, how could people still believe in gods... Hence, I wrote Life of Pi, to try to understand that phenomenon called faith, where you believe despite having no proof. So Life of Pi was just defending the act of love that is the more positive manifestation of religion.” ….. Yann Martel..

Canadian author Yann Martel's Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel that explores how faith can help one cope with tragedy. Lolita Chakrabarti's stage adaptation of this Booker Prize-winning novel is said to open on Broadway next year. Let's revisit this story and see what makes it a modern classic.

About the Author

Yann Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain on June 25, 1963, to Canadian parents. Growing up, his family moved a lot and lived in various countries such as Spain, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and the U.S. Martel completed his secondary education in Canada at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, and went on to study at Trent University and Concordia. University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.

Although he has written and published many books, including The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios and Other Stories (1993) and Self (1996), he is best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi. It was directed and produced by Ang Lee for the big screen in 2012 and won four academy awards. Best Director and Best Visual Effects in 2013.

It was recently revealed that a stage version of Martel's fantasy adventure novel is under way to grace the Broadway stage next year, beginning preview performances in March 2023, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre ahead of opening night on March 30, 2023.

Life of Pi

Life of Pi is a curious mix of zoology and theology that explores the matters of the soul. The author says that the idea for the novel dawned on him while he was backpacking in India in 1997.

Life of Pi is the story of a multi-religious Indian teenager called Piscine Molitor Patel (which he shortens to Pi Patel), who was born and raised in Pondicherry, in a family that owns and operates a zoo. This novel narrates Pi's recollection of the 227 days he was shipwrecked with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker in the Pacific Ocean.

What makes it a modern classic?

The meaning of Pi

Pi's name serves a dual-purpose in the book. For our protagonist it is a symbol of home - a safe haven that shields one from the unchartered territory that is the outside world. But at the same time, the mathematical value of Pi is an irrational number, which no one can completely decipher. It also stands in as a metaphor for life in general which is a blend of the rational (such as science and reason) and the (such as our faiths and beliefs).

"In that illusive irrational number with which scientists try to understand the truth of the universe, I found refuge." - Pi says in the book about the mathematical symbol.

A novel of questions

This book is full of spiritual references, poetic visual imagery, and questions no one seems to have definite answers for even though they are an inseparable part of the human experience. Questions about faith and the relativity of truth are at the core of Pi's story.

Even though Life of Pi starts off as a story that "will make you believe in God", it challenges the idea of blind faith. It is a testament to the fact that faith that is rooted in love is never threatened by doubt sprouted by seemingly insurmountable challenges one faces while riding the wave of life. Pi's journey endorses that religion is a personalised spiritual extension of oneself that is flexible,ever-evolving, and seasoned with one's experiences in the world.

This is further clarified by this statement Pi makes in the book "Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested."

The power of storytelling

The value of compelling storytelling is engrained in Pi's story from the very beginning of the novel with the author's note that makes it seem as if we are about to read an actual interview documented by the writer, blurring the line between fact and fiction.

Pi is an excellent storyteller who defines fiction as "selective transformation of reality" that allows one to bring forth the essence of an experience to communicate a deeper meaning. He uses story telling as a means of survival while presenting his account of the sea voyage to the Japanese officials who visit him in the hospital. They expect to hear the factual account of how the ship sank but are presented a fantastical tale with animals. When the novel's end discloses a transcript from the same interrogation revealing an alternate version of Pi's account where the animals are replaced by other human survivors, it reiterates how our protagonist is using storytelling as a means to make sense of and deal with the trauma of the horrible things he witnessed and partook in to survive on that lifeboat.

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C.S. Lewis gained acclaim as a children's author for his classic series The Chronicles of Narnia. He also gained acclaim for his popular apologetics, including such works as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. What is more, he gained acclaim as a science fiction writer for his Ransom Trilogy.

Narnia is a land of adventure and magic. Here animals talk and one's imagination knows no bounds. There is a talking lion, there is a wardrobe that hies you away to the land of Narnia where adventures are waiting to begin.

