Children’s writer Enid Blyton’s work has been deemed racist and xenophobic by English Heritage.
The charity organisation, renown for installing circular blue plaques in sites around the UK with cultural or historical significance, has updated its website to acknowledge Blyton's problematic views.
The Famous Five author, who died in 1968, received a blue plaque in her name in 1997. The plaque was placed at her former home on Hook Road in Chessington, where Blyton began her writing career.
Though the physical plaque remains unchanged, only stating that the address was where the author lived, the online information of the plaque has been updated.
“Blyton’s work has been criticised during her lifetime and after for its racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit,” the blue plaque page on the English Heritage website now reads.
"A 1966 Guardian article noted the racism of The Little Black Doll [1966], in which the doll of the title, Sambo, is only accepted by his owner once his 'ugly black face' is washed 'clean' by rain. In 1960 the publisher Macmillan refused to publish her story The Mystery That Never Was for what it called its 'faint but unattractive touch of old-fashioned xenophobia'. The book, however, was later published by William Collins.
“In 2016, Blyton was rejected by the Royal Mint for commemoration on a 50p coin because, the advisory committee minutes record, she was ‘a racist, sexist, homophobe and not a very well-regarded writer’. Others have argued that while these charges can’t be dismissed, her work still played a vital role in encouraging a generation of children to read.”
This will likely not be the only plaque that English Heritage revisit and update.
Following last year's Black Lives Matter protests, the charity organisation, which has almost 1,000 plaques commemorating cultural and historical figures in London, vowed to readdress plaques dedicated to contested figures such as Blyton.
Blyton, considered one of the most popular and prolific authors of the 20th century, penned more than 600 children's books across her four-decade career. Translated into more than 90 languages, her works have sold upwards of 600 million copies. The Famous Five series of adventure novels, as well as the Noddy book series, are regarded among her most successful works.
At the height of her career, Blyton’s work was praised by her fans for covering a wide range of subjects including natural history, education, fantasy and mystery. However, they were also seen as lacking literary merit by literary critics and academics.
The BBC refused to broadcast radio adaptations of her works from the 1930s until the 1950s. Some schools and libraries banned her books for their racist, sexist, xenophobic and elitist connotations.
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
THREE
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The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
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