Gillian Baverstock

Infobox Writer
name = Gillian Baverstock


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birthdate = birth date|1931|7|15|df=y
deathdate = death date and age|2007|6|24|1931|7|15|df=y
occupation = Author
famous for = Author
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Gillian Mary Baverstock (15 July 1931, Buckinghamshire, England – 24 June 2007, Yorkshire, England) was a British author and elder daughter of English writer Enid Blyton.

Baverstock worked as a primary school teacher at Moorfield School, Ilkley, and wrote and spoke to audiences and the media extensively about her mother as well as her own childhood and life. She was estranged from her younger sister, Imogen Smallwood. In 1957, Gillian married Donald Baverstock, a BBC producer and executive, at St James's Church, Piccadilly; they had four children: Glyn (b. 1961, d. 1983), Sian (b. 1962, d. 2006), Sara, and Owain.

Quill Publications, Ltd.

In 1999, Baverstock founded Quill Publications Ltd., with comic writer Tim Quinn, to produce twelve editions of children's comic book Blue Moon. She wrote a series of stories which were based on popular fairy tales like "Sleeping Beauty" and "Little Red Riding Hood". The comic is no longer in production.

In 2005, Baverstock defended her mother's book "The Mystery That Never Was" after claims that it contained racist overtones [" [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/nblyton20.xml Publisher rejected Blyton tale for being 'xenophobic'] by Chris Hastings (Arts Correspondent) in the Daily Telegraph, 19 November, 2005 (accessed 25 August 2007)] .

As a widow, she lived in Ilkley, England; she was survived by two of her four children.

Appearances

*The Edinburgh Book Festival, "Growing Up with Enid Blyton", 26 August 2006. [ [http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/readings/archive06.html "Growing Up with Enid Blyton", Audio recording and transcript] (Accessed 19 November 2007)]
*Oxford Literary Festival, "Enid Blyton", 25 March 2007. [ [http://www.sundaytimes-oxfordliteraryfestival.co.uk/events_25march.htm#115 Oxford Literary Festival 2007] (Accessed 10 May 2007) A critical response to her appearance is at http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/feature/1765/Sunday-Times-Oxford-Literary-Fest]

Bibliography

*"Memories of Enid Blyton (Telling Tales S.)" (Mammoth, 2000) ISBN 0749742755
*"Enid Blyton (Tell Me About S.)" (Evans Brothers, 1997) ISBN 0237517515

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2002/03/13/fmenid.xml Was Enid Blyton the mother from hell?] ("The Daily Telegraph", 10/03/2002)
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/06/29/db2901.xml Obituary, "The Daily Telegraph", 29 June 2007]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2727846.ece Obituary, "The Independent", 2 July 2007]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2028780.ece Obituary, "The Times", 5 July 2007]