The story chronicles the adventures of the four children, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund, when they enter Narnia through an old wardrobe. There they join forces with the lion Aslan in the fight with the wicked White Witch. The Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies till date.

Lewis was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. He wrote around 40 books, reaching out to a vast section of readers including children and adults.. Lewis was also an academic. He taught English Literature at Oxford University until 1954.

Childhood

Lewis grew up in a household that gave importance to reading and education. Did you know that Lewis was more like a prodigy? He started reading at the age of three and by the age of five, he started writing stories.

 

The stories revolved around a fantasy land filled with "dressed animals". This collection of early stories was published as "Boxen: The Imaginary World of the Young C.S. Lewis (1985)".

Early years

Lewis served in France with the Somerset Light Infantry in World War I. He later started his studies at Oxford. He became a tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford, and later a professor at the University of Cambridge.

Lewis as a writer "Out of the Silent Planet' (1938), was his first work of fiction that garnered attention. This was followed by "Perelandra" (1943) and 'That Hideous Strength" (1945) which were both successful. These three novels form a science-fiction trilogy that revolves around the journeys of an English linguist named Elwin Ransom. "The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition" (1936) was Lewis' first scholarly work.

The enduring appeal of Narnia

It all started in 1950, when "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was published. Soon it was followed by a series of six stories that came to be called "The Chronicles of Narnia", a children's fantasy book series. The books were then adapted for the big and the small screens. With the series, its author C.S. Lewis became one of the well-loved children's book authors.

During World War II, four 5 siblings are sent to a safe place to protect themselves from the And at this country house, in the backdrop of all the carnage of the war, they find a magic door, a door to an adventure land- Narnia. One day, Lucy, the youngest of the siblings finds a wardrobe that takes her to the land of talking animals, dwarves, giants and so on. Once she returns from Narnia, she takes her siblings to the adventure land, the place which is at war. Aslan, the talking lion, is gathering an army to fight the evil White Witch who has cursed Narnia with eternal winter. The cousins join the army and fight the war and win, eventually good triumphs over evil. For the children, the wardrobe and Narnia are their escape from the real world, but they triumph in the war they get embroiled in at Narnia. The juxtaposition of the real war with that of the war in the fantasy world of Narnia explores the themes of existence, life and its meaning.

In 1956, Lewis married Joy Davidman Gresham. Six months after their marriage, his wife was diagnosed with advanced cancer. Although her cancer went into a period of remission, the disease returned and she died in 1960. Lewis channelled all his grief into his book "A Grief Observed", published in 1961. The 1993 biographical drama "Shadowlands" fictionalised their relationship

 In 1963 Lewis wrote his last book "Letters to Malcolm." He died at the age of 64 in 1963.

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Great Expectations is a literary masterpiece by Charles Dickens that presents a caricature of the unjust socio-economic conditions of 19th Century England from the point of view of its seven-year-old protagonist Pip. Let's us look at what makes this novel relevant today.

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in February 1812. His father was a clerk in the Navy office: because of this, they had to constantly move about and follow his different appointments. The looming money troubles caused the ten-year-old Dickens to leave school to take up work so he could contribute to the family's income. He was sent to work at a blacking factory in London that made polish for metal surfaces. His experience at the factory was scarring and traumatic. These childhood experiences became an intangible part of all of his narratives and made him sensitive to the precariousness of life. Research suggests that this is one of the main reasons why the protagonists of some of his most iconic books like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations, are children bound by unfortunate circumstances.

Great Expectations

Great Expectations begins with a young boy named Pip encountering an escaped convict in a churchyard. The child is terrified and intrigued and he brings the convict some food. This act of kindness, then, set up ripples that will work their way through his life and that of the convict for many years to come. This novel is a bildungsroman (a coming-of-age story) on the experience of childhood and great expectations of the future that help one move forward. Robert Douglas. Fairhurst, an author and professor at Oxford University, calls it the best novel about growing up and the strains and scars it leaves behind.

