Enid Blyton’s `Famous Five` set to find its place on shelf after a gap of 45 years
September 9, 2008
Britain’s Enid Blyton’s most popular most popular characters are set to make a comeback in a series of brand new adventures featuring 20 titles that will be released over a period of two years.
Julian, Dick, Anne, George & dog will revisit as grown ups. Chorlon, owner of the publication rights, said: “The books would remain true to the classic storytelling style and values of Enid Blyton, who once lived in Bourne End and Beaconsfield.” The first in the series, The Famous Five’s Survival Guide, has just been released in which, the now grown-up Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and their loyal dog Timmy, reunite for more “stolen treasure, problem solving, traps and traitors.”
The new animated series was launched on the Disney Channel in May. The series deals with Famous Five’s off-springs in the cartoon creations are up-to-date equipped with iPods and mobile phones taking on their new enemies, a DVD bootlegger among them. Chorion says: “The adventures of Silky the Fairy and her four new fairy friends Melody, Petal, Pinx and Bizzy, penned by Ellise Allen, are told in a contemporary tone, but stay true to the original world Blyton created way back in 1939.” Enid Blyton passed away in 1968. She wrote 700 stories spanning over 40 years and has sold 500 million books worldwide.”
Harry Potter firm looking into the future
April 4, 2008
Bloomsbury, the publisher, plans to enter a new phase. It said that they had entered the “post Harry Potter era” after publishing the last series of the best-selling fantasy novels last year.
According to reports in 2007, the pre-tax profit of the book had tripled to £17.86m, from £5.2m a year before. Plus, the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had sold well. The firm said that the year 2008 had showed positive results with “a strong line of new titles”. The success of the Harry Potter books worldwide has generated a lot of profit for Bloomsbury. However, the company now plans to enter a new phase. The CEO of the company Nigel Newton said that they are now well prepared for the post Harry Potter era. Adding to this, he said that the firm has lessened the overhead costs and are successfully exploring new areas in the publishing industry.
He added that the turnover of the company had increased from £74.8m in 2006 to £150.21m in 2007. Additionally, this year they have added new titles to their list, which include Mr. Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Jonathan Littell’s Die Wohlgesinnten.
London Magazine plans Indian venture in Kolkata
March 24, 2008
Kolkata, The City of Joy, is chosen by a 300 year old publication firm The London Magazine, to open an Indian chapter based on arts and literature publications, which happens to be, the magazines first outing out side UK.
The Indian edition, likely to be based in Kolkata, and will be headed by Papia Ghosal, an artist from the city and guest editor of the magazine in London.
The owner, Cristopher Arkell said ” India has more English-speaking people than the entire reading population of UK. The London Magazine has always been interested in literature written around the world, so an edition anchored in India and reaching all English speaking people of the region is a sensible progression.”
The London Magazine was founded as early as 1732 as a wing to counter balance the Tory Gentleman’s Magazine. However the magazine was closed in 1785, and reborn in 1820. The magazine boasts of works by literary luminaries like William Wordsworth, P B Shelly, John Keats and Thomas Hood.
The magazine has faced many a closers several times, and was re-launched sixth time by Arkell.
Vatican takes on Harry Potter
January 20, 2008
J.K. Rowlings bestseller series ‘Harry Potter’ has been severely condemned by the Vatican, which has branded the famous boy wizard “the wrong kind of hero”. The Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano has come out with a scathing article on the bestselling book, insisting that the novels pose a danger to children by promulgating occult and witchcraft. The article titled “The double face of Harry potter” asserts propaganda of witchcraft in positive light though it has its set of values and morals. According to the Vatican the books infuse violent manipulation of things and events with the knowledge of occult. The controversial article is penned by Edoardo Rialti, a professor of literature at Florence University. It even compares Harry Potter with two other great British children’s classics, the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
The Flashman Saga Comes to an End
January 5, 2008
It time to bid goodbye to novelist George MacDonald Fraser at the age of 82 after fighting cancer for years. His Victorian anti-hero Harry Flashman goes to rest with him. Though Fraser served as an infantryman in the Second World War and was the deputy editor of the Glasgow Herald, he is still remembered for Flashman. The series of 12 novels was a sensation and got the author deserved recognition. Fraser first started writing these novels in 1969.
His only novel that made it on the sliver screen was Royal Flash with Malcolm McDowell in the lead role
