Book 16 of 2022

I just finished the newly published English translation of a French (I think, not Belgian) graphic novel version of the first Famous Five novel. The French language comic book was done by father and son pair Béja and Nataël, who have now done eight books in the series. The first two have just been published in English translation. The first book, Five On A Treasure Island, is a fun read, with gorgeous Tintin-esque art, harking back to the 1940s and 1950s. The story is abridged, and changed re the treasure back story. The opposition has also been tweaked. But it is a brisk and fun retelling, and looks gorgeous. I am now reading the French language original graphic novel, and am amused to see some of the differences.

I attended a recent online academic panel about the process of translating these books back into English, as well as wider issues of publishing Enid Blyton today etc. A recording of it is now available on YouTube.

Watch on YouTube