What makes it a classic?

 The narration

Dicken's mastery of storytelling is reflected in his ability to capture the voices of people from different social classes without being biased. By writing Great Expectations in the first person, he crafts a narrative that puts the reader in the shoes of the poor, orphan Pip on a journey to fulfil his ambition to rise above his social standing and take his place in society as a gentleman. As a story told in three parts, at three different stages of Pip's life, the novel focusses on the role of life experiences in shaping the personality of an individual.

Literature: A catalyst for change

As one of the most famous novelists writing in the English language in the 19th Century, Dicken's ambition in life was to prove that stories and literature could help fix the problems of the world. Even from the early days of his childhood, he displayed all the signs of a great showman. Public readings held by the author displayed his genius of getting the audience interested in serious topics like the evils of industrialising society, the sordid working conditions in factories, child labour and the inefficiencies of the government through stories with interesting plots, clownish characters and happy endings. Through his stories, Dickens set out on a mission to educate society.

One of the main reasons why Great Expectations has managed to stay relevant in the 21st Century is because we still live in a time of extreme inequality and indifference.

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Roald Dahl was a British children's author who created world-famous stories such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda. His works are globally renowned for inspiring children, and his books have sold more than 250 million copies across the world.

Reading Roald Dahl is like waltzing through an adventure land. You enter a world of magic. Because that's what he does, casting a spell on you by creating bizarre, macabre, yet lovable and entertaining characters.

The British author is a much-loved children's writer whose stories are akin to a carnival town. Anything was possible in his stories. Packed with adventures and peppered with an animated and humorous style of storytelling, Roald Dahl whisks you off to a land of fantasy, much like his character The Big Friendly Giant carries Sophie to a world of adventure. Reading his books and knowing his characters would give you a sense of how imaginative and ludicrous the writer's mind would have been.

Characters such as the clever Mr. Fox, the eccentric Willy Wonka or the villainous Miss Trunchbull who doesn't like pigtails have entertained children through the years.

Magic with words.                                                      

Dahl invented over 500 words and character names, and exaggerated the narratives and characters, making them even more appealing and entertaining to children.

Did you know that there was a Roald Dahl dictionary? The Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary contains all the words coined by the author and was published by the the Oxford University Press.

Early Life

Born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, Wales, Dahl wrote books not only for children but also for adults. After finishing his school, he took off for an expedition to Newfoundland, instead of joining college.

When World War II broke out, he enlisted himself in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He sustained injuries whilst flying as a fighter pilot, following a crash landing in Libya.

Foray into the literary world

His experience in the military is reflected in his books. He published many such stories in popular magazines.

His first children's book The Gremlins (1943) narrated the tale of creatures who crash fighter aircraft. He penned a series of military tales in Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946).

In the 1950s, he focussed on writing horror stories for adults. The book Someone like You that propelled him to the best-seller category. It was when he started making up bedtime stories for his children that the world of children's literature piqued his interest. The first of his successes was, of course, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964). And soon, many other books with eccentric characters and dark comical settings were published and celebrated. His nonsensical world continues to captivate children and adults alike.

The world of movies

Dahl turned his novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) into a screenplay for the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He wrote the screenplay for the 1967 Bond movie You Only Live Twice and also for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Several other works of Dahl were adapted to movies. He also published an autobiography - Boy: Tales of Childhood in 1984. Dahl passed away on November 23, 1990, in Oxford, England.

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Roald Dahl.

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Bram Stoker, byname of Abraham Stoker, (born November 8, 1847, Clontarf, County Dublin, Ireland—died April 20, 1912, London, England), Irish writer. Bram Stoker who is best known for the Gothic horror novel "Dracula" was born in Dubin, Ireland, in November. His early years were rife with personal struggles for he was an invalid till the age of 7. He could not stand or walk. But even those difficult times had a profound creative effect on Stoker. "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later  years." Stoker would write later.

After making a full recovery. he became an athlete and football player in school. He also earned a degree in mathematics from Trinity College, Dubin.

A passion for theatre

 Even as he was in civil service at Dublin Castle in 1876, he doubled as a drama critic for the Dublin Evening Mail. Though an unpaid job, it quenched his passion for theatre. Around this time that he acquainted himself with English actor Henry Irving. Stoker was Irving's manager for about 27 years until the actor's death.

Foray into the literary world

It was in 1879 that Stoker published his first book. Titled "The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland," it was a handbook in legal administration.

He later turned to writing fiction and published his first novel, "The Snake's Pass," a romantic thriller. In 1897 came his masterstroke - "Dracula."

An epistolary novel - a novel written as a collection of diary entries, telegrams, and letters from the characters - "Dracula" was celebrated and led to a lot of subcultures. The book went through a multitude of incarnations, being adapted for movies, television series, theatre, books and so on.

"Dracula"

The Gothic novel starts off with a young lawyer Jonathan Harker on his journey to Transylvania. His destination - Castle Dracula where he is set to meet Count Dracula, a client of his firm, to finalise a property transaction.

The story features a Transylvanian vampire who survives by feeding on the blood of innocent people. Eventually, after many exploits, Dracula is destroyed.

During the course of his literary career, Stoker wrote a number of short stories and 12 novels, including "The Mystery of the Sea" (1902), "The Jewel of Seven Stars" (1903), and 'The Lady of the Shroud" (1909).

Personal life

Stoker married actress Florence Balcombe and the couple had their only son Noel in 1879. The final years were difficult, for Stoker had to grapple with financial struggles and deteriorating health. He suffered a number of strokes and renal impairment. Stoker passed away in April 1912.

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Dame agatha mary clarissa christie, lady mallowan, dbe (née miller; 15 september 1890 – 12 january 1976) was an english writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives hercule poirot and miss marple.

A crime, a host of suspects, twists and turns, and an unexpected ending, all make this genre a delight for the reader. It's a genre made popular by British author Agatha Christie

Let me explain how I got introduced to mystery novels, a popular genre.

Some of us in our neighbourhood usually visit each other's homes whenever we are free. The other day when I went to one of my friends place, he was in his 'home' library, which he calls the mini library. There was a good collection of books, and I ran my eyes over them devouringly and pulled out a book at random. The cover page had an attractive design - a huge mansion surrounded by water and had the usual details such as the name of the author and the title - Agatha Christie, "And Then There Were None" - and what caught my attention was - The Queen of Mystery'.

I asked my friend, "Why is the author called The Queen of Mystery?" He thought for a while, but unable to respond, called out his sister. When she came in, I repeated the question.

She started off mentioning that anyone interested in mystery novels would have certainly read at least one of hers as Agatha Christie had written 66 of them. All her novels had the structure of a murder / crime being committed and a detective investigating and unravelling the truth at the end. Although the author was not the one who invented this genre, no one had written as much as she had and popularised it, and for that reason she was described as The Queen of Mystery'. It was a convincing answer to me.

An important fact about Agatha Christie, she added, was that she was the best-selling author as her books sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in translation; this was next only to the sale of The Bible, a rare feat, in fact.

She also told us that she liked the mystery novels very much, which, in a way, intrigued me. So, I asked her why she liked them and how they were different from other types of novels.

My friend's sister gave an interesting response to my question. She elaborated that all mystery novels narrate a gripping story about a crime and as readers, we all get involved in the investigation, but till the end, we wouldn't be able to identify the criminal, though we would be led to suspect many of the characters. It was these elements of mystery or the suspense that differentiated them from other kinds of novels, which mostly narrate straightforward stories. "The unexpected twists and turns in the mystery novels further add to our delight," she added.

She went on to tell us that she had basically been a slow reader but after starting on the mystery novels she has gained speed. Even the textbooks, she could read faster and understand them better now. When she stopped, I pointed out to her that the title was rather unusual, and enquired why the novelist had given such a title.

The title was, in fact, an adaptation from the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldier Boys Went Out to Dine"; and it was printed at the beginning of the book. She explained, "You would realise as you read the novel that the writer had drawn heavily from the rhyme."

She also listed other famous mystery novelists, namely, Stephen King, John Grisham, Dan Brown, and so on, who are widely read all over the world. Finally, she prodded us to read this novel as this has been one of the top-selling novels and made into a movie. She also suggested that we watch the movie along with her.

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Enid Blyton was such a prolific writer that her work provided enough material for the hungriest reader. She has authored over 700 books, starting from 1922 when she was about 25 years old. She did not put down her pen till her death in 1968 and some of her work has even been published posthumously.

Although wildly popular, her works have had a large share of criticism as well. Some of her critics have called her books racist, gender insensitive and stereotyped.

Be that as it may, she is a household name in many parts of the world, particularly in countries that were once colonised by the British.

Her ideas of what made for a good and upstanding child in faraway England is what I and many others like me followed.

Growing appetite

The appetite for books that Blyton could produce was immense. Her short stories were a great starting point. They introduced us to pixies and fairies. We could then progress to the Secret Seven series, which served as chapter books that were short enough to complete in a week. For the ardent mystery fan, there were many other series that waited such as The Famous Five, The Secret series, The Adventure series and The Five Find-Outers.

Because Blyton wrote so many books, there were those who said she had a team of "ghost-writers" who would pen the novels under her name. But she always denied the charge and continued producing more.

The stories were comforting in nature, in an all's well that end's well fashion. Because of the fairly simple plots and the formulaic style of her books, she may not have been considered a literary success. However, she remains among the best-selling children's authors even today. Her work has been translated into 90 languages and her books have sold over 600 million copies.

Perhaps it is that feeling of comfort-right from the large, wholesome meals that her characters ate to the carefree freedom that they enjoyed that leaves her readers asking for more.

Did you know?

There is an Enid Blyton Society that was founded in 1995. The aim of the Society is to provide a focal point for collectors and enthusiasts of Enid Blyton through its magazine The Enid Blyton Society Journal, issued three times a year, organise its annual Enid Blyton Day, an event which attracts in excess of a hundred members, and run its website (enidblytonsociety.co.uk)

Hachette UK has the world rights to the literary estate of Enid Blyton, excluding her best known series, Noddy. Blyton's work is overseen by Hachette's Hodder children's imprint.

Blyton's classic children's book The Faraway Tree' is being rewritten to include lessons about gender sensitivity. Writer Jacqueline Wilson will be writing a new version of the classic adventure story to update it for the 21st century.

An Enid Blyton fan has actually written a book with 42 recipes based on the books. Jolly Good Food' is authored by Allegra McEvedy with illustrations by Mark Beech.

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Helen Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.This English author who is known for her creations such as Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Jeremy Fisher, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and other animal characters wrote for the pure love of children and her works continue to enchant them.

 The British authors characters like to get into mischief and adventure.

Think of rabbits and for children who grew up on literature, it is always the images of the White Rabbit, Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Rabbit that pop up. For generations, the stories of naughty animals and their antics have delighted children and made for good bedtime stories.

Today, we introduce you to the wondrous world of children's book writer Beatrix Potter who is loved for her eclectic set of children's books featuring anthropomorphic animals. The adventures of Peter Rabbit and his friends are known to most children.

If you are new to the writer and her world of animals, here is a glimpse...

Britain's beloved author Helen Beatrix Potter was born on July 28, 1866 in Bolton Gardens, Kensington in London. She is noted for the fascinating tales of animals in human clothing. They conjure up mischief and indulge in adventures. Every story ends with a moral message, with the protagonists facing the consequence of their actions.

It all started with The Tale of Peter Rabbit One of the best-selling children's books of all time. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was in fact bom out of a letter. "A letter?" you may ask.

It began as a letter to Potters governess son. Knowing that her governess's son Noel was sick, Potter wrote a letter that carried the story of Peter Rabbit and his mischief. The story illustrated by her was sent over to Noel, with the hope that it would perk up his mood. My dear Noel," she wrote. "I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter" Little did Potter know that she would be delighting children for generations with her stories.

Instant hit

The first edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit was self-published by Potter in 1901. The book carried the story just like she had written to Noel and had 42 black-and-white illustrations. It was commercially published in 1902 by Frederick Warne & Co., with Potter's coloured illustrations. The book turned out to be an instant hit among children.

Soon other creations namely The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin' and The Tailor of Gloucester were published. These have entertained children for generations and continue to do so.

Potter who was also keen on the natural world turned to farming in her later years and was also into breeding Herdwick sheep. Always fascinated by the natural world around her, Potter was also into scientific illustration.

She also wrote a scientific paper on the germination of fungus spores titled "On the Germination of the Spores of Agaricineae’.

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Geetanjali Shree has become the first Indian author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize for her "utterly original" Hindi novel "Tomb of Sand", a family saga set in northern India about an 80-year-old woman who travels to Pakistan to confront the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition and re-evaluates what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman and a feminist.

At a ceremony in London on Thursday, the 64-year-old New Delhi-based writer said she was "completely overwhelmed" with the "bolt from the blue" as she accepted her 50,000-pound prize, and shared it with the book's English translator Daisy Rockwell. The prize is split between author and translator equally.

"Tomb of Sand", originally "Ret Samadhi", is set in northern India and follows an 80-year-old woman in a tale the Booker judges dubbed a "joyous cacophony" and an "irresistible novel".

"I never dreamt of the Booker. I never thought I could. What a huge recognition, I'm amazed, delighted, honoured and humbled," said Shree in her acceptance speech. "There is a melancholy satisfaction in the award going to it. 'Ret Samadhi/Tomb of Sand' is an elegy for the world we inhabit, a lasting energy that retains hope in the face of impending doom. The Booker will surely take it to many more people than it would have reached otherwise, that should do the book no harm," she said.

Reflecting upon becoming the first work of fiction in Hindi to make the Booker cut, the author said it felt good to be the means of that happening. "But behind me and this book lies a rich and flourishing literary tradition in Hindi, and in other South Asian languages. World literature will be richer for knowing some of the finest writers in these languages. The vocabulary of life will increase from such an interaction," she said.

Rockwell, a painter, writer and translator living in Vermont, US, joined her on stage to receive her award for translating the novel she described as a "love letter to the Hindi language". "Ultimately, we were captivated by the power, the poignancy and the playfulness of ‘Tomb of Sand’, Geetanjali Shree's polyphonic novel of identity and belonging, in Daisy Rockwell's exuberant, coruscating translation," said Frank Wynne, chair of the judging panel.

This is a luminous novel of India and Partition, but one whose spellbinding brio and fierce compassion weaves youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole," he said.

The book's 80-year-old protagonist, Ma, to her family's consternation, insists on travelling to Pakistan, simultaneously confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition, and re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, a feminist.

The Booker jury was impressed that rather than respond to tragedy with seriousness, Shree's playful tone and exuberant wordplay resulted in a book that is "engaging. funny, and utterly original", at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or genders.

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Arthur Conan Doyle was a famous British author. Arthur Conan Doyle is known all over the world as the creator of one of the most famous fictional characters in English literature, the master detective Sherlock Holmes. Among all the fictional characters that have survived time, Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most legendary. The shrewd detective has inspired films, TV shows and countless literary adaptations and analyses. Over 2,500 adaptations had come out by the 1990s alone.

 But he was much more than the originator of modern detective literature. He was a man of many talents and pursuits: a medical doctor, multi-talented sportsman, prolific and excellent storyteller, keen patriot and a staunch imperialist, as well as a campaigner against miscarriages of justice.

Created by legendary British author Arthur Conan Doyle in his 1887 book, 'A Study in Scarlet’, Sherlock Holmes and his appeal lives on. An exhibition devoted to him is on at Princetown, a village in the Dartmoor National Park in the county of Devon in the UK. Opened in April, the exhibition that runs till June 6, contains photographs of Dartmoors brooding landscape, the setting for Doyle's iconic novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles', written in 1901. While visitors can check out the places mentioned in the book, they can also see the place where Doyle stayed while writing the world-renowned crime mystery.

May 22, 2022 marks the 150th birth anniversary of Conan Doyle, a doctor and writer who created memorable characters and situations that would lay the foundation for many a detective novel and film. An exceptional story-teller, Doyle's books are known to hold the complete attention of the reader.

Doyle had a difficult childhood, with an alcoholic father, who was absent throughout his life, but his mother was a loving presence, instilling in him a sense of curiosity and wonder.

After his education in medical school, Doyle started work as a doctor in an Arctic-bound ship. Though he continued medical practice on his return to England, he started writing novels to supplement his income. In 1887, at the age of 28, he wrote 'A Study in Scarlet, introducing to the world Sherlock Holmes and his devoted friend Dr. John Watson. It is believed that Doyle modelled Holmes character on his professor and mentor at medical school, Dr Joseph Bell, who had keen powers of observation.

Doyle's life changed greatly with the success of the novel and with each new novel, his fame spread far and wide. He gave up medical practice eventually and turned to full-time writing. However, despite his phenomenal success as an author, Doyle remained "simple, decent and compassionate”.

 During his writing career, Doyle wrote 21 novels and over 150 short stories. He also published non-fiction, including The Great Boer War (1900). The British Campaign in France and Flanders and The Crime of the Congo based on his military experiences. Though Doyle wanted to serve in the British Army during World War I. he was rejected because of his age (he was already 55). But he had served as a volunteer physician in the Langman Field Hospital at Bloemfontein during the Second Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902). He has also published essays, articles, memoirs and three volumes of poetry. Doyle left thousands of letters to the press, about 1,500 letters to his mother. Mary Doyle. and his friends and acquaintances. Doyle led an inspiring life, achieving success through his own efforts. In Doyle's own words: "We can't all strike very big blows, and even the little ones count for something."

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Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle  (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer; other than Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the Mary Celeste.

While pursuing his degree he made his writing debut with a short story named, The Mystery of Sasassa Valley. Later he wrote Captain of the Pole Star inspired by his adventurous journey on a ship as a surgeon. On his return Doyle relinquished his Catholic faith as he found himself immensely invested in Spiritualism. He practiced medicine as an oculist but as it did not work out for him, he found refuge in writing. It was his studies that facilitated him to emerge as a remarkable writer.

He finally got the much awaited break with the release of A Study in Scarlet, introducing the phenomenal detective Sherlock Holmes. Doyle drew inspiration for this exceptional character from his professor Dr. Joseph Bell. Dr. Bell was a surgeon with an eccentric attribute of reading people by deducing telltale signs in their appearance. Doyle penned down over 50 stories based on the character of Sherlock. Late 19th and early 20th century marked as the height of his writing career as he continued to write Sherlock novels. In order to concentrate on his Spiritual writings he abandoned Sherlock Holmes series by killing off the character. However, later he was made to bring back the character by popular demand.

A prolific writer like Arthur Conan Doyle proved in himself in multifarious genres of writings. His genius was highlighted in his literary works which ranged from poetry, historical fiction, spiritual works, non-fictional writings to sci-fi and fantasy short stories.

Credit : Famous Authors

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Helen Keller was the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating from Radcliffe College, Massachusetts, in 1904. Her autobiography, The Story of My Life, written during her junior year at Radcliffe has been translated into 50 languages and remains in print to this day. She is remembered as an advocate for persons with disabilities, while her life story continues to be an inspiration to millions across the world.

Despite the fact Helen was virtually unable to communicate; her parents were determined to find a tutor for her because they believed she could learn. They finally met Anne Sullivan, and their hopes were fulfilled. Anne herself was partially blind, but she learned the manual alphabet while she was a student at the Institute.

Anne Sullivan taught Helen the manual alphabet by pressing the handshapes into Helen’s palm. Helen was soon able to read Braille and write with a special typewriter. Helen also eventually learned to speak by feeling Anne’s throat as she spoke and imitating the vibrations. Helen made history in 1904. She was the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college. She graduated from Radcliffe College with honors. Speaking about war, capital punishment, and child labor, Keller lectured all over the world for most of her life. As a champion for people with disabilities, she provided inspiration for those who might have otherwise lost hope.

Anne Sullivan was a constant companion to Helen until her death in 1936. At the age of eighty-eight, Helen died in 1968 in Westport, Connecticut.

Helen is truly an inspiration to all people–not just people with disabilities. She proves that anything can be accomplished through hard work, dedication, and faith.

Credit : Start ASL

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Jules Verne, (born February 8, 1828, Nantes, France—died March 24, 1905, Amiens), prolific French author, novelist, poet and playwright whose writings laid much of the foundation of modern science fiction.

Verne’s father, intending that Jules follow in his footsteps as an attorney, sent him to Paris to study law. But the young Verne fell in love with literature, especially theatre. He wrote several plays, worked as secretary of the Théâtre Lyrique (1852–54), and published short stories and scientific essays in the periodical Musée des familles. In 1857 Verne married and for several years worked as a broker at the Paris Stock Market. During this period he continued to write, to do research at the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library), and to dream of a new kind of novel—one that would combine scientific fact with adventure fiction. In September 1862 Verne met Pierre-Jules Hetzel, who agreed to publish the first of Verne’s Voyages extraordinaires (“Extraordinary Journeys”)—Cinq semaines en ballon (1863; Five Weeks in a Balloon). Initially serialized in Hetzel’s Le Magasin d’éducation et de récréation, the novel became an international best seller, and Hetzel offered Verne a long-term contract to produce many more works of “scientific fiction.” Verne subsequently quit his job at the stock market to become a full-time writer and began what would prove to be a highly successful author-publisher collaboration that lasted for more than 40 years and resulted in more than 60 works in the popular series Voyages extraordinaires.

Verne’s works can be divided into three distinct phases. The first, from 1862 to 1886, might be termed his positivist period. After his dystopian second novel Paris au XXe siècle (1994; Paris in the 20th Century) was rejected by Hetzel in 1863, Verne learned his lesson, and for more than two decades he churned out many successful science-adventure novels, including Voyage au centre de la terre (1863, expanded 1867; Journey to the Centre of the Earth), De la terre à la lune (1865; From the Earth to the Moon), Autour de la lune (1870; Around the Moon), Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (1870; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), and Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (1873; Around the World in Eighty Days). During these years Verne settled with his family in Amiens and made a brief trip to the United States to visit New York City and Niagara Falls. During this period he also purchased several yachts and sailed to many European countries, collaborated on theatre adaptations of several of his novels, and gained both worldwide fame and a modest fortune.

The second phase, from 1886 until his death in 1905, might be considered Verne’s pessimist period. Throughout these years the ideological tone of his Voyages extraordinaires began to change. Increasingly, Verne turned away from pro-science tales of exploration and discovery in favour of exploring the dangers of technology wrought by hubris-filled scientists in novels such as Sans dessus dessous (1889; Topsy-Turvy or The Purchase of the North Pole), L’Île à hélice (1895; The Floating Island or The Self-Propelled Island or Propeller Island), Face au drapeau (1896; Facing the Flag or For the Flag), and Maître du monde (1904; Master of the World). This change of focus also paralleled certain adversities in the author’s personal life: growing problems with his rebellious son, Michel; financial difficulties that forced him to sell his yacht; the successive deaths of his mother and his mentor Hetzel; and an attack by a mentally disturbed nephew who shot him in the lower leg, rendering him partially crippled. When Verne died, he left a drawerful of nearly completed manuscripts in his desk.

Credit : Britannica 

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